gel shield a new hull

[markpageant]

Would forumites with experience suggest gel shield or the like for a new production shrimper ? is it worth the cost and bother ?

 

[oldsaltoz]

I would have thought that being new it would be covered by the manufacturer fo a period of time.

Any problems that develop within this time frame would therfore cost you nothing.

You might like to review your situation after that.

Truth is, not a lot of problems with new boats today, yes there are exceptions but not too many from reputable builders.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[sailorman]

IF they DONT go BUST /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[charles_reed]

Many do it with new boats, but usually only those which are going to spend a lot of time in the water ie round-the-world.

Most moulders have now mastered the art of lay up and incidents of osmosis only occur where the builder's QAS has fallen down.

 

[Quandary]

Currently a lot of boatbuilders offer epoxy primer either as standard or an option before antifouling but it is usually only a single or two coat job to provide a base for the antifouling rather than the five coat job you do when protecting an older boat.
A modern layup is expected to be osmosis resistant however if you are ever going to coat it it will never be easier than before the hull gets wet.

 

[bootleg]

manufactures hull warranties are very limited if you read the finer details and you could find that boats showing signs of osmosis after as little as two to three years are not fully covered.osmosis is a serious problem for sellers of second hand boats surveyors are very heavy handed with their comments on boats with osmosis high moisture content and wicking etc anything ie gel shield which acts as a barrier and slows down the process could save you in the long run i think it is an excellent preventative treatment on a new hull , some manufacturers are offering an epoxy rather than gel coated hull as a rather expensive option, diy gel shield would be a cheaper alternative

 

[cezz06]

That's right, any new products should have to test first and proved that they are safe to use before using. But if there would be any problem the manufacturers will take the responsible.

 

[Ronald_M]

Why not? It surely can't do any harm.

I've recently given my 21-footer a couple of coats of Blakes Gel Protect. An easy job that didn't take long. Looks nice too!

Info:

http://www.blakespaints.com/internet/ine.../GelProtect.pdf

Ron.