MER polish

[Water Rat.]

I was given some polish for the boat today. It is called Mer. I tried it on a panel and it came up lovely and shiny. Has anyone else used it?

[Nickhlx]

Yes - have been using it for several (many) years on various cars - I like it ...

 

I was put on to it by a car valeter and found it very inexpensively at a Sunday market near us...

 

Nick

[Bod]

I belive it has very high levels of silicone in it, which makes repainting difficult.

 

Bod

[David Mack]

I was given some polish for the boat today. It is called Mer. I tried it on a panel and it came up lovely and shiny. Has anyone else used it?

Does that make you a Mer maid?

[Lady M]

My experience with MER was that eventually it started taking the paint off the boat, and has been mentioned already there are questions about the silicone content. Carnauba Wax polish may be a bit more expensive but it is easy to use and gives a lovely shine without the issues associated with MER.

[Loafer]

1 vote for carnabura wax, or however you spell it!

[WotEver]

It's spelt carnuba or carnauba depending where you are in the world.

 

Mer is the spawn of the devil. Ask any boat painter.

[Loafer]

It's spelt carnuba or carnauba depending where you are in the world.

 

Mer is the spawn of the devil. Ask any boat painter.

 

'Mer' is the noise I make during a nightmare, whilst desperately trying to wake myself up before a hideous monster manages to complete its hacking through my cabin top. According to Mrs Loafer.

 

As in 'Mer, mer...mer mer mer..' and so on!

[dave moore]

I prefer Carnuba Wax to other polishes. I've never heard Mer recommended by the boat painters I work with.

 

Dave

[MtB]

Surely you have to get the Carnaby* wax off just as thoroughly as silicone prior to painting new on top of old...

 

 

 

* The kreckt way of speeling it, obvioulsy

[Alan de Enfield]

If Carlsberg made boat polish they would probably make Mer.

 

It is the best polish ( gives best results) but is a bit more work to apply / polish off than Carnuba wax.

Superb on Tupperware boats.

[Keeping Up]

I've always used Mer, and found it very effective. Once a year - usually in the spring - I use it neat to remove the bloom and restore the original colours, then throughout the year when I wash the boat (which isn't very often) I just add a small amount to the water and it makes it easy to wipe down without leaving smears.

 

Thanks for reminding me that I need to buy some more.

[jenlyn]

I've used mer on the boat since new. It didn't ruin the paint or anything. I've started repainting this year, and simply wiped over the old once rubbed down with white spirit. Mer has not affected the repaint.

[MtB]

Hmmm...

 

I polish my boats about once a decade, whether they need it of not...

 

[Loafer]

Hmmm...

 

I polish my boats about once a decade, whether they need it of not...

 

 

Mrs Loafer does ours, about half a time per year. Usually at gunpoint.

[raymondh]

We use Mer buying it from Costco where it is very cheap in fact so cheap that its hard to find in stock due to the ebayers buying it up and reselling on ebay

Ray

 

ps the Costco stuff is still in blue containers as it is imported from the US UK stock now in Black

[WotEver]

Surely you have to get the Carnaby* wax off just as thoroughly as silicone prior to painting new on top of old...

 

 

 

* The kreckt way of speeling it, obvioulsy

Yup, but caranabeeooba wax comes off with panel wipe.

 

Mer contains loads of silicons which get into every crack and cranny and no matter how well you try to clean down it's like it has 'spores' that will always do their very best to contaminate a panel prior to painting.

 

As I said above, ask any painter.

 

Great for Tupperware boats because you're just trying to get a shine on gel coat which will not require painting for decades.

 

Tony

[Water Rat.]

So. To those of you who have used it - have you had any issues with repainting?

[WotEver]

Jenlyn says not. So what? Ask a painter.

[Geoff Taylor]

Apart from carnuba, nearly all wax or Mer type polishes include silicon and do a good job. I have always used Mer on our boat as it was painted in modern automobile paint (2 pack).

A painter will always use the "silicon excuse" if the job does not go right but improper prepping is usually the true cause of any paintwork cock up.

There are additives that can be used in the repainting process to eliminate persistent "silicon" problems that sometimes stay in the job so in theory just carry on using your polish of preference and do not take too much notice of the silicon " experts ".

[FadeToScarlet]

I bought 5 litres of Carnauba wax Polish from eBay for about 20 quid, it's great stuff. Set of bonnets and a polishing machine too- because there's 65 feet or so of cabin sides to do, plus ends. I did it by hand once, never again.

[Keeping Up]

So. To those of you who have used it - have you had any issues with repainting?

I don't repaint the boat myself (black gloss is too unforgiving for my amateur skills) but neither of the painters who have done it for me have reported any problems.

[Loafer]

I don't repaint the boat myself (black gloss is too unforgiving for my amateur skills) but neither of the painters who have done it for me have reported any problems.

 

Well they wouldn't, would they? They're probably hoping you'll be several hundred miles away by the time you discover the faults!

[jenevers]

I met a boater a few years back who only ever used paraffin to clean the paintwork on his boat. The boat was in pristine condition.

[Higgs]

Apart from carnuba, nearly all wax or Mer type polishes include silicon and do a good job. I have always used Mer on our boat as it was painted in modern automobile paint (2 pack).

A painter will always use the "silicon excuse" if the job does not go right but improper prepping is usually the true cause of any paintwork cock up.

There are additives that can be used in the repainting process to eliminate persistent "silicon" problems that sometimes stay in the job so in theory just carry on using your polish of preference and do not take too much notice of the silicon " experts ".

 

 

No they won't. !

 

Well they wouldn't, would they? They're probably hoping you'll be several hundred miles away by the time you discover the faults!

 

 

Silicon problems are pretty much immediately apparent.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Higgs