wraps & stickers - gel coat fading issues..etc

[atxfletch]

To those of you that have put wraps and large stickers on your boat....

Have you ever removed stickers/wraps after a year or two to find that the exposed gelcoat fades faster than what was covered up? I was thinking of adding a couple of stickers to my boat, but I don't want to regret it later. I take excellent care of my boat...wiping down after every ride...keeping it waxed etc...

perhaps rotating stickers out from time to time and replacing with different ones in different spots would be an idea?

[wienrdog]

It does happen. My guess is that it will be a 'it depends' answer based on the gel color, storage location, etc. I had the decals replaced on my 01 last year & if the light catches it just right, you can see a slight discoloration where the original decal was. I don't know how well the previous owner cared for it, but I know it was buffed out after the stickers were removed.

[JohnDoe]

The key is preventing discoloration of the surrounding gelcoat. IF it does fade, however, then it can usually be buffed out well-enough to prevent any notice of the old sticker's outline.

[Bill_AirJunky]

I stripped all the stock decals off my 94 MC 205 when it was about 5 or 6 yrs old. Any discoloration on the white gelcoat buffed out easily. But the discoloration on the black gelcoat was still there after a good buff & wax. We ended up wet sanding it to get the color right. Then buffing & waxing it again.

I was told the worst color for fading is red. Something about how it reacts to UV.