anyone know whats is going on here

[RWS]

Hello all and I hope you and yours are safe and well.This is the start of our second season owning this boat. Looking forward to social distancing floating style this season. Last year we had it buffed and waxed. We did it again and now it has these splotchy spots.Any suggestions ? Thanks for your input.

[tomschauer]

If I were a betting man, I would say at some point there was a repair to the fiberglass there and it was painted to match the gelcoat. Now you are losing the paint.

Just a guess.

[Tireless]

I don't disagree with Tom at all, but there could be a second option for you to look into. I have seen this before.

A number of years ago there was a product that was sold to take the place of waxing your boat. It was a clear coat that could be painted on to make your boat shine. Could be applied to make the finish nice to sell it as well.

The only problem was, that after time the product could peel off and look similar to what I see in the picture. I had a friend who had this product on the brow of his flybridge. I went at it with a compound and it seemed to remove it, but it was going to be a long term effort.

If this is in fact what it is, you MAY have to have this professionally wet sanded, but I wouldn't do this unless you are SURE what it is. A good fiberglass guy should be able to tel you.

Is it possible to research back to who had the boat previously and find out what they put onto the fibreglass of your boat. Just a thought and something to look into. Be sure before you act.

Good Luck. When you find out what is going on please share with us. I think it is more common than you think.

Greg

[RWS]

Greg I believe you are correct, that's what the detail guys is saying "it has had a product put on it" Any idea what a professional wet sand on a 3607 could run?

[Viper]

Ya I'm thinking it's a clear coat too. There are many out there, some better than others. Eventually they fail for one reason or another. It's possible that she was painted either due to a repair or the gel was too far gone to bring back up at a reasonable cost. Painting then becomes the cheapest fix. If you inspect the area closely, you may find a ridge somewhere where the fresh paint line was terminated, could be the bottom, top, sides, etc. I've also seen patchy areas appear after a bad glass repair but they're usually pretty uniform, that seems to be too patchy to me and the sharp/clean edges and points aren't consistent with a glass repair. If it is indeed clear coat, it'll likely have to be removed mechanically. If the tech is really good, he can just redo that area but it's very difficult to blend in an isolated area to the surrounding surfaces. To avoid ending up with a visible repair, he may have to redo the entire area to a point where a paint edge won't be so obvious.

Did this happen during the polishing or did it start sowing up later? Can you tell if it's a clear layer that's peeling off? A layer that has released and is about to peal off usually goes dull but it depends on the product.

[buster53]

Ok, instead of clear coat, could it be Poliglow or similar product? If not kept up, splotchiness will happen.
Before you go to the extreme of wet sanding, in case it is Poliglow, buy a quart of Poliglow stripper and a Scotchbrite pad and go to it.
Some years ago, I bought a 34' sailboat that had been coated with a Poliglow competitive product and really looked bad. I bought the stripper and was able to strip the entire boat in less than an hour. Whole lot easier than wet sanding an entire 34' boat

[Tireless]

RWS, I do agree that a wet sand is a last resort. I was not aware of a solvent that would remove. A good detail guy would be able to help you.

Greg

[RWS]

Ya I'm thinking it's a clear coat too. There are many out there, some better than others. Eventually they fail for one reason or another. It's possible that she was painted either due to a repair or the gel was too far gone to bring back up at a reasonable cost. Painting then becomes the cheapest fix. If you inspect the area closely, you may find a ridge somewhere where the fresh paint line was terminated, could be the bottom, top, sides, etc. I've also seen patchy areas appear after a bad glass repair but they're usually pretty uniform, that seems to be too patchy to me and the sharp/clean edges and points aren't consistent with a glass repair. If it is indeed clear coat, it'll likely have to be removed mechanically. If the tech is really good, he can just redo that area but it's very difficult to blend in an isolated area to the surrounding surfaces. To avoid ending up with a visible repair, he may have to redo the entire area to a point where a paint edge won't be so obvious.

Did this happen during the polishing or did it start sowing up later? Can you tell if it's a clear layer that's peeling off? A layer that has released and is about to peal off usually goes dull but it depends on the product.

Viber, last year we did some wet sanding ,buff and wax. you could tell then that something at some point had be applied . my guy buffed and waxed it and then gave it a pressure wash this year, I saw the boat after the wax but before the pressure wash and didn't notice it, of course it was covered in wax dust and pollen

[RWS]

Source of the post Ok, instead of clear coat, could it be Poliglow or similar product? If not kept up, splotchiness will happen.
Before you go to the extreme of wet sanding, in case it is Poliglow, buy a quart of Poliglow stripper and a Scotchbrite pad and go to it.
Some years ago, I bought a 34' sailboat that had been coated with a Poliglow competitive product and really looked bad. I bought the stripper and was able to strip the entire boat in less than an hour. Whole lot easier than wet sanding an entire 34' boat

How can I know this was the product used? will it remove all wax as well?

[Tireless]

In my view if you use a solvent of any kind to remove the product, what ever it is, it will remove the wax for sure and you need to be aware of what impact it will have on your gelcoat. But then again, every spring I compound/wax my boat and the idea is to remove the old wax.

The product has to come off. But remember, you may not know what the condition of the gelcoat underneath. If you do remove the product you will need to do a compound/wax. Your detail guy should be able to tell you.

Greg