The gelcoat on boats always tarnishes in the end. This is all the more striking if it is coloured (mainly blue hulls...). With time, the combined actions of the sea and the sun give them a matt appearance. They even end up being"mealy". As the hand passes, it remains on the fingers of white dust. This ageing is natural and above all is not irreversible. Just apply a polish to restore the original shine.
For many boaters, polish is an inaccessible mystery. Everyone would like a boat that shines, but few venture into the renovation of their dead works. Yet, this stain is within everyone's reach. Uship network brands will be there to support you when needed.
Renovating a hull is done in three steps. Before attacking the polish itself, it is necessary to clean the hull with soap to remove all dirt. Then a powerful polish is used for deep renovations. Then an intermediate polish for the less damaged gel coat. And finally a polish finish to perfectly polish and protect the hull.
Uship offers 2 brands in its catalogue. On one side 3M with a Medium polish and a Light and on the other side Nautic Clean with three products in its range: 13 Pro-Cut, 12 Pro Medium, 11 Pro Ultra Fine. Some polishes are ceramic based. Unlike other products that offer several grains (coarse grain for deep work and fine grain for finishing), we speak here of grain hardness. The harder the grain, the more aggressive it is. If the operation differs, the final result is close.
The polish is applied with a polishing machine, which can also be found in the Uship catalogue. It is a machine that runs at low speed (between 600 and 3000 rpm), but that will not be used at a speed higher than 1500 rpm. A sheepskin or a foam pad (accessories also present in the Uship catalogue) is fitted on it. In order for the polish to apply well, it is preferable to moisten the sheepskin (with a spray). Then work in small areas (squares of about 1m2), polishing gradually and slowly so that the product does not heat up. Often vertical passes are made before combining them with horizontal passes. When drying, the polish leaves a fine dust that is removed with a dry cloth (ideally micro fibers).
In the end, this work should not take more than one morning on a boat of less than 10 m. The brilliance will last about 2 years. To regain the shine, it will be necessary to take again the hull. But in the case of a regular maintenance, more need to treat in depth, a simple polishing of finish will be enough.
Rather than sailing on a boat with a matt hull, rather than imagine undertaking a hull painting (expensive solution and requiring professional skills), we might as well embark on a polishing: a financially and materially accessible solution, and with a very surprising result.
