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Gel Coat Restoration
There is much more to it than most people think!

Due to the size and living conditions of our boats, gel coat restoration is a common process many boat owners will have to consider. Unless you have been hyper-vigilant with the care and upkeep of your boats fiberglass gel coat wax or gel coat, the normal aging and weathering process will create an unwanted level of fiberglass oxidation in the form of a chalky and dull effect. My page on fiberglass boat wax will teach you much about proper and effective products for use in boat care and gel coat restoration. But if you are looking for fiberglass boat restoration service here in Orange County, CA, then follow along as I take you through some points of concern you will need to consider for this generally oversimplified topic.

Gel Coat Oxidation

Fiberglass and gel coats are a completely different animal than that of car paint. The reason I bring in the comparison is simply because experience has shown that many people make this natural comparison. In order to gain some understanding, it will be necessary to break this subject into (2) specific categories:

gel coat wax

General care and upkeep.

Fiberglass or gel coat restoration.

While you have found this page specifically looking for the gelcoat restoration process, it is helpful to gain additional understanding as a foundation to the topic of boat care and restoration.

General Boat Care and Protection

Just like many areas of life, certain rules exist when it comes to care and maintenance. For boats, cars, and RV's in their many forms, the basic rules are as follows:

Dirt, sun, and water are the worst enemies.
The more exposure to any or all of these, the more general care and maintenance will be required.

Regardless of your specific "toy", washing and waxing will be required for all. Washing removes the superficial dirt, and waxing provides a layer of protection from dirt, water, and UV damage. While there are many products labeled as marine or boat specific products, any car care products will also be effective for use on your boat or RV. It is not that any special ingredients are contained in these specially labeled products, it is simply a way for the industry to sell more products to an already confused and ignorant consumer base. But the real differences between boats and cars present itself in our next topic: gel coat restoration!

Fiberglass Boat and Gel Coat Restoration

The climax of this information is this: due to the nature and durability of gel coats and fiberglass, the restoration process requires products, tools, and techniques that are much more aggressive than is required for use on car paints. Surprisingly, gel coat wax I have heard many people incorrectly classify gel coat or fiberglass as more delicate than that of car paint, and therefore require special care. The exact opposite is true, and because of the durability of these materials, traditional methods of car paint polishing will prove ineffective. And once again, traditional car paint restoration and oxidation removal products are safe for use on gel coats and fiberglass, but typically are not aggressive enough for lasting, or professional level results. My page on gel coat polish will teach you Do-It-Yourself tips and techniques if you are looking for a simplified approach for polishing your fiberglass or gel coat by hand.

Gel Coat Restoration: Steps of Engagement

Not only do boats come in a vast arrangement of sizes and colors, but levels of gel coat oxidation come in equally diverse levels. Just like auto detailing, not everyone has the same level of expectations and budgets. For these simple facts, it makes quoting gel coat restoration projects very difficult when people call on the phone. Just as my time is important to me, I also realize your time is important to you. For this reason, most people do not fancy the idea of trailering their boats all over town looking to get quotes.

Gel Coat Restoration Prices

As a general rule, I charge $85.00 an hour to do fiberglass boat restoration in a mobile capacity. If you require the use of my warehouse space for this service, additional charges may apply.

Mobile Fiberglass Boat Restoration-Orange County, CA

The reason I point out this is due to the fact that every location, such as storage yards, are not ideally suited for the project. As mobile service, I require certain things such as the following:

Ample working room around perimeter of boat.
Access to electrical outlets.

Storage yards are not ideally suited for major gel coat restoration projects. I have worked in many storage facilities around the southland, but this is mainly for mild levels of boat oxidation removal. For major projects, either relocation of your boat to your home or warehouse, or I can make arrangements to relocate to a warehouse I have access to on a temporary basis.

Expectations of the Restoration Process

Not everyone is operating on the same budget and expectations. For this reason, you need to consider the end result you are after as the owner of your boat, and the level of oxidation removal required. Due to the extensive use of a high speed polisher, disassembly of the boat is required for optimum results. Results: If you are looking for the kinds of results pictured below, then disassembly is required. gel coat wax It is one thing to remove and polish away the oxidation of the gel coat and fiberglass, but it must be accepted that unless hardware is removed from the boat, polishing will be limited to the accessibility of the buffer. So oxidation removal will be less than complete when considering the many tight areas surrounding all the many forms of hardware contained on boats.

gel coat wax This is what this boat looked like during the gel coat restoration process. Complete disassembly of the hardware including all gauges was required. But once again, this is not for everyone as this is a very labor intensive job and the cost adds up quickly when undertaking this level of results.

Closing Remarks

As an added note, due to the fact that not all boats receive the same amounts of oxidation to the gel coat, it is important to consider that when performing the oxidation removal below the water line, any boat sitting on a trailer, will prevent oxidation removal from behind the wheel wells of the trailer. Arrangement's will have to be made for the lifting of the boat from off the trailer during this stage of the gel coat restoration process if this is a requirement. As any other area of auto detailing or boat detailing, I am not for everyone; only through your due diligence can you conclude this for yourself. If you have any additional questions of the gel coat restoration process with regards to service on your particular boat, give me a call as I promise to be both knowledgeable and friendly, and we can decide together if we are a good fit!

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I have been using Darren’s professional detail services, Auto Fetish Detail, for close to 15 years now and continue to do so. Darren has taught me and my staff just what real detailing is. Darren is incredibly meticulous and attentive to details. Whenever I have a customer who demands the best, I tell them to call Darren at Auto Fetish. I can always tell when Darren has detailed a car because the level of quality is like no other! He is not the cheapest guy in town, but you can’t beat the quality!
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Maxim Security Systems
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Anaheim Hills, CA

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Playa Del Rey, CA

My initial conversation with Darren at Auto Fetish Detail consisted of what his services would provide. Darren did exactly what he described to me and more. Darren detailed parts of the car that never crossed my mind to clean. Darren was promptly at the time, place and date we had agreed upon. Darren’s professional service and meticulous efforts made my car look better than the day I took delivery from the dealer. It was a great experience to deal with Darren and his professional service and work ethics.
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Yorba Linda, CA

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Laguna Beach, CA

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Yorba Linda, CA

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Newport Coast, CA

I have generally used other mobile detail services in the past and continue to do so for what I call a normal detail job. But I met Darren through Exclusive Motors as we share the same building. My wife uses the Suburban to run our 3 kids around and it gets very dirty in the process. The carpeting and seating was extremely bad and I thought I was going to have to replace both the carpeting and seating. I told Darren the other detailers in the past were not able to get the carpet and leather very clean. I was floored when I saw the results Darren was able to get! I tell people all the time that I have never paid so much for a detail, but that I have never had such an amazing job either! I send Darren to all my customers who simply demand the best, as Darren is the best!
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My daughter noticed how much time you spent detailing the Mustang today (something she normally would never be aware of) and asked how much it costs, I told her it is expensive and said I use Darren because he is the best detailer I have ever used.
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Orange, CA

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Anaheim, CA

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CEO-Simon Foundation for Education and Housing
Newport Beach, CA

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Marketing/Product Development
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Irvine, CA

Gel Coat RestorationThere is much more to it than most people think!