How often can you cut and polish paint?

[cuthound]

Finally finished cutting and polishing DQ's paint, so she is looking good after over 50 hours of cutting and polishing.

 

Last did this when I got her almost 2 years ago, because the blue paint looked milky. Paint is TopLac cream , blue and red.

 

Over the last couple of years some parts of the blue became milky again, but they were swirl shaped, so perhaps I didn't completely cut back to a new surface?

 

This time it took 3 goes with Farecla, then 2 coats of Craftmaster Carnauba Wax.

 

I don't want to cut the paint back too much, so how often can it be done (or is dependant upon paint thickness).

 

Better still how often should I polish to prevent it becoming milky again?

 

Also views on electric polishing machines are welcomed, I am scared of buying one in case I destroy the paint, or am I being irrational?

Edited May 25, 2016 by cuthound

[LEO]

Hi,

 

I had this 'milky' problem, specialists suggested problems with the quality and life of the paint and this seemed to be the case.

 

A repaint (bare metal) looked good and still does with regular polishing (Cutting back not needed), I polish the roof and sides once a year but I reckon it should be 2 or three time per annum.

 

Using a good quality shampoo helps.

 

Electric polishers - I don't get on with, unless you can get one were the rpm can be adjusted to a very low rate, or use it carefully as a finisher on flat surfaces.

 

L

 

Have attached a few pics after polishing by hand, using Autoglym, roof and sides, Some say don't use Autoglym, because it contains silicone.

 

Edited May 25, 2016 by LEO

[BruceinSanity]

Depends how much paint was put on originally; you will eventually get through to the undercoat. Next time you do it, is it worth a coat of Craftmaster varnish before waxing?

 

I use a Halfords mains car polisher (about £40) to polish off with no problems. It's an orbital single big pad, you can tell if you're leaning too hard on it, the revs drop away.

 

Hopefully the pros will be along shortly with authoritative answers...

[Boredrider]

Taking various tips from the car detailing forums, I splashed out on a dual action polisher and a paint thickness meter. With some polish, pads, clay bars etc you are looking at £400, but set that against a repaint and it is a cheap solution. I am pleased with the results so far.

 

The meter shows that a quality paint job is very thick compared to a typical car, and the paint is harder (on our boat anyway) so you don't take much off at all with a coarse compound and pad. Thus there is plenty of scope to do it again next year......

[dave moore]

It all depends on the thickness of the original paint job. Unless you know how many coats of gloss have been applied, I'd be cautious. It's not something I've considered, I'd imagine that several cut backs would be possible on a decent thickness of topcoats, though I wouldn't want to say just how many several are. I think that cutting paste such as Farecla G3 only removes a very small thickness. I doubt any one would want to offer an authoritative answer....how long is a piece of string?

 

Dave

[David Mack]

Hi,

 

I had this 'milky' problem, specialists suggested problems with the quality and life of the paint and this seemed to be the case.

 

A repaint (bare metal) looked good and still does with regular polishing (Cutting back not needed), I polish the roof and sides once a year but I reckon it should be 2 or three time per annum.

 

Using a good quality shampoo helps.

 

Electric polishers - I don't get on with, unless you can get one were the rpm can be adjusted to a very low rate, or use it carefully as a finisher on flat surfaces.

 

L

 

Have attached a few pics after polishing by hand, using Autoglym, roof and sides, Some say don't use Autoglym, because it contains silicone.

 

That's definitely shiny boat territory! Can you get a matt finish wax for those of us who don't want that, but do want to protect the paint from weathering?

[pete harrison]

Back in the days when I was working on the boats all we did was mop the paintwork down with canal water at the end of the working day, or more often if required such as directly after loading.

 

The paintwork was re-done every three or four years, but touched up where required in the meantime - and it was brush painted by me but 'lettered' professionally.

 

It seems to me that there is a considerable loss in boating pleasure nowadays as owners worry so much about their boat paintwork, treating them more like a car

 

edit = the last boat I brush painted was my large Woolwich motor BADSEY, with 'lettering by Dave Moore.

 

Edited May 25, 2016 by pete harrison

[Ray T]

 

It seems to me that there is a considerable loss in boating pleasure nowadays as owners worry so much about their boat paintwork, treating them more like a car

 

Yes, when a professional paint job costs upwards of £5K, could even buy a half decent car for that.

[pete harrison]

 

Yes, when a professional paint job costs upwards of £5K, could even buy a half decent car for that.

But isn't part of the pleasure doing these jobs yourself.

