Maintenace and How To's for your boat

By Liquid Foundation Boatworks

Part 1: Gelcoat- What is it and how to take care of it.


Being that Vigor and I together have owned and operated a yacht maintenance business for over 10 + years with a stellar record, I thought it would be a great idea to include a maintenance section on our website. While Vigor concentrates on the "man" stuff such as plumbing, electrical, gelcoat repair, rigging etc., I get to concentrate on more of the "pretty" stuff. Washing, waxing, compounding, woodwork and more. Since Summer is around the corner, I am amidst several waxing jobs . They are varied and all different. A good time to record the types of waxing that need to be done to a boat or yacht.

What is gelcoat anyway?

The Wikipedia definition is: A material used to provide a high quality finish on the visible surface of a fibre-reinforced composite material. The most common gelcoats are based on epoxy or unsaturated polyester resin chemistry. Gelcoats

are modified resins which are applied to moulds in the liquid state. They are cured to form crosslinked polymers and are subsequently backed up with composite polymer matrices, often mixtures of polyester resin and fiberglass

or epoxy resin with glass, aramid and/or carbon fibres.

The manufactured component, when suffiiciently cured and removed from the

mould, presents the gelcoated surface. Gelcoat is usually pigmented to provide

a coloured, glossy surface which improves the aesthetic appearance of the article. Gelcoat is typically 0.5mm-0.8mm [ 0.02 in.- 0.03 in. ] in thickness.

Why does gelcoat become dull and oxidize?

Exposure to ozone and ultraviolet light causes the polymers on the surface to

gradually breakdown. As the surface oxides, pores open in the gelcoat containing resin molecules called "chaulk". This chaulk eventually turns the

entire surface a dull, opaque color.

So what products do I need to get?

this is where it can get complicated. If your boat is brand new that is a great example of one of the few times that you would only be using wax. Unless, you are buying a boat that had been highly maintained. Almost never happens. If these two catagories fit you,then all you need is a good wax or synthethic polish. Always go to a marine store to buy your products. They are specifically formulated for the marine environment. There are several to choose from but I am partial to 3M products, especially Scotchguard.


If you have any oxidation and undoubtingly you will, it get's even more confusing. First try to acess what level your oxidation is. Light, medium,

or heavy. For light to light-medium oxidation , I use a a product called

Big White. I first use the sealant conditioner,but if you really want your

gelcoat to pop follow that up with Big White Hi Temp Wax. Big White

is a petroleum based carnauba product. And since gelcoat is a petroleum

material itself, it makes sense that this product works well. If Big White is

unavailable and your gelcoat is in bad condition,I included (to the left)

3M products that you will need to fully retore your gelcoat. To properly

complete the job it will require three steps. Heavy duty compound, followed

by the finish material, and then last but not least....the wax or sealer.


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For medium heavy to heavy oxidation

Before beginning the project of restoring a boat with heavy oxidation,

take into consideration how much time and effort you want to spend on

it. Not only is it time consuming, but physically stressful as well.

In most cases, hiring a professional to do the work may be necessary.

This is why I am very busy!

How to wash your boat

I watched a lot of people over the years wash their boats and to this day I

get a kick out of the products they use to wash their boats. Now you might

think that soap is soap and anything you can get your hands on is good enough. Well nothing could be further from the truth!

If you decide to use a concentrated soap cleaner such as simple green or

a citrus cleaner, keep in mind that these are srtripping type cleaners and

if you wax your boat regularly and like to keep wax on your boat, than stay

away from these cleaners. They will shorten the life span of that expensive

wax job that you just spent alot of money on.


Too keep your wax to last longer, than use a product that has wax built into the soap. Now some people think that this in itself leaves wax on your boat

and therefore you don't need to hand wax. Unfortunately, it's not that easy.

The Wash-N-Wax soap is designed to not strip the wax off as you are

washing. Believe me, you don't want to strip that very expensive wax job that you just paid for!

