Stainless steel fenders burned my boat
 

So I decided to store my boat outside instead of paying for inside storage. Went to go get it the other day and noticed some discoloration above one of the fenders. I tried to wipe it off and noticed it was oxidation. I see alot of cool trailer and SS fenders out there. Has anyone else seen this? What is the best way to bring her back? Suggestions please.

Rotary buffer, 3M SuperBuff pad, 3M Imperial Compound and finishing material on the affected area then 3M Perfect It machine polish on the affected area and surrounding area. You might end up just doing the whole boat with the Perfect It if it's anything less than brand new. Then follow up with your favorite wax.

Oh and then you might want to have your fenders powder coated if it will be stored outdoors in the future. Maybe just a large patch of grip tape would cut down the glare enough.

Wow, never would have thought that would happen. Either paint those things to match the trailer or get a cover with side skirts.

Wow that is crazy, but it is easy to get that oxidation out with the above mentioned technique. Just cover your fenders next year with a towel or something...

I'm confused, you don't get oxidation on gelcoat. Was it your fender that was affected?

Yes you can. Thats the white cloudy look you get in boats that have sat i nthe sun.


I never would have thought about it, but obviously a reflective surface can do that just as well as direct light. Either paint those fenders or find something to cover them with during storage.

Same thing happened to me this last year in the same spot above the fender on the side in the sun. I tried buffing the snot out of it but it didn't help at all so I showed it to my dealer and when we looked closer it seemed that it had that white oxidation look but when we looked closer it seems like the gelcoat is going clear as well. They told me we're going to have to repair the gelcoat to fix it. I'm kinda pissed as well about it.

What is oxidation? I thought only metals oxidize. I think the gel coat out-gassed. Just curious which is more accurate. Bottom line is, THAT SUCKS! Good luck on the repair.

We humans oxidize. That is why we take anti-oxidants. Pretty much anything exposed to oxygen will oxidize to a greater or lesser extent.

WOW, I was having a moment when I posted. especially since I have to do a serious waxing every season due to sun-damage/oxidation. What I meant to say was... You don't get oxidation from the fender affecting the hull, so how did it happen. It was a reference to the two different materials affecting each other.

Chris G, totally makes sense to me now, especially with direct sunlight concentrated on the hull like that. I would venture a guess it could be worse in some cases then direct sunlight alone. That's very interesting to learn.