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Lots of gelcoat scratches


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We got back from Lake Billy Chinook Sunday after putting 27 hours on the boat pulling high school kids from our church around the lake. The boat performed flawlessly and was a big hit.

After getting back I noticed a lot of water spots on the gelcoat. My daughter wanted to get the boat back in the water so she volunteered to get it all cleaned up inside and out and to wax the boat. She used Tony's Topical Toilet Tonic, but used a scouring pad above the rub rail. It now has lots of small scratches which actually are not all that noticable unless you are looking closely. We put the boat back in the water and told her I would deal with it at the end of the season. I really don't have many marks on the boat, and in particular the transom pad once more saved the day with all of the newbies putting on a wakeboard. I'm going to have to buff all of the gelcoat above the rubrail with a cutting compound and then buff it with a polish. Oh well. It is hard to be upset when she was so eager to help.

Oh, and all of the water spots are gone. :)

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Yeah, it is hard to be angry in that situation (my oldest is like that, just wants to help). Still, I'd try to find a proactive, positive approach to showing her how to do it right next time.

For the water spots, we've found that a good base coat of wax & then regular use of Babe's Boat Bright is the answer on that midnight blue.

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Yeah, it is hard to be angry in that situation (my oldest is like that, just wants to help). Still, I'd try to find a proactive, positive approach to showing her how to do it right next time.

For the water spots, we've found that a good base coat of wax & then regular use of Babe's Boat Bright is the answer on that midnight blue.

I agree. I was going to have her just use vinegar and water, but we didn't have any vinegar in the house, but we did have H2O2 and Lysol. I did tell her to use a certain non abrasive brush that I use for the boat, but she misunderstood me.

I did wax the boat just before LBC, but sitting in the water without really being able to clean it up for 5 days straight took it's toll. It's not a big deal, just a bit of work to make it perfect again.

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27 hours in a week is a lot of hours. Good work, I'm sure they love you and you've created some good memories.

Know this isn't much a consolation, but there are MANY on here, and out there, that struggle to get their family out on the boat. Having a child that wants so bad to get out on the boat they'll clean and wax it is a HUGE plus. Mine are still too little, even so, it's usually just me doing the bulk of the cleaning. I'm ready for the teenagers that I can deligate it all too.

You'll get the marks out.

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If you use Tony's solution all you have to do is wash the boat down first to get rid of any other dirt & then just take a soft cloth and wipe Tony's solution right over the brown water stains. They should just disappear. You should be able to buff the gelcoat scratches right out if they didn't go too deep.

Good Luck

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Sounds like a full and fun week at LBC!!!

I'm going to wax my boat this week in preparation for a week long outing. I'm hoping to get some help from my oldest. I'll keep your experinece in mind and give some extra attention to getting that project off on the right foot.

Good luck with your polishing -- I bet it will look great.

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