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Hull Care - Maxi's own recommendations for Blue and White hull'sKeeping your Maxi hull looking beautifulAlthough this bulletin concentrates on coloured gelcoat surfaces, white gelcoat shall be given the same attention for keeping its original qualities. You can download these recommendations in Word or PDF format to print. A new blue coloured Maxi Yacht hull is presented to all owners fully polished and hard waxed. During normal conditions this should protect the gelcoat for a period ranging between 4-6 months, providing the boat is washed down with fresh water after each sail. The aim is to remove the salt, which otherwise in combination with UV-rays can cause damage to the gelcoat surface. After the above-mentioned period it will be necessary to re-condition the surface with the appliance of hard wax in order to bring back the deep gloss shine. This regular treatment should be maintained. Please note! Neglecting care and attention as specified above or using non-suitable products might cause the gelcoat to loose its lustre and colour. In exceptional cases after many years of use where fading might have occurred, it may be necessary to have the gelcoat restored. According to our supplier of gelcoat, Ashland the treatment consists of three principal steps; 1. Provide a new gelcoat surface by sanding with a dry paper of 1200-1500 grit. 2. Apply a cutting compound to bring back the deep lustre. 3. Seal the gelcoat with hard wax as protection against UV-rays and salt water. We highly recommend such a treatment to be performed by a professional restorer.
Recommended products for treatment of polyester (gelcoat) surfaces; § Hard wax (3M Ultra Performance Paste Wax) § “Polish” including very fine abrasive (3M Perfect it III “blue or black”) § 1200-1500 Sandpaper (any dry paper) These products can naturally be changed as long as the alternatives are of comparable specification and quality. MAXI YACHTS INTERNATIONAL AB, 7/12/2004 ... and this is what Out of the Blue (a blue 1100) has to say:-Out of the Blue is literally out of the blue at the moment, sitting in Peter's shipyard at Chichester for her annual antifoul and maintenance. As Out of the Blue has a problem with fading gel coat, I thought I'd have a go at Maxi's suggestions to see if it would make a difference. I had gel coat fading round the top of the port side of the hull at the curve beside the teak toe rail. This side of the hull faces south and I'd guess the fading was due to UV light degradation. It wasn't bad but people had commented on it, so it was noticeable. I also had fading on the stern which faces east so I'm not sure whether this was due to UV light or not. It wasn't a pretty sight.
I started with International liquid rubbing compound which practically restored the original hull colour to the port side without too much effort. After 2 applications and some very vigorous rubbing, some of the stern fading has been restored but it wasn't entirely successful. It's difficult to describe but looks like ink stains surrounded by a ring of white. They are darker than the original hull colour but despite this, the stern looks much better than it was.
I then applied the 3D Ultra Marine Paste. It's very easy to put on but a word of warning if you decide to use it. It's very easy to apply too much and if you do, it's a bugger to get off. I can't recommend this polish enough. When I finally polished it off, the finish is the best I've ever had on any boat. People walking through the yard commented on it and asked what I was using. Apart from the stern stains the boat now looks superb, all ready for me to ruin again !!
Bill MacFarlane |
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