GELCOAT HAIL MARY
In the article “Salvaging the Shine” (April 2017), a last-hope step was not mentioned. I have managed to restore the shine on two old boats when rubbing compound would not do the job. A light wet-sanding, starting with 600-grit paper and working up to 2,000-grit, followed by a good compounding with three grades of compound, and they looked like new. There is a real risk of removing too much gelcoat doing this, so be sure to do a thorough rinse between each step to make sure you have not gone through.
Don Mackenzie Via email