Chapter V Maintenance And Maintenance Procedures; The Hull - Tayana 37 Operation & Maintenance Manual

Chapter V MAINTENANCE AND MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES

Few persons today are under any illusion that a fiberglass yacht is "maintenance
free". As a matter of fact, from the standpoint of cosmetics alone, a fiberglass hull
requires nearly as much time to take care of as a wooden hull of similar size.
Washing, waxing, and touching up little nicks and scrapes are time consuming
and demanding tasks which must be done consistently if the yacht is to retain its
new look.
The advantages of fiberglass lies in areas other than cosmetics-strength, for
example. Fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP) are amongst the strongest boat
building materials ever developed. Even a moderately well built FRP yacht will
be stronger and more endurable than the best wooden built a few decades ago. In
addition, fiberglass is impervious to most of the ills which can be disastrous in
other materials -- it doesn't oxidize like steel; it isn't affected by electrolysis like
aluminum: it doesn't rot like wood. While it can be damaged by physical impact
and the resin will burn, neglect of surface damage generally does not result in
more serious deterioration as it certainly would in a steel or wooden hull.
A. THE HULL-
Generally, SOUTHERN OFFSHORE YACHT recommends that their customers
purchase a white hull. This means that little dings and scrapes do not show up, as
they would on a colored hull, and one is not under as much pressure to make
immediate repairs.
Normal periodic maintenance consists of waxing the hull with any of several
good fiberglass or automobile waxes on the market today. Waxing should be done
from the shear down to and including the waterline stripe. Wax should not be put
over the bottom paint which may be at or above the normal trim waterline of the
yacht.
Scrapes and scratches in white gelcoat are relatively easy to repair. There are
several gelcoat repair kits on the market which will do a fine job if the directions
are followed closely. Bigger gouges can be filled with either polyester or epoxy
putties before the gelcoat repair system is used. Colored gelcoat presents the
additional problem of color matching. Again, there are several systems on the
market which will make it possible to match the original gelcoat color.
It is a good idea to inspect the bottom periodically. In areas such as the
Chesapeake Bay, groundings are generally not serious. the muddy bottom is
unlikely to.do any serious damage. groundings on rock or coral are a different
V-2