Gel coat Restorer


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I just received 2 bottles of gelcoat restorer and last night I went to the boat and tried it in a small 2 x2 area. I had previously cleaned it with the recommended precleaner followed by rinsing. I applied a coat and I could not get it to look even. It dried quite a blatcy so am I not putting on enough product or too much. will it all even out with more coats. I used a good quality miocrocloth to apply it . the area is lightly oxidized so that is where I choice to start. Where do I go from here. thanks I love the products.

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  • 5 months later...

I had the same issue; perhaps someone can chime in and help with application technique. I emailed opt asking for the MSDS for this product and as it turns out, the product isn’t much more than bottled polyurethane; much like you would use to seal your deck. Pretty disappointing...

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44 minutes ago, Sudstud said:

I had the same issue; perhaps someone can chime in and help with application technique. I emailed opt asking for the MSDS for this product and as it turns out, the product isn’t much more than bottled polyurethane; much like you would use to seal your deck. Pretty disappointing...

The SDS says it's "acrylic co-polymer"; I don't interpret that to be "polyurethane".  Did you use a scuff pad (Scotchbrite, etc.) before washing/degreasing thoroughly?

I used this product on some faded clearcoat and I thought it did pretty well considering it was an "off-label" use.  My advice, having never used this on gelcoat, is to make sure you remove any surface chalking, and the instructions say up to 4 coats may be required.  My guess would be that it's not absorbing evenly (and therefore being splotchy) because 1) you need to apply more product, either a heavier coat or more likely several applications, or 2) the surface is unevenly prepped, i.e. you need to scuff it better.

And...I'm sure this isn't going to be miracle product (nothing is), it's just supposed to be less work than sanding/polishing off all that dead surface layer.

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It is NOT a miracle product (thanks Setec) and it has a learning curve.  As the attached video states, multiple coats are necessary to remove applicator marks and level.  It's important to remove the oxidized gelcoat, the reason for concentrated Power Clean AND scuff pad. 

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On 11/7/2019 at 8:44 AM, Setec Astronomy said:

The SDS says it's "acrylic co-polymer"; I don't interpret that to be "polyurethane".  Did you use a scuff pad (Scotchbrite, etc.) before washing/degreasing thoroughly?

I used this product on some faded clearcoat and I thought it did pretty well considering it was an "off-label" use.  My advice, having never used this on gelcoat, is to make sure you remove any surface chalking, and the instructions say up to 4 coats may be required.  My guess would be that it's not absorbing evenly (and therefore being splotchy) because 1) you need to apply more product, either a heavier coat or more likely several applications, or 2) the surface is unevenly prepped, i.e. you need to scuff it better.

And...I'm sure this isn't going to be miracle product (nothing is), it's just supposed to be less work than sanding/polishing off all that dead surface layer.

I was sent this file when I requested the SDS for GCR. It seems that I was provided the incorrect SDS by optimum customer service. Based on what I was provided, I incorrectly stated that GCR contained polyurethane. I stand corrected. Can you please send the correct SDS for me to review?

501 Optimum Clear Coat Restorer.pdf

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  • 2 years later...

Don’t be discouraged from fixing the gel coat on your boat, you can restore gel coat in a few easy steps. You should use a rubbing compound only if the gel coat is oxidized heavily and must follow up with extra layers of lighter-level polishes. A small reminder: the gel coat is removed little by little when constantly applied with these products, so do not go overboard.

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Detailed prep and application instructions are included with GCR...and are listed on the opticoat.com website.  Oxidation must be removed and a pearl weave towel is recommended to avoid over application, along with very thin layers of GCR.  Not removing oxidation AND over application of GCR will create splotches/streaks.  These can be removed with polish and/or TAR.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/26/2022 at 4:31 PM, daltonbourne07 said:

Don’t be discouraged from fixing the gel coat on your boat, you can restore gel coat in a few easy steps. You should use a rubbing compound only if the gel coat is oxidized heavily and must follow up with extra layers of lighter-level polishes. A small reminder: the gel coat is removed little by little when constantly applied with these products, so do not go overboard.

Boat gel coat restoration is an important part of the boat maintenance process including cleaning the dirt, removing the Gelcoat, restoring the oxidized gel coat, and waxing for protection. You should use a rubbing compound only if the gel coat is oxidized heavily and must follow up with extra layers of lighter level polishes. A small reminder: the gel coat is removed little by little when constantly applied with these products, so do not go overboard.

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