It’s important that your boat run its best if you want it to
feel like new. But what about looking
like new? That’s the result of one thing: the quality of your boat paint. Yes,
it’s important to take care of your boat upholstery and keeping the entire boat
clean. But if your boat paint doesn’t look its best, then your boat won’t,
either. While it may be tempting to add a new layer of paint to your boat, you
shouldn’t have to do this every time you need to freshen up its look. Instead,
you should concentrate on boat paint
restoration. Here’s how to restore boat paint with minimal investment.
Understanding
Fiberglass & Boat Paint
Restoring boat paint starts with a material that most boat
owners are familiar with: fiberglass. Faded fiberglass is often to blame for
the faded look of your paint. If you want to restore the exterior, you’re going
to have to know what to do about your fiberglass as well. Here are a few things
you’ll want to keep in mind:
- Clean
first. No amount of polishing or compound will help with your fiberglass
and paint if you don’t work with a clean boat. Be sure to clean off your boat
with a proper Boat Cleaner, and
remove any old adhesives or stickers with Release
Adhesive & Sealant Remover. - When
working with your boat hull, use the right equipment. A power buffer is one
of the first tools you’ll see recommended on a wide variety of boating how-to’s.
Why? Because there’s a lot of space to cover, and if you don’t have a tool to
support that, you’re going to wear out your hands and wrists. Consider
investing in a power buffer or rent one from an equipment store to get the job
done with ease. - Use
fiberglass compound. For example, Fiberglass
Rubbing Compound is built to restore the quality of your fiberglass,
removing oxidation and stains, without affecting the underlying gel coat. If
you work with only boat cleaner, you won’t get the same results you need for
full restoration.
Buffing the fiberglass compound into the hull will do a lot
to restore the quality of the fiberglass and its paint. But how can you prepare
your hull to ensure that you don’t need to continually restore its boat paint
on a regular basis?
Prepping Boat Paint
for the Long Haul
To make sure that your paint maintains its quality, consider
investing in the following products:
- Color
Restorer. This will remove oxidation, chalking, and fading without
damaging the boat itself. And it will also prepare your boat for waxing. - LifeWax or Graphix
Wax. Speaking of waxing, these products are a great solution to protect
your paint and prevent fading due to UV damage.
Once you know how to restore boat paint, you’ll stand a
better chance at maintaining its quality for years. Keep exploring the range of
boat
cleaning and restoration products here at BoatLIFE today!
