Well,why not?

[ianwright]

Those of you with real boats who undertake the annual repaint ceremony may have noticed that your boat looks at her best just before you lay the gloss on and the normal crop of dust, grit and flying insects have embedded in the paint. So, I wondered, why bother? Would it break some Grand Law of Boat Building if, once we have sanded, filled, undercoated and rubbed down our topsides to a standard of eye watering perfection we just carried on with ever finer grit and compound until we have such a fine finish that we don’t NEED the gloss coat and avoid the grit and insect stage altogether?
Why not?

IanW.


Vertue 203, Patience

 

[Guest]

The only reason I can see is that undercoat would be more porous than gloss. The best option would be to gloss and then rub back. Last summer I watched as somebody painted their hull with Dulux Weathershield Gloss, left it a couple of weeks, cut it back with wet and dry and then buffed it. It looked superb.

 

[DanTribe]

I think that what you suggest would work with 2 pot systems but not with conventional paint.Gloss which has been cut back never seems to have the water repellant properties ,i.e. the water doesn't bead.
Do they put something in paint to attract the Kamikaze flies do you think?And why does the sound of a paint tin opening spur your neighbours to sweep the yard

 

[aitchw]

This appears to be a good approach. The only problem being to be sure of giving plenty of time for the gloss to harden.
I have been wondering about the use of high build wax polishes to generate the final gloss finish. I know that waxes are used to improve hull performance in much the same way as skis and the like. I just don't know enough about them.

Howard

 

[chippie]

I remember helping a mate polish his amateurly painted hull. we used a wax with a very high prportion of carnuba in it. It came up really well but was really hard work.

 

[Guest]

I just painted a cabin top with a one part urethane and have been considering the wet sand / buff option, to get the finish up and the brush tracks down. Do you have any idea what grits your friend used? How fine did he go before starting to buff? 600? 800? 1000?

Best,

I