How long does it take to wash, polish and then wax grubby oxidised gelcoat?

[Blueboatman]

I used to allow myself one full and proper days work to go through the Farecla stages and then using my own polisher and two tressels and scaffold plank .
pretty clean hull anyway. 36ft

The danger with A heavy oxidisation
B Cheap ie unskilled labour
C Maybe cheapo /skimped materials
and D power tool in ignorant hands
Is that you ( they) might be wearing the gel coat down to where you start to see the mat printing through
Then you’ve really got depreciation problems way beyond ‘ a bit grubby’
So. References trump cheap every time
Short answer . One bloke, 2 days , £500 wouldn’t be unheard of . For a sound job

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I used to allow myself one full and proper days work to go through the Farecla stages and then using my own polisher and two tressels and scaffold plank .
pretty clean hull anyway. 36ft

The danger with A heavy oxidisation
B Cheap ie unskilled labour
C Maybe cheapo /skimped materials
and D power tool in ignorant hands
Is that you ( they) might be wearing the gel coat down to where you start to see the mat printing through
Then you’ve really got depreciation problems way beyond ‘ a bit grubby’
So. References trump cheap every time
Short answer . One bloke, 2 days , £500 wouldn’t be unheard of . For a sound job

Oh yes. I agree with all of that.
Even when I was young (55 yrs) , I tried compounding the topsides and after a short while, I realised that it's best left to someone skilled in the job. Even compounding a flat deck was a struggle , particularly with all the fittings. The professional I employed to do it even seemed to be enjoying it .

You could of course put the boat on a trailer and tow it to the local east european all day car wash for a compound and wax by a cast of thousands . Might as well go for a valet too. After you have done a bit of shopping in the town, and possibly a hair cut it should all be done by lunchtime.

p.s. I still only pay £7 for a pensioner hair cut expertly quiffed by a Turkish barber.

 

[billskip]

Platform like this:

Hired from Robert at CLyde Tool Hire (who I happily recommend): Clyde Tool Hire: power tool hire in Inverclyde

Does that include the labour...I could stand and watch/ supervise all day.....

 

[steveeasy]

Perfectly doable. It is an attitude of mind. Some people just do not have the correct work ethic & actual manual skills to do the jobs. They keep stopping for cups of tea & chats etc & get tired very soon.. I had several employees working for me that would have met that target with ease. But I would have charged you a lot more than £100 per day for their services.
What you need is a couple of wayward illegal immigrants on £ 80 per day cash . Supply the kit & put them on job & finish. Just keep the cabin locked & take them some cod & chips at lunch time.
I no longer know the score, but there must still be areas where they hang out waiting to be picked up in mornings for casual work. Find out where & get there nice & early & you will find a couple.

No Tea. How could anyone even contemplate working on their boat without an endless supply of Tea and coffee. it is supposed to be fun.

Steveeasy

 

[rib]

Oh yes. I agree with all of that.
Even when I was young (55 yrs) , I tried compounding the topsides and after a short while, I realised that it's best left to someone skilled in the job. Even compounding a flat deck was a struggle , particularly with all the fittings. The professional I employed to do it even seemed to be enjoying it .

You could of course put the boat on a trailer and tow it to the local east european all day car wash for a compound and wax by a cast of thousands . Might as well go for a valet too. After you have done a bit of shopping in the town, and possibly a hair cut it should all be done by lunchtime.

p.s. I still only pay £7 for a pensioner hair cut expertly quiffed by a Turkish barber.

Your paying to much. I get a hair cut. Nose and ear job. Massage. For a fiver..... In Turkey ??

 

[johnalison]

No Tea. How could anyone even contemplate working on their boat without an endless supply of Tea and coffee. it is supposed to be fun.

Steveeasy

That is the point. In days past I had to drive ninety minutes plus to the boat on my weekends off to work on it, having to slog and put up with whatever the weather was doing. Now, I am only a half hour from the boat and can pace myself so that I can enjoy what I am doing, choose the best weather, and work two or three days in a row without having to take a day off to recover. I find it hard to take any satisfaction from antifouling, but at least it is the last job before it’s time to go sailing again. Tea is too difficult. I just buy myself a coffee.

 

[SaltyC]

Run? Are you trying to kill me off?

John, the youngsters don't understand.

Depending on oxidation. The Blue Line can take a Day. The rest of the hull another day.
Polish only.

Upon purchase, due to neglect? It took 4 days to restore to an acceptable level.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Your paying to much. I get a hair cut. Nose and ear job. Massage. For a fiver..... In Turkey ??

Ah ! But mine includes eyebrows in the price.

 

[Daydream believer]

John, the youngsters don't understand.
Depending on oxidation. The Blue Line can take a Day. The rest of the hull another day.
Polish only.
Upon purchase, due to neglect? It took 4 days to restore to an acceptable level.

