Sterling Topcoat Touch Up

My top side Sterling paint job was rolled and tipped by a so-called professional hired by the previous owner ten years ago. There are some drips and air bubbles that I wouldn't mind san dining down. Also would like to touch up some dings. Otherwise it still looks pretty good.

I've read that Awlgrip is not easy to touch up. Is this the same with Stering?

 

Hmm...ten years. Your so called Professional did a fine job.

In general, top quality paint only lasst about 5 to 7 years before UV degrades the surface.

For touch up...difficult. The colour wont match.

Dont sand..wet sand, buff , polish any surface imperfections. You degrade the paint surface even more .

If the paint job is ten years old and you take pride in your boat, give it a fresh paint job.

A roll and brush job goes fast.

Call the same so called Professional that did the last repaint

 

Um, thanks?

You're right, the paint degrades over time whether a pro does it or not. But this Pro did not prep the surface completely so there are bubbles in several places and it was not tipped in several places where there are drips. Maybe it's just me but I expect more from a professional job. I think the fact that the boat has been dry sailed and covered has had a lot to do with the longevity.

I will be spray painting a fresh coat of Alexseal in several months like I have with all my all my boats but in the meantime I wanted to touch up a few areas and/or fix the runs and bubbles.

Providing I can match the white, can you touch up Sterling?

 

Sure you can touch up. Just abrade the surface, fill, prime and paint. . I work with metal boats and we must touch up to protect the substrate. Colour match is the issue. You can contact the paint supplier and have a custom batch of white mixed that better matchs your old UV damaged colour. Its expensive and still isnt perefect .

Another reson why a paint job only last 5 to 7 years. .. After a while you have so many small repair touch ups that its time for a recoat.

Alexseal has a good rep. Ive not used it. Awlgrip only in my region simply because of my market.

Polishing with abrasive grit will remove imperfections but it severly degrades the paint film.

 

Thank you.

 

Professioanl paint systems are expensive, but have the advantage of Technical support.

This is why you choose them.

Insist that your local Alexseal or Awlgrip technical representive advise on your project .

 

Sterling is much easier to polish than awlgrip BUT you may have problem due to fact that boat was rolled/tipped.

There won't be much paint on (roller application will be max 30microns, perhaps even less). You may quickly polish through.

You also mention that some areas aren't tipped and you need to touch up. This means you will replace a relative rough structure with something very flat from the polishing. This may make the whole boat look worse if the patches are big ie you will have patchwork quilt of structure and no structure.

You can try to minimise this by using a soft interface pad and trying not to sand too deep ie leave the roller/tip structure.

You mention you are going to respray. Don't waste time touching up before hand unless it is very unsightly. You may not make it look much better without risk of making it worse. Clean it good, wax it good. Repaint later overall.

ps don't knock the "so-called professional" - they sometimes do as they are told under very strange conditions eg "paint my boat, cheap...in December...cheap...I don't care so long as it shines, ...cheap" etc. I am not defending the paint job. Just stating fact that it is easy to shout when you don't know all the facts.

pps Sterling had better durability than Awlgrip when I saw numbers last.