Plastic yachts are easy to maintain in principle, but the lustre does not last forever without a lot of work. This is because UV radiation damages the gelcoat and roughens the surface. New boats should therefore also be protected from harmful environmental influences.
As soon as the interested user gets to grips with the subject, they are confronted with a plethora of products. The range extends from the miracle bottle, which is supposed to turn a matt boat back into a proud yacht in a single step, to the professional system with finely graded abrasives. But which solution is the easiest to use and what are the sometimes considerable price differences?
After we dealt with the correct polishing method in YACHT 7/2017, the question arises as to what differentiates the current polishes. For the test, we limited ourselves to dedicated polishing systems with different strengths of abrasive pastes and associated sealants. Experience has shown that these products are the most versatile and deliver significantly better results, especially on matt gelcoat, than combination products consisting of abrasive and wax.
In the practical test, the products from Maincare, Möwe, Polish & Protect and Renskib had to show how well our well-maintained but almost 40-year-old test boat could be brought to a high gloss and how easy it was to apply the respective sealant.
You can read the results in YACHT 7/2018, which is available from newsagents today or can be ordered as a single issue or digitally here.
What professional polishing pastes and the corresponding machines are capable of achieving
Hauke Schmidt
Test & Technology editor