West Marine Boat Soap Soap, Quart

West Marine Boat Soap Soap, Quart

West Marine Boat Soap Soap, Quart . Safe and effective for all boat surfaces Our original, general-purpose boat soap. It s biodegradable formula is high in alkalinity and low in surfactants, so it s safer for the environment than high-sudsing, high-detergent formulas. Safe and effective on all boat surfaces. All-purpose soap is dependable for all your boat wash needs Environmentally friendly, minimal sudsing Quarts, gallons or 3-gallon containers
West Marine Captain s Deck Brush Accessory Kit

West Marine Captain s Deck Brush Accessory Kit

West Marine Captain s Deck Brush Accessory Kit . Three essential items in one convenient package! Kit includes microfiber Reggae Wash Mitt that holds plenty of suds, deck brush with flared, medium stiff bristles and no-scuff bumper, and rugged nylon boat hook with nonmarking pusher tip.

Now you might have noticed the different colored brush heads.

There are three: yellow=soft; blue=medium;white=coarse.


Only use the yellow on the smooth gelcoat,and that includes the hulls. You can use the medium on the non-skid. Rarely will

you use the white unless you have very rough non-skid on your deck such as a fishing boat. The white is extremely harsh

and will scratch your smooth gelcoat.

Finished skeg and rudder with fresh bottom paint!

Second Wind- 1982 50ft. Columbia

When it's time to pull your boat out of the water, that in itself can

be a daunting experience. Take this example to heart, as it happens more often than one might think. Vigor and I brought the boat to a yard that allows contractors to work within the premises in order to paint the bottom of our client's boat Second Wind.

Everything went as scheduled and the haulout was as ordinary as any other haulout that we have experienced throughout the years.


As we started our day in preparation for a paint job, we quickly noticed that the skeg of his "skeg-hung" rudder configuration was

split and had delamination issues. So we made our calls to the owner who was not happy to hear the updated news. Soon after

we also discovered the rudder was in the same condition.Ouch!


So, the job went from easy to way more complicated. Sometimes

its better to figure out how the money is best spent. In this paticular case it was in our best interest to hire a contractor within the yard. We made an arrangement to do all the prep work, and

the skeg and rudder was rebuilt by a navel architect.


Oh and get's even better. Once we cut out all the fiberglass and dug out all the old saturated foam and removed the adhesive off the stainless framework, we discovered the metal was in a state

of deterioation. Stainless steel has a life span of roughly 20 years.

And lack of oxygen to stainless is the worst thing to do. Unfortunately, these were the materials used in the 80's. Great

for the original owner! Not so great for the following owners.

Things to think about when buying used boats.

Haulout- Things that can happen

								
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So what is this "magic" sponge? Being a yacht maintenance business, many people will stop and ask me what is the best way to remove scuff

marks and "whiskey" marks off the hull. These little white sponges are a great fast and easy trick to remove light scuff marks. Anything that is deep in the gelcoat will require much harsher methods. I will cover that in future articles. There are many companies that make these sponges, but I believe that the "Magic Eraser" was the first to come out

with them. They are found generally in the cleaning aisle at the grocery store and many retail stores such as Target, Walmart, Home Depot etc.

They also work fantastic on plastic, vinyl, rubber,and more as long as the stain is not too deep into the material. Happy cleaning from Liquid

Boat Works!

								
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Keep your isinglass clean

and protected. There are

several products available and they are all pretty close

in quality. Plexxus is easy

and comes in a spray can. You should apply each time you wash to eliminate contaminates and water spots. Also use with a very

soft detail rag. Isinglass is

very delicate and scratches easily. Wipe carefully!

Vigor and I recently took a summer trip. Full story under Travelers and Boaters. On our way from Mission Bay our roller furling unit was jammed. Most sailors commonly experience this from time to time, but ours was in a manner that most would not expect. Our furler unit is a Reckmann system which is a hardcore German product that has never failed us. Usually when the furler is jammed it's due to the roller furling line

getting bound up in the drum. But ours was bound at the top bearing unit!!?


So it my chore to figure it out....I dropped the halyard holding the headsail and so that I could inspect the bearing unit. To my suprise it was loaded with

bird poop!!!


We recently had a crane in the marina just wasting every boat in site.

All the tenants were at their wits end with the bird and we thought

it moved on and disappeared. Evidently, it found refuge at the top of our

roller furling unit. Being that I wasn't at the slip with a hose available,

I heated up a pan of hot water and poured it over the unit until it broke

up. And since I had the bearing already down, I lubed up all the parts

Sailkote. 

								
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