Gelcoat thickness

[ralphy670]

How thick is the gelcoat on average. I have some minor scratches from rubbing on a plastic dock. I cant feel them when I rub my finger accross them. I have black gelcoat so the scratches are noticable. I tried Meguiars 50 today and my boat is now shiny but the scratches are still there. Do I need to use a more aggressive compound and are there any that are recommended. I am thinking of trying the Meguiars 49 next.

Thanks for any help.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Gelcoat thickness

Gelcoat on most boats is 15 to 20 thousandths (.015 - .020) thick.

If you can't feel them when you rub your finger across them, you should easily be able to buff them out.

In comparison, most car paint is 3 to 5 thousandths thick (.003 - .005).

 

[cr2k]

Re: Gelcoat thickness

You may have to go with some 800 wet/dry and work down to 1200 then polish.