Hi MB, have you tried oxalic acid on the stains. Use it for cleaning all sorts of surfaces at work. Treat the stains before rubbing. Let us know how you get on .
Cheers
Ken

Just a clean up, she has gone two years since the last slip and due for another one. The growth was minimal and I could have got away with an in water scrub by my local diver but I reckon two years is long enough between thorough out of water checks. My cockpit drains were almost choked by shells.

I still have the original gelcoat and it is scrubbing up pretty well considering I have neglected it for a few years and the previous owner a few years before that. There are chips, scrapes and various blemishes but I should be able to get a decent shine. A mate of mine has just done his S&S34 and it came up very well indeed. He lives locally to the slip and has more time so has spent a great deal of time on it but it has been worth it. My effort is a top side rub back, compound, polish and wax without spending too much time on it.

I'm getting her ready for an attempt on Lord Howe next month. The anti foul, replace cockpit drain fittings and sea cocks, rig check, tighten the bolts on the Fleming, cabin sole revarnish, I've serviced the engine, done a few other jobs and will be trying another prop. Hopefully she will be ready to go cruising.

I have a related question about getting and keeping the topsides looking their best so rather than starting a new thread I figured I would just add to this one.

I have noticed of late a lot of boats are opting for a respray with 2 pack paints above the waterline. They always end up looking amazing but does anybody have any comment on the longevity of such a finish? I currently just have the old gel coat that gets an acid wash and a buff up with a polishing compound each year at our annual haul out. This helps and you can tell the difference after it is done but certainly don't get the shiny glossy finish that you get after a respray.

My concern is this. If you opt for a respray with the two pack paint are you not then committing yourself to repeating the process again at regular intervals in the future. After all it's paint and that needs recoating right?

MatM14 said...
My concern is this. If you opt for a respray with the two pack paint are you not then committing yourself to repeating the process again at regular intervals in the future. After all it's paint and that needs recoating right?

Yes, it is paint and like all paint it will eventually need to be recoated, but when all is said and done, gel coat is basically only a paint as well and what are you going to do when after years of acid treatment and buffing you wear through the gel coat?

It is also quite likely that in the ensuing years since your boat was built that paint technology has leapfrogged ahead to maybe have have even better protective properties than your gel coat.

If you opt for the paint treatment it would be wise to keep a very good record of brand and type of paint used to aid in subsequent repainting.

Harry

I plan to be at LHI around 13 Nov for the BBQ rally. While I have crew if anybody is still interested let me know.