How to Care for Colored Fiberglass Boat Hulls

Colored fiberglass hulls get their color from the gel coat that covers the fiberglass, giving the hull it's shiny surface. Taking care of the hull requires you to resolve the dings it gets during boating, plus the care that's required to keep gel coat gleaming like it did when it came from the maker's mirrored hull mold. Much of the care is seasonal; some of it requires your attention each time you take your boat from the water.

Things You'll Need

  • Mild liquid detergent
  • Chlorine bleach
  • Commercial wax stripper
  • Acetone
  • Clean cloth
  • Razor knife
  • Gel coat paste
  • Gel coat repair kit
  • Clear plastic
  • 220-grit sandpaper
  • 400-grit sandpaper
  • 600-grit sandpaper
  • Paste wax
  • Scraper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wash your boat with a mix of mild liquid detergent and water at the beginning of each boating season. Add a cup of chlorine bleach to the mix to kill mildew that has gained a foothold in the interior over the course of winter storage.

    • 2

      Strip last season's wax from the boat before you put it in the water the first time, using a commercial wax stripping product -- follow the directions on the container -- or by wiping a chemical such as acetone onto the boat's finish with a clean cloth. Turn and refold the cloth as you wipe the acetone onto the boat's surface, so there's always a clean, acetone-dampened surface wiping across the boat.

    • 3

      Drag a razor knife along any deep scratches, to roughen up the inside of the scratches. This gives a place for gel coat paste to bond to the sides of the scratches.

    • 4

      Mix the gel coat paste from a gel coat repair kit with the tints in the gel coat repair kit, to get close to the boat's original color, and spread the paste into the scratch and cover it with clear plastic for 24 hours.

    • 5

      Pull the plastic from the repair and sand down the gel coat with a fine sandpaper such as 220-grit paper and polish it with 400- or 600-grit sandpaper. Wipe the dust away with an acetone-dampened rag and rub the boat with polishing compound until it shines. Put a new coat of a good paste wax on the boat.

    • 6

      Remove the marine life from the hull with a scraper each time you go boating, before you leave the boat launch. If you trailer your boat, this helps avoid cross-contaminating waters with any invasive species, such a s zebra mussels, which may have hitched a ride on your boat's hull. Rinse the boat with fresh water, inside and out, after each of your boating adventures.

    • 7

      Repeat the process seasonally, at the beginning of the boating season.