Does my 1980 H18 hulls have a clearcoat?

I was planning on spraying gelcoat over my entire hulls but I think Im going to abandon the project... I think I will just try to buff the hulls and see what I get. The problem is I ran over one hull entirely with an orbital sander. I did not get down to the fiberglass below but the outermost glossy layer is gone and the hulls are a dull white. My main concern is if the gelcoat has been compromised and is no longer waterproof? Will I be able to make this gelcoat shiny again by polishing with compound?

You can get the gloss back, but it's going to take a lot of hand work.

Wet sand through 320 / 400 / 600 / 800 / 1000 grits.
Then 3M rubbing compound, 3M Finesse-it II polishing compound, then wax to seal it up.

Gel coat isn't waterproof to begin with. It's slightly porous and needs wax to protect it from UV exposure and to seal the pores.

I figured the gelcoat was the same composition throughout.... I have all winter to get her shined back up, thanks for the reply.

Can I wet sand with my orbital sander or should it be done by hand?

Only if your orbital sander is air-powered. Electric sanders used for wet sanding tend to produce shocking results.

I have used an electric sander for wet sanding and it does work pretty well......for a while..it will eventually seize up, so buy a cheap one or two...oh yea, it is probably dangerous!! keep the cord up out of puddles and use a (GFCI outlet).
FYI a GFCI outlet does not prevent shock altogether, it will only prevent deadly shock, sooo good luck!