Cosmetics

[mrkk1103]

Hi folks.
I bought my Vega (2822 Buffa) last May. She's my first cruiser after a few years of sailing dinghies on lakes and rivers. Last year Buffa also stayed on rivers and lakes but, hopefully, this year, will see that changing.

I am somewhat overawed by the level of work that you folks are doing on your boats. I therefore feel a bit embarrassed at the simplicity of my question which is just about making the hull above the water line look a bit smarter. The white fibreglass looks a bit dirty and messy. I tried washing her down with something called Acid Wash a few weeks ago. This improved things but she still doens't look that great. A friend, not a boat person, suggested that I need to get her cleaner before polishing and wondered if UPVC restorer would do the job. So, can you advise me please? What steps to I need to take to bring her whiteness to as good a state as she can get to.

Thanks.

Mark

 

[tomfentonvega2977beowulf]

Welcome to the group, Mark, and to the Vega. You may be at the point where
cleaning the hull and polishing it will not be enough, and you need to
consider a respray. In your case I believe you can contact the previous
owners. If so you are lucky. Find out whether the hull was last painted
with two pot or one pot paint. Two pot is harder and altogether more
satisfactory, I gather. However you cannot paint (or spray) two pot on top
of one pot. Even if you aren't going to give her a paint job jet, you
should find out this information before you lose contact with the previous
owners.

If you do think about re-painting, do spray. I asked a yard to paint my
hull last year and was horrified to find they had brushed the paint on. The
result is terrible.

Otherwise, it is a cleaning job, and I have found ordinary cheap domestic
cleaning products perfectly satisfactory.

Tom

 

[btfag0s]

I've had very successful results using ordinary yacht enamel with a roller,
then going over it with a brush to ensure there were no thick patches that
would run.Alisdair

V752

http://sailing.agurney.com/

 

[mrkk1103]

Thanks for your words of advice folks. I'll bear in mind the idea of painting but I'd rally rather not and certainly won't do that this year so I'll try and get the hull as clean as I can.

Just as a matter of interest though; once you've painted your hull, how often does it need repainting?

 

[araujo318]

Vegabond, hull #1870 built in 1973 still comes to a nice shine with Starbrite liquid cleaner and polish. I would try some of these products or rubbing compounds before painting.

Jim
Vegabond #1870
Wickford, RI

 

[btfag0s]

I'm hoping to paint mine this season; it's at least eight years since I last
did it and it's starting to look a little tired .. but not so bad that I
won't feel bad about skipping another few seasons if the weather doesn't
hold out.

Alisdair

 

[pjacobs55]

Hi Mark,
Once you paint a boat you're into painting again every few years, frequency depending on what paint you use. My advice is to try to restore the original finish first, as long as there're no major gouges or scrapes.

I'll share what I used.
"Davis FSR" to remove rust and other stains.

FSR Big Job - SKU 792

FSR (Fiberglass Stain Remover) is a unique stain absorbing gel that is ideal for removing oil, rust, exhaust, waterline and transom stains. Works like magic to clean up fiberglass stains! Use anywhere else fiberglass stains may crop up—shower stalls, furniture, etc. Use for removing road soil...

www.davisnet.com

There's another product I've heard gives startling results, but have yet to try: "On and Off by Mary Kate".

MaryKate MK2032 On & Off Hull & Bottom Cleaner 32oz - MaryKate MK2032 - MaryKate and CRC Cleaners and Wax - Cleaners and Wax - Maintenance - Boatersland Marine

www.boatersland.com

After cleaning, my next step was to hand sand the gel coat with wet/dry 1000 grit sandpaper, then with 2000 grit wet/dry ... (do it wet). This paper is available at automotive paint supply shops.

Then I used a power buffer and "3M Finnese-It II" polishing compound, followed by a coat of wax.

Except for a few dock dents, it looks like a new paint job. Every year I clean it with FSR and wax it again. Unplanned dock encounters can usually be wiped with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pad.Peter
www.sintacha.com