In the Buff

Shortly after Frank got the barrier coat off the bottom, we hired out our top sides to be buffed and waxed.  The gel coat on Moitessier was looking a bit dull and we were concerned that if we let it go any further that it would not be savable.  We had been going back and forth about whether or not we should do this on our own, but after getting a reasonable quote, we had decided to just hire it out and save Frank from sore shoulders (He suffers from an injury in his rotator cuffs from his skateboarding days as a teenager). We figured it would be cheaper to hire it out than to have Frank injure himself further and have to endure surgery. The guys we hired out from Billitz Boat Detailing did an incredible job.  Emil, the owner of the company, has been in the business for over 25 years.

Before Buff Job.  Moitessier is sad :(

He started by cleaning the hull sides with On & Off to get off any stains and contaminants. 3 test spots were done to show us the different products and methods and see which ones would give us optimal results.  He then compounded it with a rubbing compound that takes off the oxidized gel goat and makes a smooth shiny surface.  Next, he waxed the boat with Garry's Royal Satin One-Step Cleaner Wax to help protect it from UV rays as well adding a little extra shine.  I must say, he did a better job than Frank would've, in a shorter amount of time too, as Frank had done a small portion at the bow of the boat a while back just to see what he was potentially in store for.  It really has transformed the look of the boat and it has been 1 of only 5 jobs that we have hired out. I think this time it was well worth the money because not only is the boat super shiny, but we didn't have the scaffolding, only a ladder that Frank would've had to balance on and move every half a foot.  I think that if we did have the necessary means to do it, Frank would've for sure tackled the job on his own, injured shoulder or not, as he is truly a stubborn bastard.   I didn't think Moitessier could be any more beautiful than she already was. We are so pleased that we are going to get a quote for our cabin tops as well. Hopefully we will get that done once we splash.  

Test Panels on Port side (SB side is done).  See the difference?

Emil buffing away

Look how shiny!

We tackled the boot stripe during this period of time as well. We used Interlux Brightside Polyurethane paint which was a single part paint that was relatively easy to work with.  It's a bit thicker than Awlgrip, but all in all, a relatively straightforward paint job that required the usual sanding, cleaning, and taping cycle.  We changed the color from the original green to a bad-ass black, which I think goes better with our natural wood colors and soon-to-be Toast colored Sunbrella.

Frank painting our boot stripe

Boot-stripe and buffing done