Hey guys -- So, I have an older Skeeter (SS 90) which has been in the elements basically from day one. The paint/gel along the upper rail is faded / washed out badly. Also, there are some mildew stains, especially along the stern, and of course some UV fade / water lines etc. along the gel coat on the side. I have been trying different things over time trying to bring back that shine... wax, back to black, some restorer stuff than an "experienced" fisherman told me of (which actualy worked pretty good), and a few other things. Well, this year I am working on really getting the gleam back, and have been struggling getting the white white and blue gels back to shiney. I know the gel will never be exactly as it was on day one, but I hoped to get it much much better.
I was talking to a guy who was working of polishing headlight covers, and he said he used toothpaste. The grit is ultra fine, and works great as a method of restoring headlights. *It takes a few passess of scrub / clean / scrub / clean etc. So, I thought, why not try that on the gels and mildew. So, I head out armed with two washcloths and a tube of Colgate Total toothpaste...to clean my boat. First I took the wet wash cloth and wiped down the gel. Then I applied some toothpaste and scrubbed. Next I wiped off the area with the other side of the wet cloth, the dried it off with the dry one. It looked a little better. So I repeated it again. The result was amazing! Now it was NOT as good as "new" but it was 1000% better than before. And thats with NO WAX on it at all yet!
Next I tried it with the mildew stains on the white. Same process, scrub, clean, scrub, clean and BOOM -- NO STAINS! I was SHOCKED at how well it worked on mildew stains. Clorox and water didn't touch them, dawn and a scrubb brush laughted at it, and a couple other simple cleansers; but tooth paste did the trick! You could literally see them just dissapear as you were cleaning them. Maybe a majic eraser would work?? I don't know, I havent tried yet. But, we have some extras so I may.
I also tried this on the gel on the side of the boat, and had the best result of all. Granted it wasn't faded nearly as bad, but the area I did looked like NEW! I was amazed at how well toothpaste worked! I have asked a bunch of people what to use and most couldn't give a good idea...now I know at least one thing that works. And I will probably try a magic eraser soon.
So, does anyone have anything they use consistently that works that well? Basically what IS the best way to salvage faded gel, and remove mildew stains? My vote for now is Toothpaste! *Magic eraser could be an option after I try it...
Tight Lines!
Bassun
