Renovating a topper?!?

[sharmajm]

I know a topper is a bit small for this forum, but I thought someone might have some tips.

I have a friend who has bought an old topper dingy. He tells me that it was originally yellow, but you wouldn't have been able to guess this from looking at it.

The obvious answer is to attack with sandpaper and cuting compound, followed by a good polish, however the surface has a non slip coating, i.e not textured GRP.

I guess the questions are:

Is it safe to sand down the top surface?

If it is can anyone recommend a non slip paint to use when the job has been done?

Are there any other approaches to the problem apart from do nothing?

Any help gratefully accepted

 

[Gin]

This is not a GRP boat so rubbing down will not leave a smooth coat to burnish and buff- not recommended.

A number of boats in our club have suffered the same UV fading and some have successfully brought the colour back to an impressive level by careful heating with a domestic hairdryer ( you can use a warm air gun but be very very careful as the intense heat if not applied gently will melt your boat!!!!).

Good luck and be patient it will bring dividends

 

[squidge]

Gin good tip i haddn't heard of that one.
While he's at it tell him to add length to the centerboard or do something to encourage the thing to sail forwards instead of sideways, this was always a problem with toppers nomatter how good your sail trimming was.
Loads of fun for you £ though.

 

[StugeronSteve]

Toppers get to look a bit tatty and I don't think there's a lot can be done about it. Maybe the hair dryer trick is worth a try, especially if you wash first with one of those conditioners that adds sheen, bounce and mends split ends /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

There's nowt wrong with a battle scarred topper. And no, they're not too small for discussion on here.

 

[Talbot]

[ QUOTE ]
This is not a GRP boat

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually the early toppers were GRP. Thus all the normal means of bringing it back are available if it is GRP, if not get out your hairdryer! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Also, when you've done the best you can, its amazing what colour returns with a bit of scrubbing and polishing......... many years ago, while a student, I had a summer job teaching sailing to kids, mainly in toppers, and we also had severely faded yellow boats..... just heat 'em, scrub 'em and polish 'em and bobs yer uncle..... just don't expect perfection...... word of warning with the heating..... its a battle of endurance... once you've started, you've got to do the whole boat.... don't apply the heat too closely as you'll end up with patches where the colour has come back too successfully, and then it'll end up looking like a leopard.......

 

[claymore]

There's no point in doing this. Its just a bit of fade. The most important thing to do is flat off the bottom with some very fine wet and fill any major gouges with a ptex candle if possible. Then work on making the hull wtertight. The main areas are the hull deck joint then the daggerboard case, then the self baler and the rudder fittings.
If they are not bothered about racing it then its possible to fit an inspection hatch into the rear deck (This puts it out of class rules) but its the best way of stopping overtightened rudder plate fittings from spinning.
Cover the whole thing in soapy water then stick a dinghy pump into the bung hole on the transom and pump it gently then look for escaping air. Silicone sealant is fine for any leaks

 

[StugeronSteve]

Wot no herbal essences regenerative shampoo/conditioner with added factor x?

 

[bluepippa]

Whilst your at it.... Get hold of the center main conversion kit, and also make a small bridle from the mast step, to act as a painter attachment.... never use the hole in the foredeck for the painter... Ive seen loads of toppers seperate the top and bottom at this point due to careless use.

Cheers

 

[steve_cronin]

One word - \"Owatrol\"

Comes in half litre tins. Rub it in and watch the colour come back. When dry it also gives a very good non-slip surface.

DON'T cut the surface of polyethelene with abrasives otherwise you'll give yourself a never-ending job.

On Toppers, especially the early ones (under SN 14000 say, the hull-deck joint often leaked filling the hull. However it is easy to remedy with silicone sealant but this involves parting the two for which the screws, one in the mast step and one in the dagger case will need to be undone.

Steve Cronin