Hi, I have 2006 Bavaria 37. On deck I have noticed regions of tiny black dots in the gelcoat. They are only seen from up close. I've tried with 3M Medium (cut+polish) to no avail. Do you have any suggestions how to fix this?
Regards.
This is a result of pressure washing the decks. Little holes get blown in the gelcoat, and water and dirt gets into them and go mouldy.
Get some mould & mildew spray. Spray it on and walk away. A day or two later it will be gone.
I used bleach with excellent results
Thank you both. I'm on it.
Regards.
it's the first time I've heard that pressure wash causes gelcoat damage! Was it a particularly strong pressure wash? I wash the deck with pressure wash a couple of times a year, always before polishing, I haven't noticed anything unusual.
Quote from: marioxp on July 23 2024, 18:30
it's the first time I've heard that pressure wash causes gelcoat damage! Was it a particularly strong pressure wash? I wash the deck with pressure wash a couple of times a year, always before polishing, I haven't noticed anything unusual.
I think it's more likely to be a case of micro bubbles in the gelcoat, which are then broken by pressure washing and form voids in which dirt and mould can loiter. I had the same problem on some areas of the superstructure on a Hallberg-Rassy I owned.
Quote from: tiger79 on July 23 2024, 19:02
I think it's more likely to be a case of micro bubbles in the gelcoat, which are then broken by pressure washing and form voids in which dirt and mould can loiter. I had the same problem on some areas of the superstructure on a Hallberg-Rassy I owned.
Yup, that's it, plus UV degradation of gelcoat over time contributes too. A Lagoon 38 S2 had it everywhere on deck except where it was shaded by the hardtop + tent.
You definitely want to have a care when pressure washing - a sufficiently strong pressure washer will take the gelcoat right off. Waterjet cutting is used to cut granite slabs :)
I, too, have the same problem that has plagued our boat. So, I'll have to try the mould removal method and see if that garners success.