Blue paint blooming !!

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pcatterall

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After a season on the water the blue hull on my Leisure 20 is very badly 'bloomed' again.
At the start of the last few seans we have had to T cut it right back then polish it again.
Within a month it is dull and and begining to bloom.
I know that dark colours are subject to this but this seems a really bad case.
I note that in some areas I have done a bit of retouching and these bits dont seem affected.
I'm wondering about repainting her, I would prefer blue again but not if it is going to be as bad.
Any advice please? and any explanation as to why this paint should be so badly affected?
 
pcatterall,

Sadly this effect does spoil otherwise lovely boats. White hulls also bloom but is hardly noticeable.

The secret to minimising this effect is to ensure that the gelcoat is sealed and that the sealing is renewed every season. Sealing is particularly important if the gelcoat has been 'cut back'. The sealing helps to prevent the effects of sun and salt.

If you intend repainting the hull, it is adviseable to keep to the same or very similar colour as small scratches will expose the original colour which if vastly different will really show-up. (especially if you change to white)
 
You can use a wax polish like the 3M stuff which is a wax with a very fine polishing abrasive mixed in it or a liquid wax which does not polish the surface but gives a gloss seal. I would try the polish first, it might work without having to T cut.
I polish my topsides at lift out and then wash it again in the spring and apply wax to seal before it goes back in. Its a bit of work but if you do this every year your hull will still be shiny after 25 years.

There is a lot of good advice on restoring and polishing hulls with product recommendations etc. on here already, worth a search?
 
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Thank you quandary. Abrasive polish has not been coarse enough the last two seasons.
T cut was essentiall, I will try the liquid seal this time around.
I diidnt search this time as ( on this forum) I have found the search cannot be focussed and I just get a load of unrelated blurb. Big pity as there is a wealth of info.
I try to save the gems as favourites now.
Thanks again
 
pcatterall said:
I diidnt search this time as ( on this forum) I have found the search cannot be focussed
Click to expand...

The thing to do is use google, and add site:ybw.com along with your search terms. That returns results from this site only, but using Google's much better search.

Pete
 
I followed the advice on this video, starting at the "3M Imperial compound and finishing material" stage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ifp_SVrlurY

I finished with 3 coats of wax, apart from a little oxidization on the blue band under the toerail the main bulk of topsides, white gelcoat, held up well all summer, and still looks good. Now out of the water for the winter a wash, light polish, and three coats of wax is all that will be needed and she will look like new again.
One thing I took on board is to wash with a shampoo that does not contain wax.
 
The secret to keeping the lasting shine is Polish Polish and when you think it's got enough on.... more polish.

Ask any guy that has a classic car how he keeps the shine :)

One coat of polish is not going to last very long, it's the same as putting one coat of varnish on.

Tom
 
pcatterall said:
After a season on the water the blue hull on my Leisure 20 is very badly 'bloomed' again.
At the start of the last few seans we have had to T cut it right back then polish it again.
Within a month it is dull and and begining to bloom.
I know that dark colours are subject to this but this seems a really bad case.
I note that in some areas I have done a bit of retouching and these bits dont seem affected.
I'm wondering about repainting her, I would prefer blue again but not if it is going to be as bad.
Any advice please? and any explanation as to why this paint should be so badly affected?
Click to expand...

I would be surprised if the t-cut 'cut back' the oxidation, the chances are that it was oiled or wetted with temporary results. It may have looked as though it worked.

Any oxidation needs to be completely gone and a uniformed surface found before sealing, else the sealant / wax will trap oxygen within the differences in profile and continue to oxidise.
Some sealants application allow for this and are able to penetrate into the pores where waxes can't, but the best method is to get the surface correct first.
If Krew 2 does put the 3m imperial marine video up then it will be a good head start, but at the minute I have the best guitar solo coming up :D
 
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Marine Reflections said:
3M Marine video on 'game plan' products and application techniques :)
Click to expand...

I was hoping you would come along, as it was yourself who put me onto the 3M site. The £300 spent on pads polish, wax and a good rotary polisher was well worth it

I have put a thread on here with regards to the best thing to do with a spray painted hull that has a little fading and a few scratches
It's a friends boat and I think it may have been sprayed with awlgrip, but we cannot find any info on the best way to bring it up.
 
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