Did I screw up?

[Austin1]

So I read on this site somewhere that you can wet sand out a scratch with 2000 grit sandpaper. So I tried it on my boat and I am left with this dull spot. Did I just mess up the gel coat on my boat? How do I fix this?

 

[Austin1]

Another pic

 

[bronze_10]

 

[Jgorm]

No, you needed to buff with a cutting compound, then polish.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

/

 

[Jgorm]

@Cobra Jet Steering LLC he said he used 2000, not 400.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Damn I thought he wrote 400 my bad I will delete the answer I wondered why he used 400 I was cringing . eyes get bad at night sometimes I have to put on 2 pair of glasses one over the other at a time to read the screen.

 

[Joatmon]

So I read on this site somewhere that you can wet sand out a scratch with 2000 grit sandpaper. So I tried it on my boat and I am left with this dull spot. Did I just mess up the gel coat on my boat? How do I fix this?

You will need to use 3500 or 4000 grit wet sandpaper with water to get out the dull finish. The gel coat is thicker than car clear coat, but too deep and you will see fiberglass strands. After the 4000 grit use polishing compound. Not rubbing compound. Check out Meguiar's Marine care products on their web site. It has a product guide for marine and RV care. It will cost you more but their stuff is the best.

 

[Jgorm]

You will need to use 3500 or 4000 grit wet sandpaper with water to get out the dull finish. The gel coat is thicker than car clear coat, but too deep and you will see fiberglass strands. After the 4000 grit use polishing compound. Not rubbing compound. Check out Meguiar's Marine care products on their web site. It has a product guide for marine and RV care. It will cost you more but their stuff is the best.

I'd go straight to compound. Over 2000 grit paper is pointless in my experience. It clogs in seconds. 3m makes great Marine compound too. I'm on there fence between meguiars and 3m. Both make quality products and i routinely use both.

 

[Zonie]

No worries. If the scratch is gone with 2000 it just needs a little polish. You can do it by hand but it's a lot easier if you use a power tool. Nothing fancy, the Harbor Freight polishers work great. I use a standard variable speed polisher but some people prefer the DA (Dual Action) versions. Just personal preference. They are on sale frequently and you can usually get one for around $30.

https://www.harborfreight.com/7-in-10-amp-heavy-duty-digital-variable-speed-polisher-62297.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-57-amp-heavy-duty-dual-action-variable-speed-polisher-62862.html

You'll also need two kinds of pads and two kinds of compounds. Start with a wool pad and some cutting compound, this takes the scratches out.

https://www.harborfreight.com/7-1-2-half-inch-wool-buffing-pad-90451.html
https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Mir...pID=41T1IGT8PtL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Once the scratches are gone (it doesn't take very long) switch to a foam pad and a good polish. As #Jgorm and others have mentioned, there are several good brands of product.

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-Polishing-Foam-Pad-61531.html
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002J854U...dE&pd_rd_r=S1DHM5G6HE4FMWFPWHE8&pd_rd_w=JmXEp

Also, whenever you sand, make sure you sand it wet. Keep it wet, dip it in water frequently or hold a hose over it and use a block to sand with. Don't try to sand by holding the paper in your hands.

 

[swatski]

No worries. If the scratch is gone with 2000 it just needs a little polish. You can do it by hand but it's a lot easier if you use a power tool. Nothing fancy, the Harbor Freight polishers work great. I use a standard variable speed polisher but some people prefer the DA (Dual Action) versions. Just personal preference. They are on sale frequently and you can usually get one for around $30.

https://www.harborfreight.com/7-in-10-amp-heavy-duty-digital-variable-speed-polisher-62297.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-57-amp-heavy-duty-dual-action-variable-speed-polisher-62862.html

You'll also need two kinds of pads and two kinds of compounds. Start with a wool pad and some cutting compound, this takes the scratches out.

https://www.harborfreight.com/7-1-2-half-inch-wool-buffing-pad-90451.html
https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Mirror-Glaze-Ultra-Cut-Compound/dp/B001O7PNW8/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1523416334&sr=1-2&keywords=meguire's+compound&dpID=41T1IGT8PtL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Once the scratches are gone (it doesn't take very long) switch to a foam pad and a good polish. As #Jgorm and others have mentioned, there are several good brands of product.

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-Polishing-Foam-Pad-61531.html
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002J854U...dE&pd_rd_r=S1DHM5G6HE4FMWFPWHE8&pd_rd_w=JmXEp

Also, whenever you sand, make sure you sand it wet. Keep it wet, dip it in water frequently or hold a hose over it and use a block to sand with. Don't try to sand by holding the paper in your hands.

105 rules!

EDIT: and what a great post!

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[zipper]

Wet sanded my whole hull last spring to remove gelcoat oxidation after removing the graphics. When wetsanding, use a overlapping circular motion, not back and forth. Although there are a lot of products out there, I liked the Marine 31 Heavy cut oxidation remover followed by their pollishing compound. Don't worry, the haziness will come out with more work. But the scratch looks like it is thru the gelcoat and may need spectrum .