How would I go about fixing this (gelcoat)

[zmnypit]

I bought the boat with "imperfections" and spent the better part of yesterday wetsanding and buffing oxidation. I got 90% of it out but this spot appears to have been repaired before? The darker ring is almost like orange peel. I think if I could at least get it smooth and polished the rest would somewhat blend. Is there hope or am I looking at a gelcoat job? You can also see somewhat of a lighter colored line just below the rub rail. Above the rub rail is flawless as it sat the majority of its lift with a cover.

My process was 1500,2000,3000 then 3m gelcoat compound followed by chemical guys swirl/scratch remover finished off with chemical guys polish. As you can see in the 2nd pic it was looking good minus that spot.

[bturner]

To me it looks like a couple possibilities.

The first would be that someone tried to sand out a scratch themselves, went through the clear then shot clear over it to mask or at least get back to something acceptable. Flake can be difficult and you really don't have the thickness to play with like you do a solid color to do correction.

The second would be a failed repair at a less than great shop. This is the type of repair I've seen before on flake where the flake has not been blended properly. The issue is matching the color which I've been told is a near art form as you're not only matching color but the density of the flake and how it lays down.I've seen a number of posts here about shops that have this process down where they no longer need to blend in the repair but I personally don't know of any.

Looks like you had great success with the remaining light scuffs. Go easy with that sanding....