What do you call a day? Start at 08-00 latest. 15 mins for mid morning coffee break. 30 mins lunch break. Finish at 17-00 hours? Working all, the time. That is a day.
Not turn up at 10-00 ponce about for an hour dressing up finding the lead & getting ready. Then having 5 tea breaks & a stop for a chat with the locals, an hour for lunch & b..gering off home at 15-00 Because if you look round most marina yards that is the norm.

 

[LittleSister]

Not turn up at 10-00 ponce about for an hour dressing up finding the lead & getting ready. Then having 5 tea breaks & a stop for a chat with the locals, an hour for lunch & b..gering off home at 15-00 Because if you look round most marina yards that is the norm.

Anyone would think they were into boating for pleasure and relaxation!

 

[Talulah]

Getting back to the original question: 39ft takes me a one day each side with a mix of hand and electric buffing. I have a platform but there’s a catch. It’s impossible to get the platform between the boats unless I wait until after the neighbours are launched. Last year I was able to do one side but not the other.

 

[Daydream believer]

Anyone would think they were into boating for pleasure and relaxation!

I was pointing out the 2 definitions of a day's work.
If one wants to get a horrible job done & one is fit enough, then it is often better to just blitz it.
But saying something has to take "days" can be confusing. The OP asked for guidance per square metre for a very good reason i suspect.

 

[Robih]

I was pointing out the 2 definitions of a day's work.
If one wants to get a horrible job done & one is fit enough, then it is often better to just blitz it.
But saying something has to take "days" can be confusing. The OP asked for guidance per square metre for a very good reason i suspect.

For clarity then, the time I suggested was for days starting at 07.00 and finishing at 20.00 with a brief sandwich at lunchtime. I can’t afford the time to ponce about doing 08.00 to 17.00…….

 

[Daydream believer]

For clarity then, the time I suggested was for days starting at 07.00 and finishing at 20.00 with a brief sandwich at lunchtime. I can’t afford the time to ponce about doing 08.00 to 17.00…….

Yes , but you are from Scotland & it is well known that output per hour is far less than an Essex person ?

 

[Robih]

Yes , but you are from Scotland & it is well known that output per hour is far less than an Essex person ?

Nope, wrong again.

 

[johnalison]

Getting back to the original question: 39ft takes me a one day each side with a mix of hand and electric buffing. I have a platform but there’s a catch. It’s impossible to get the platform between the boats unless I wait until after the neighbours are launched. Last year I was able to do one side but not the other.

Access can be a problem. We usually have enough space but last year the yard thought they were doing me a favour by putting me into a cradle with six supports instead of the usual three. This made getting the platform in place very awkward and peeved me somewhat.

 

[Blueboatman]

What do you call a day? Start at 08-00 latest. 15 mins for mid morning coffee break. 30 mins lunch break. Finish at 17-00 hours? Working all, the time. That is a day.
Not turn up at 10-00 ponce about for an hour dressing up finding the lead & getting ready. Then having 5 tea breaks & a stop for a chat with the locals, an hour for lunch & b..gering off home at 15-00 Because if you look round most marina yards that is the norm.

That’s it though isn’t it ?
Working daylight hours ( the gym by the water ) when the weather is right and good for the job in hand . And splash the boat ready for the season.
Works for me too

 

[steveeasy]

That is the point. In days past I had to drive ninety minutes plus to the boat on my weekends off to work on it, having to slog and put up with whatever the weather was doing. Now, I am only a half hour from the boat and can pace myself so that I can enjoy what I am doing, choose the best weather, and work two or three days in a row without having to take a day off to recover. I find it hard to take any satisfaction from antifouling, but at least it is the last job before it’s time to go sailing again. Tea is too difficult. I just buy myself a coffee.

My drive for the last six years has been 230 miles each way. On reflection I’ve really enjoyed most of it well apart from the evening late night parties with like minded souls. Now my new boat is 260 miles from home. I quite enjoy getting away and spending a few days on whatever. I’ve got a much improved stove and kettle this time.
Happy days.
Steveeasy

 

[Daydream believer]

Nope, wrong again.

Actually, I thought I had deleted that when I saw Devon. Remiss of me tar you with the wrong brush.

It is a nuisance that one cannot completely delete posts. One has to either write "deleted " or put a couple of full stops or something. But I have not worked out how, having posted & realising my mistake, to totally delete the post. Is there a way? Anyone know?

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Does anyone feel that the benefits of compounding a hull is often short lived ?

It seems true in my own case but I have tended to purchase older boats. I bought a boat one time where if you looked closely at the gelcoat topsides , you could see the wiggly strands of polyester. Possibly the boat was compounded every year.

There was a family close to my berth who spent a number of weekends compounding and polishing a blue Beneteau that looked fantastic when finished. Unfortunately, after a couple if years it returned to it's original state. A dark colour is probably not the best example but I wonder if a hull, after so many years , should be just cleaned and polished. Or perhaps it's to do with the quality of the materials used to build the boat.