Practical Boat Owner — January 2018

I

remember reading somewhere that

gelcoats should be painted after

just six years. I think most of us

will take this advice with a healthy

pinch of salt and hurl it straight

back into the voluminous dustbin of

marketing hyperbole.

But should we? Is it fair comment?

After 17 years, 11 of which were in sunny

parts of Europe – all of them without a

boat cover, Keppel’s blue sheer strake

was looking the worse for wear. For years

we polished it prior to launching and

sometimes mid-season too – and it always

came up looking good. But at the end

of the day, it’s protection that’s needed,

not cosmetics.

One pot or two?

In considering whether I should tackle the

job with one-pot paint or two-pack

(catalysed) paint, I resisted the pressure to

go for the latter. When I consider that

Keppel’s white two-pack paint on her

cabin and side decks appears to be as

sound today as it was when it was new 18

years ago, albeit not so glossy, you could

be forgiven for thinking my decision would

be a forgone conclusion.

But it wasn’t and I ended up opting for a

one-pot system – Toplac in this instance.

The rationale was as follows:

■ I wanted to complete the job in the

open and avoid the cost of a shed.

■ Had I used a shed, could I be sure that

those around me would not be kicking

up dust?

■ Working outside in mid-October means

little dust as the ground tends to be moist

and, consequently the air is clean. Night

temperatures are commonly more

favourable than in March and April.

■ Whereas two-pack paint has a minimum

working temperature of 10°C, one-pot can

be used down to 5°C, thereby facilitating

an October application (so long as I

started at around 10.30am).

■ I wasn’t going to be painting the whole

hull, just the sheer strake. If it turned out to

be a disaster it wouldn’t be the end of the

world. Well, not quite.

■ Maintenance would be simple.

■ We wanted to keep the Oxford blue

colour, and it isn’t available in two-pack.

I was, however, mindful that a two-pack

system would probably be more durable.

That said, everything is in the preparation.

You can use the finest paint in the world

but if the preparation is lacking you are on

a hiding to nothing. Everything hinges on

that all-important first coat being attached

as well as it can be.

So, I bit the bullet and went for

International Toplac, and this is how I

approached the application. The paint and

rollers were sourced from the chandlery at

Larkmans Boatyard, Woodbridge, and

there’s at least half a tin left over.

Richard Hare explains how and why he repainted the faded gelcoat

on the sheer strake of his Golden Hind 31, Keppel using one-pack

Painting a sheer strake

with one-pack paint

PRACTICAL

Sheer brilliance as

the lustre returns to

Keppel’s gelcoat

Q 3in (75mm) Purdey brush – £19

Q Masking tape – £5

Q 2 x 4in (10cm) foam rollers

@ £1.10 – £2.20

Q 2 x 4in (10cm) Anza Elite felt

rollers @ £3.70 – £7.40

Q 1 x 750ml Pre-Kote – £17.00

Q 2 x 750ml Toplac @ £23 – £46.00

TOTAL £96.60

COST