TECHNICAL
MARCH 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 83PHOTO: ALAMYR
estoring a boat’s colour
can be simple, but it can
also be a tedious process
of cutting back the damaged
paint or gelcoat to fi nd fresh
colour, then polishing it to get an
as-new fi nish. David Paxton of
South Coast Yacht Care describes
what’s involved: ‘We always start
with a really thorough clean. Any
bits of grit left on the boat will
do damage when we use the
mechanical sanders. It can take
half a day to really clean a boat.
Only then can we actually start to
work on restoring the colour.’What does the
process involve?
How the colour is renovated
varies hugely, depending on the
condition of the boat when the
experts get their hands on her.
‘We will start with 600 grit wet-
and-dry and move through the
ranges to 1,200,’ says Mike Ingram
from Osmotech. ‘We’ll then use a
heavy-duty compound, and only
after that will the polish come
out. And fi nally, we use a wax to
protect the fi nish.’
‘It sounds simple, but it takes
experience and knowledge to
know how hard to rub back and
when to compound, says David. ‘If
you try doing it yourself, you may
fi nd you’ve done more harm than
good. A mechanical polisher can
easily burn the gelcoat, which is
expensive and diffi cult to fi x.’Durability
Gelcoat is easy to repair, as Mike
explains: ‘When a boat comes
to us with damaged paint, quite
often the only option is to paint
the entire side of the hull. By
contrast, gelcoat can be repaired
invisibly. We can be much more
vigorous with gelcoat – paint is
very delicate and can be ruined
easily. White boats are always
much easier to repair because
defects in dark colours, especially
blue, are much more noticeable.’Longevity
It’s hard to say how long a
polished hull will keep its lustre.
‘How long it will last depends
on the quality of the gelcoat,’
David says. ‘I would love to tell an
owner that it will last a year, but
on yachts with cheaper gelcoat it
may only last a few months. On a
high-quality gelcoat it lasts a long
time. ‘Normally, we visit a boatPROS
■ Cheaper than paint or
wrapping
■ Valet companies can
come to your boat
■ You can have a go
yourselfCONS
■ Not always a long-term
solution
■ Labour intensive as can
take 40 hours
■ Can only cut back so fareach year to keep on top of
it, as even the best boats will
fade again.’Down the line
After restoring a boat’s faded
colour, you may fi nd she needs
an annual polish to keep looking
good long-term. But once the
boat’s topsides have been
damaged by UV light, there is no
easy answer. If it’s paint, it can
only be restored a few times,
as eventually it will be worn
through. Mike suggests that if you
want colour, it might be better to
go for simple stripes rather than a
full topside in, say, blue.Polishing
COST
From £1,500 for
a professional job,
depending on
time requiredSUMMARY
Care must be
taken when using
a mechanical
polisher, it can
easily burn the
gelcoatPolishing removes the UV-damaged top layer
of gelcoat making her look like new againBEFORE
AFTER
PHOTO: SOUTH COAST YACHT CAREPHOTO: SOUTH COAST YACHT CARE