Thanks for the information Tbone. Much appreciated. The thought of hand polishing this 23 foot monster is not palatable
. Even washing it is half a day affair.
Had bottom paint put on it as without it, I had a full marine sanctuary on the bottom! There was 5 inches of growth on the entire thing! No boatyard wanted to touch it. So it sat there for a while and turned out that was the ticket to get the barnacles off. They become brittle after a few months and a pressure washer cleaned it. I thought I was safe leaving it in the salt water but it has some growth on it now
. I don't recall if what he put on was ablative or not. I have not used the boat much so perhaps that is the reason.
Even with anti-fouling paint, the barneys remain an issue. Since sitting out in the sun isn't a very popular option, I've had to acid-watch more than a few hulls after season/before winter storage. The trick with keeping a boat looking waxed; once cut (*removal of old waxes/compounds) & polished, they require weekly cleaning. I use an Eco friendly wash which removes minimal wax.
(*The cutting process is critical, if done incorrectly, all post wax applications will be compromised.)
Dark colored boats are even more demanding in regard to wax applications, because they tend to show streaks and swirls. Use an orbital improperly on a painted hull, and you'll dull the coat forever. I use a variety of buffing wheels depending on application. And contrary to popular belief, many boat based waxes are designed more to protect the gelcoat/paint rather than just add shine. In fact, most boat waxes tend to dull the shine after the cut.
Keep in mind that I'm referring to demanding customers, with very expensive boats (much larger than 23'). They pay based on levels of expectations. Like audio, not everyone has the same expectations. Since some customers tend to notice more swirling/streaking issues on dry dock (they disappear once splashed) the final application process becomes that much more critical. As an example, shiny black paint shows near every swirl/streak with the vast majority of boat based finishing waxes, but certain spray type car waxes (like Eagle brand) don't. They don't protect the boat nearly as well, but ...