PROJECT BOAT RESTORATION How to polish topsides
After the 2020 sailing season was largely lost to lockdown, Maximus had been ashore at Dell Quay in Chichester for two years when my wife, Ali, and I took her on. Our surveyor, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies, had identified that the topsides of our 28ft Maxi 84 were very flat and dull, and could use a good compounding before being protected with wax. He also advised that this should be done before we reapplied the antifouling, to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.
Having never compounded a yacht before, and last polished a car over 20 years ago, I needed to take a crash course in how to do it! I talked to a couple of experts, delved through the PBO archives, and took in a healthy dose of YouTube tutorials. However, it wasn’t until we called in the experts that we achieved the finish we really wanted.
Why polish gelcoat?
When the surface of your gelcoat loses its lustre, and starts to take on a chalky appearance, it’s time to think about polishing it. This is because the marine environment is a harsh one: oxidisation, UV damage and environmental pollutants cause the gelcoat surface to degrade, become more porous and take on water and airborne dirt. In ‘polishing’ the topsides, we’re actually removing the degraded gelcoat polymer, to expose the fresh polymer matrix, with its original glossy lustre and pigment. So as well as a big improvement in the cosmetic appearance of your yacht, polishing is essential in maintaining the structural integrity of the gelcoat as a barrier against the elements.
Hand polishing
We spoke first to David Johnson of Wessex Resins and Adhesives.
“We’re asked a lot of questions about GRP maintenance at boat shows,” he says. “Polishing is a fairly tedious job that requires concentration. It’s lots of work and there’s no gold medal!”
David owns a 30-year-old cruiser and points out that since lockdown the supply of new yachts has dwindled and more people than ever are buying second-hand – and a lot of those owners will be keen to make sure their hulls sparkle.
David explains that you
