Gelcoat is Faded and my 'new to me' S22 looks pretty bad-Before and After

[2 tall]

I Finally got myself a Toyota Epic! I have been looking for the right moment to get an Epic and I finally pulled the trigger. It is a 2001 S22 with about 400 hours on it. The boat needs some TLC, and it runs beautifully. So..here is what I am tackling. The gelcoat and exterior of the boat look tired, dirty, and faded. I have been checking out the "Hula" products and I have decided to give their "Kit" a try. It is 3 different compounds that are applied with a buffer. I saw a youtube video and they refinished a wakesetter that looked incredible when it was done, awful (about like mine) when they started. I may not get this whole thing started for a few weeks, but I wanted to post it to see if anyone else has done this? I saw a couple other threads where people used 3M finesse and had success. I am going to get some before/after/during pics and post them to keep everyone informed. I am also going to detail the entire interior and make this thing look like it should. I am also refinishing the swim platform as it is faded and tired looking as well. I have refinished a teak swim platform before so I know that will go well. Any words of wisdom or past experiences, pitfalls?

[skibeau]

Congratulations!!  And Welcome to the site!

That's a great color scheme.  I know you'll enjoy it for years to come.  Our family has enjoyed our E22 for 7+ years

As you already know, there are some of the most knowledgeable and helpful people available in the world right here.  I haven't done this procedure, but look forward to it if my life ever calms down!!  Please keep us posted; pics are wonderful!!!

[tryme]

looking forward to the results.  I need to do mine as well.  pretty scratched up.  one thing I would do is see if you have a stock prop.  I replaced mine with a new acme and performance was immediately felt.  just look around.  Enjoy it and welcome!!!

[brad]

I've using the 3M Finesse on some minor scratches in small areas and it worked well.

[2 tall]

I did some of the work today (about 1/2 the boat). I used the Hula 3 step kit. The first run through with the  "Riptide" product on a wool pad as suggested was pretty great. It cut through the water spots very well and made the gelcoat shine right away. I had to wipe it off with a damp rag after I used the orbital polisher. I noticed it made the surface scratches go away right away. The deeper scratches looked much better. It did not take away 100% of the deep scratch, but dang it made it a whole lot better to say the least. I was pretty impressed

Then I used the  "Hang Ten" wax next with the orbital polisher with a foam pad as suggested. This was probably the most impressive of the two. The small scratches went away immediately. The spots that had been faded looked a lot better with the first application, then the wax made it shine big time. Even little spots that had a scratch or a little left pver after the first coat looked perfect after the wax.I'll get some pics soon...I don't feel like walking out to the shop in the snow at the moment..