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wjmarks

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I need to polish my hull and antifoul the botton. Which one first. I was thinking that antifoul would be the first and polish second thing but I am new to this and am not sure.

I was also wondering what the best polish would be for the job. I have that MER stuff and was wondering if it would be good for boats as well?

Thanks for any advice in advance. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I antifouled then polished, but I cant see doing it the other way round would make a difference - except you might have some glue from the masking tape to polish off after antifouling.

As for polish, there are as many opinions as there are people in the forum /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif One respected member swears by Mer.
 
I find it easier to polish first, then antifoul.
I tried antifouling first, but found I had to use masking tape on the antifouling in order not to get paint on the polishing and buffing tools. The polishing and buffing machines made a mess of the masking tape, and when I removed the tape, it took the antifouling with it in a number of spots.
An added advantage is that the chances are it is slightly warmer by the time I get to the antifouling stage, which makes the paint easier to work with. This will not bother you if you are doing this now, in February-March it is a consideration.
 
[ QUOTE ]
One respected member swears by Mer.

[/ QUOTE ]

I use Mer and I'm not respected (unless that was a Moody owner being polite /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). I don't use a polishing machine though.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I use Mer and I'm not respected (unless that was a Moody owner being polite /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). I don't use a polishing machine though.

[/ QUOTE ]Err, likewise.

I find it easy enough to use, so don't use a polisher, but I'd antifoul first, cos if you put mer on the hull where the antifoul should be, you'll never get the AF to stick.

Seeing how slick and slippery the finish is on my topsides, after a good mering, I have wondered what it would do on the bottom, but never dared try it!
 
Many thanks for all your replies. I think I will go with the Afoul 1st as someone rightly said it may be hard to get it to stick to the polish. I also think I will go with the Mer as for 1 I have a gallon of it that I picked up at a car boot for a few quid so I will not have to spend any more and 2 it is easy to apply and use.

WJM
 
Sorry to disrupt your plan but you should really polish first. If you antifoul first you are likely to get polish spots on the antifouling which will be difficult to remove due to the open structure of antifouling and will affect it's performance. If you antifoul last and do get some on the topsides it will easily wipe off with no damage.
 
If you are working within a fixed time budget ashore e.g. some special summer lift out deal, then I suggest doing the essentials first.

1 - Anodes.
2 - Prop clean & paint.
3 - Antifouling.
4 - Polish.
5 - Saildrive grearbox oil drain and fill (because another season won't harm really).

Or maybe do 1 & 2 between antifoul coats.

Other tips:

Wear sacrificial hat to keep paint out of hair.
Wear very old pair of shoes.
Goggles to keep roller paint spits off designer glasses frame if relevant to you.

Before lift out:

Put any heavy gear aboard because it is a long way up that ladder later.
Empty heads holding tank to save nocturnal descent down ladder to boatyard toilets.
Close engine seacock.
 
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