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Oxidation removal

Removing oxidation restores your boat’s gloss, durability, and value while preventing costly repairs down the line. A properly restored surface also allows protective coatings to last longer, reducing maintenance efforts and keeping your boat looking its best.

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What is oxidation?

Oxidation on a boat’s gelcoat occurs when a boat has unprotected and unrestored surfaces. When your boat is left unprotected and its surfaces aren't restored, prolonged sun exposure and harsh marine conditions break down those surfaces, causing them to become dull, chalky, and porous. This not only diminishes the boat’s appearance but also weakens the gelcoat, making it more prone to damage and costly repairs.

Before
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After
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  • Cause gelcoat to fade and dull, leaving a chalky appearance

  • Leave Gelcoat weakened and porous

  • Increase risk of stress cracks and gelcoat deterioration

  • Reduce resale value of the boat

  • Make cleaning and maintenance harder.

  • Shorten the lifespan of protective coatings and waxes

  • Raise the costs of repairs and restoration in the long run

Don’t Let Oxidation Ruin Your Boat Here’s What It Can Do

This is how we are different from the rest.

Other Detailers:

Skip wet sanding failing to fully remove oxidation 

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Buff/Compound to get rid of oxidation

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They skip steps to save time and money

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Use cheaper/outdated products

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Elite Care Marine Detailing:

Fully eliminate oxidation by wet sanding 

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We do all the necessary steps to restore all surfaces

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Use the best materials and products on the market

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Use the best protection options there are

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Our oxidation removal process

Before every detail, we take the time to ensure the best results for your boat. This begins with a thorough pre-detail inspection and test spots to determine the most effective restoration approach. Once the process is planned, we perform a full deep wash to remove dirt, debris, and contaminants, ensuring a clean surface for the oxidation removal, restoration, and detailing process to follow.

Step 1: Wet sanding

Sanding is the most important step when removing oxidation and restoring a boat’s gelcoat. While not every boat requires sanding and may have minor oxidation, sanding is the best way to fully remove oxidation rather than just clogging the gelcoat by buffing and covering the problem. Oxidation deteriorates the gelcoat from the outside in, and the more severe and worse it is, the deeper it penetrates. Compounding alone won't eliminate deep oxidation—sanding removes the damaged layer, revealing a fresh, smooth surface beneath. This process not only restores the gelcoat’s appearance but also helps prevent long-term damage, extending the life of your boat.

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(Test spot used to determine the most effective way to restore the gelcoat)

Step 2: Buffing/Compounding

In this step, we use a heavy-cutting compound and a rotary tool to remove and eliminate any light oxidation or imperfections in the gelcoat. This process restores the gelcoat's original shine. To achieve these results, we use Starke Yacht Care Level-R, a heavy-cutting compound with diminishing abrasives, designed to effectively cut out 1000-grit sand paper scratches and lightly polishes the surface to bring back that true shine in the gel coat.

Side Note: If a boat has light oxidation, it can be removed by buffing. The heavy-cutting compound we use is designed to remove 1000-grit sand scratches and can cut out light oxidation. 

Step 3: Polishing

Polishing is where we refine your boat's gelcoat to a flawless shine. After the initial buffing step removes imperfections, it often leaves behind swirl marks and holograms similar to ones on a car. Polishing eliminates these, enhancing the boats gloss and preparing the surface for protection. We use specialized tools like a a rotary and a random orbital to ensure your gelcoat is perfected and ready for protection . A properly polished surface not only looks incredible but also helps your protection bond better and last longer.

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BEFORE

(This surface had really bad swrils and needed to be retored)

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after

(We refined this gelcoat to be scratch free and ready for protection)

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