TECHNICAL
82 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MARCH 2016What can
you do to
revive a
faded, tired-looking
hull? Greg Goulding
explores the options
Paint, polish or wrap?
The biggest killer of colour is
the sun’s ultraviolet rays. They
degrade the top layer of colour
(whether it’s white or not) and
destroy the pigmentation of the
paint or gelcoat. The longer it’s
left, the worse it will get. Salt
also damages the paint, so it
is important to ensure that theboat is rinsed off with fresh water
after each trip, ideally using a
chemical cleaner.What are my options?
The condition of the finish will
determine if it can be restored, or
requires substantial work to get
back to the original quality.
Gelcoat is easier to restore,
because it’s tough enough to
be polished, whereas paint can
wear through, possibly exposing
a different colour gelcoat. But
there’s now another option:F
lick through any issue of
Yachting Monthly and
you’ll see lots of boats
with brightly coloured
hulls. A bit of colour can
improve the aesthetics of any
yacht, and a well-paired tone
will really enhance her pontoon
appeal – especially when it comes
to selling – but what happens
when the hull begins to fade?
White has been the safe bet
for years. It’s no extra cost to
the buyer and it hides any slight
defects, which helps reduce
post-sale claims to the builder.
A boat in a nice colour and in
good condition will stand out
from the crowd, but there’s more
to living with a coloured boat
than just the looks. I spoke to a
range of experts to find out what
can be done to bring a yacht back
to her full glory.vinyl wrapping. It might seem an
unknown, but it’s a tried-and-
tested method used on boats that
have sailed the globe.What can I do myself?
While you can have a go at
anything, polishing is the only
method that I would advise
taking on. Anyone who has tried
to apply large decals will know
it’s not an easy job to do well,
but incredibly easy to screw up.
Imagine that over the whole hull!
It’s possible to repaint a hull,
there are roller paints available
from International, but when
painting large surface areas it’s
best to spray. Due to the aerated
chemicals, I’d recommend leaving
it to a professional.
But there are a few tricks that
are worth trying before forking
out potentially thousands of your
hard-earned pounds.
The most common issue with
hull colour is fading; once the
boat is clean of dry salt, use a
light-grade polish to try and bring
back the colour and sheen. Going
in with too much of a rigorous
polish could end up doing more
harm than good, so it’s a good
idea to start gently. This will give
you an idea if it is salvageable,
and a short insight as to how
difficult it can be.‘There are tricks worth
trying before forking
out thousands’
Wrapping
allows the
owner to
go wildSome professional spray painting booths can house boats up to 28mPHOTO: COLIN WORKPHOTO: BERTHON