 

I have always considered the lettering to be the most expensive part of a repaint, or at least it has been for me as I employ a proper 'signwriter' for this task

[roland elsdon]

we polish ours by hand twice a year once when we leave for Australia for 6 months plus and when we get back. The red is now going through,

In the past I have varnished paint on a steel boat after a light cut back, but I had nothing to loose ( it was10 years old) every year. Sadly subsequent owners were not caring enough to spend the time, sanding it and recoating..

[LEO]

That's definitely shiny boat territory! Can you get a matt finish wax for those of us who don't want that, but do want to protect the paint from weathering?

 

It looks like that after a good polish, but the shine fades over the winter.. it does not take too long to polish a side and generally I try to do each area twice.

 

It's Craftmaster paint and the boat was repainted about 4 years ago. Have not used T cut or an electric polisher. My dreaded enemy is bird crap - ruins paint.

 

think I should get out more, I used to love polishing cars before company cars came along and I love cutting grass, all neat lines etc...

[dave moore]

Varnishing has much to commend it, especially to preserve the depth of colour in fade prone paints such as red and maroon. It's not hard to abrade the surface then apply a coat or two of decent varnish...but having done that, you inherit a commitment to maintain it, touching in any scratches as they happen, and applying further coats before the existing ones start crazing.

 

Dave

[ditchcrawler]

When I get to the boat I want to go boating, I don't want to spend my time polishing ether paint or brass it bad enough doing oil and filter changes

[mark99]

When I get to the boat I want to go boating, I don't want to spend my time polishing ether paint or brass it bad enough doing oil and filter changes

 

 

If you keep on top of it it's not that big a commitment. There are always opportunities to do most whilst cruising unless you are out dawn till dusk everyday.

 

If we are out for a week, I wash and wax one side after or before cruising which don't take long and the other side a few days later. This is done once in Spring and once in late Autumn - waxing being done more to preserve. Occaisionally we will wash down quickly if really dirty but not wax (that takes a bit more time).

 

Brasses - if kept on top off, are a good thing to do before brekkie if weather set fair. I haver laquered the solid brass portholes however so they now always look fairly clean.

 

As regarding touching up, again if you keep on top of it only takes a little while. Last year I did top bends. This year varnished rear name panels and poss next year will do engine room/back cabin 1/2 roof where red raddle is looking iffy or may fit it in between cruising this year. Then next job will be handrails which are red.

 

Most winters I'll slap a coat of varnish on the cans/barrel.

 

However I enjoy DIY. And as nearly everyone knows, once you clean your car it goes better - just like a bote.

Edited May 25, 2016 by mark99

[dave moore]

A personal take. I take great pride in the appearance of Resolute and to boat with dirty paint and brass is anathema to me.....though I'm beginning to think that I'm one of the last dinosaurs in the waterway swamp. Most old timers share my mindset, luckily a few youngsters too. There is not the boating camaraderie that I remember, as borne out on a parallel thread. I could go on...

 

Dave

[Sea Dog]

A personal take. I take great pride in the appearance of Resolute and to boat with dirty paint and brass is anathema to me.....though I'm beginning to think that I'm one of the last dinosaurs in the waterway swamp. Most old timers share my mindset, luckily a few youngsters too. There is not the boating camaraderie that I remember, as borne out on a parallel thread. I could go on...

 

Dave

 

You go on if you want Dave, it doesn't make you wrong. In my engineering experience, if something looks like it's been neglected it's not unusual to find that it has been neglected. If something looks well cared for, it frequently has been. There are exceptions, of course, but how often is it that we find those things in need of a little adjustment or some other form of tweek before they go wrong when we're oiling, cleaning and polishing, or just generally tiddlying? Some folk are just plain unlucky when they suffer defects, but they may well increase their good luck quotient with the application of a little elbow grease here and there.

[cuthound]

Thanks guys,

 

I'll keep polishing twice a year, and maybe invest in a paint thickness meter.

 

The paintwork is 8 years old, but still looks great when polished.

 

I'm with Dave Moore and Mark99 on this, and take pleasure in boating on a clean boat.

 

One of my regrets with DQ is that the previous owner had the windows and mushrooms powder coated from new in a gold colour. From a distance the "brass" looks like it's been polished and has begun to tarnish. The mushrooms and windows are aluminium and the powder coating is now beginning to flake off. I guess that will have to be touched up as best as possible until she needs a repaint and then get them done again or replaced with proper shiny ones!