Can Gel coat be cleaned sanded and just Cleared ?

I have done it before years ago on a ski boat but didn't keep it long after that some one took it off my hands after it looked good.

Just want to know if its a true acceptable Practice, My old boats original paint design was in all Gel coat I just sanded it out and sprayed Clear on it & it looked great beat having to Buff it out all the time.

Yeah, I've done it before several times.... Sometimes it works great and stays, other times, not so much. I think it has a lot to do with the condition of the gel coat in the first place and oddly enough the color. Reds are very hard to stabilize while lighter colors don't seem to "fog" nearly as much over time. I also think premium clears work the best probably because of their UV protection. In my opinion, I think it's worth a try because, well, if it doesn't work you'll just end up painting anyway. I usually do a "test" area first. You can tell within a couple of weeks if it is going to hold out.

Thanks Darrel
Like I said I know I got away with it years ago, Think I used PPG shop line clear I don't remember it was a Yellow boat with multi colored blue paint scheme on the deck an old David Bohner Jet boat. it was all Gel coat. I was talking to the guy about his camper in another thread and told him I had just cleared Gel coat before without painting but I wasn't 100% sure if it was an acceptable practice. in his case it would save him a lot of money.

It'll work fine if prep'd correctly. Don't leave any shiny spots anywhere and clean it multiple times. Only thing I ever had problems with were repairs. Never could git a blended clear edge to melt in. So it was totally invisible.

I've done it, but used adhesion promoter as a first coat. Allowed to flash really well but still clear within the time. Not big jobs like a whole boat but never had any problem with them.

Logic with the AP was that it's just like any other plastic and the AP works as both a sealer and "glue" between the plastic and urethane clear.