RV Gel Coat Questions

**jlynntc** · 02-13-2013, 04:58 PM

Who has worked with it and what is a good process to keep it shiney and new? Clear coat I`m good with

but have never worked with gel coat. My wife and I are in the market for a RV and was curious what tips and tricks there are in Autopia land. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

**Ron Ketcham** · 02-13-2013, 05:12 PM

Buy a decent dual action polisher, electric model, some foam polishing pads and some good sealant, doesn`t have to be high dollar stuff.

At least once a year, give it a good washing and use the dual action to apply the sealant if not heavily oxidized. If it is, you will need to first use a mild compound with a foam cutting pad.

Harbor Frieght has a good Dual Action, many here use them for their business work. The unit is about half the price of the boutique dual actions and for you would be the perfect unit.Comes with a good warranty and if problems, just take it back to the store for a replacement, no shipping and arguing with some person on the phone, etc.

Also, with that RV, if it is going set for any length of time, Harbor Frieght has canvas wheel/tire covers that should be placed over the tires when it is not in use.

Saves the tires from UV checking, an expensive way to protect them.

**jlynntc** · 02-13-2013, 05:45 PM

Thanks Ron. I`ve got everything already except the sealant. I`ll do some digging on the sealant. We`re looking at a 42Ft Class A so I`ll have lots to clean up. I`m getting a full cover for it while it`s in storage. Once again thank your for the insight. :madgrin:

**Perfections** · 02-13-2013, 06:39 PM

Meg`s marine line cleaner wax is where it`s at. Hit it with that one day, the next day follow up with collinite 845 if you want to add a bit more protection.

Another great combo is duragloss 501 mixed with 601. 501 at 3 parts, 601 at one part. Then once your done with the whole thing go back to your starting point and hit it with 105 mixed with 601. 105 at 3 parts 601 at 1 part.

Both of the above combos usually last near a year.

**Ron Ketcham** · 02-13-2013, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by Perfections

Meg`s marine line cleaner wax is where it`s at. Hit it with that one day, the next day follow up with collinite 845 if you want to add a bit more protection.

Another great combo is duragloss 501 mixed with 601. 501 at 3 parts, 601 at one part. Then once your done with the whole thing go back to your starting point and hit it with 105 mixed with 601. 105 at 3 parts 601 at 1 part.

Both of the above combos usually last near a year.

Fully expecting to get "flamed" for this I got the fire extinguisher out.

Nu-Finish liquid!

It lasts, it is available everywhere, it is not over priced, it lasts, it is great on gel coat and it is easy to apply.

I have shelves full of my old company`s sealants and waxes, etc, I have shelves full on other products sent to me for "testing" by the marketing company`s that sell them, and when I do a gel coat, be it a boat or an RV, just use Nu-Finish for the reasons stated.

No fuss, no special "application", just use a DA, put it on, let it cure for an hour or so and it has shown it will last 6 months to year, and easy to wipe off the indicators.

Decades of using it on gel coat, and yes there are a lot of good products out there and some that are more hype than reality, so make your own choice.

**jlynntc** · 02-14-2013, 01:14 PM

No flaming here Ron. I`ve used various waxes, polishes, cleaners etc... over the years and am not afraid to try anything. Besides Nu-Finish is cheap.

Perfection- I`ve got stacks of Collinite. I use that on the cars along with other various Meg`s products. I like that idea also. When I get the coach I`ll let you guys know how it turns out. It will be a new one but I`m anal about keeping my vehicles spotless.

Thanks again for the help.

**Ron Ketcham** · 02-14-2013, 02:30 PM

The Collinite will work great. It`s a good, long lasting product, and easy to apply.

**Greg Nichols** · 02-15-2013, 12:43 AM

Ron, how would you rate Nu Finish compared to Collinite or fk1000P?

Cheers,

GREG

**Ron Ketcham** · 02-15-2013, 11:18 AM

The problem with "rating" of one product againist another is actually more a matter of personal used perception.

All are good products, each was formulated with a different target market, application requirements, etc.

All do what they were formulated for, not sure which Collinite product, but their original focus was the mold release industry, the FK 1000P was formulated especially just for the mold release industry, and the Nu-Finish, years ago, with changes in resins over the many years, for the mass market of vehicle owners.

Of all the products, since it was formulated for a mass market and a price point, the Nu-Finish is very user friendly, on and on, with each product, they all meet the demands of their target markets.

**Perfections** · 02-15-2013, 09:14 PM

Ron it`s funny you mention NuFinish. I`ve maintained a customers rv for years and he`s die hard NuFinish guy. I cant argue with results and his rv after like 12 years still looks brand new! I just use other products on customers because usually I`m polishing out slight oxidation and NuFinish didn`t seem to work well at pulling it out compared to Meg`s marine cleaner wax or duragloss 501.

**Ron Ketcham** · 02-15-2013, 09:56 PM

Nu-Finish works to remove most oxidation from automotive paint, fairly well.

However, gelcoat is entirely different chemistry, much different, so due to it`s chemiistry and "density" of the gelcoat film and how it goes through the "oxidation" process, often requires the use of a more abrasive product to remove the oxidation.

Gelcoat vs automotive OEM finishes, not the same animal, so requires some other steps to remove oxidation or imprefections.