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Boat Maintenance

Washing a boat with Mirka products.

How to Clean a Boat and Restore a Marine Gelcoat Surface

Get ready for the boating season with Mirka’s Polarshine® Marine Cleaning products. The Polarshine Marine Cleaning range offers a complete package for washing, cleaning, finishing and preserving a boat’s gelcoat surface. Combined with other Mirka Polarshine products it is a great solution for keeping your boat looking its best from season to season.

Restore shine on an older gelcoat surface

Protect Your Boat Easily With Polarshine® Marine

Mirka's Polarshine Marine product range is designed for effortless and effective cleaning of surface stains in boats.

Read more about Mirka Polarshine

This is how you can refurbish your boat using the Mirka method

Cleaning Your Boat

Questions and Answers: Restoring Old Gelcoat Surface on Boats

Why do I need to maintain the gelcoat surface of my boat?

Composite materials, like fibre glass, having an exterior layer of gelcoat are used to make boats. The gelcoat surfaces are made to be long-lasting, with resistance to UV damage and hydrolysis. And it's not just about how the surface looks when it's restored. Fixing cracked surfaces will also protect the boat from salt, filth, mould, and excessive moisture.

Can you restore gelcoat surface on a boat?

Yes, you can, by regularly waxing the gelcoat surface you can prolong the lifetime of the gelcoat on your boat for 15 years or more. Keep your boat looking great for a longer time by using quality products.

What is oxidation on a gelcoat surface on a boat?

If the surface on a boat is not maintained properly, it gets a chalky, porous appearance. The main cause of oxidation are UV rays which slowly break down the surface and damage unprotected gelcoat.

Man polishing a boat using Mirka polarshine products.

I recommend Mirka’s Polarshine marine products to anyone who really wants to take care of their boat. The result is amazing, 42-year-old Emma looks new again. I was surprised by the ease of work.

Kristoffer Pietikäinen, Boat owner, Finland

Savings calculator for yacht surface finishing process

Use the calculator to understand what savings can be achieved with the right process and tools

Your savings

The white paper answers these questions: 

  • How surface finishing is currently done?
  • What is Mirka's surface finishing process?
  • What are the benefits of using Mirka's process?
  • How much time and money can be saved using Mirka's process?

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A better choice for you and the environment

Water-Based Polishes

All polishes that Mirka produces are water-based and produced in Finland. There are many benefits of choosing a water-based polishing compound.

  • Effective permanent removal of scratches - Water-based compounds remove scratches permanently. Solvent-based compounds can lose gloss after cleaning the surface with a degreaser and in some cases, they may only temporarily hide the scratches.
  • Safer for the operator - No hazardous chemicals  
  • Sustainable  - Water-based polishes are better for the environment and do not contain benzene.

Learn more about our polishing products

Save your health, time, and money

Sanding Without Dust

Do you get covered in dust when sanding? Try the benefits of Mirka's pioneering sanding solutions and see how a dust-free working environment can boost your business.

Benefits from dust-free sanding

Healthier working environment - Stop dust from getting into your lungs
Time-saving – No cleaning after sanding and clean abrasives cut better
Money-saving – No clogging lets you sand longer with the same abrasive
High-quality finish - Thanks to a finer scratch pattern 

 

Learn more about our dust-free sanding