No boat is entirely free from various degrees of maintenance, and although fiberglass is an extremely tough material, some maintenance is necessary.
The beautiful mirror finish on your new boat can well be compared to the finish on your automobile. The outer surface will stay brighter, and last much longer, if it is washed down regularly and waxed periodically. The amount of waxing required depends on weather conditions, exposure, and conditions under which the boat is used. A boat which is kept out in the bright sunlight will require more maintenance than one which is kept covered or ill a boat house when not in use. By the same token the hull sides which do not receive the full impact of the suns rays will require a lesser degree of maintenance than the decks and cabin tops.
Regular automotive type polishes will go a long way toward protecting the finish and restoring the luster of your fiberglass boat. By following these few simple suggestions your boat should look like new for many seasons.
Should you discover a small area of hair line cracks, do not become unduly alarmed. This cracking or crazing as it is called is confined to the gel-coat only and has no effect on the structural strength of the boat itself. To repair this situation the use of a gel-coat repair kit is recommended. Due to the fact that these cracks are very small it will be necessary to enlarge them in the form of a V. Apply the gel-coat putty directly into these V-shaped openings using slightly more putty than necessary to allow for shrinkage. After the repaired area has been allowed to cure it must be sanded smooth, rubbed out with rubbing compound, and polished with wax. Use the above procedure also for repairing small scratches, nicks and gouges. Should it be necessary to use the repair kit follow the directions prescribed by the manufacturer.
Most marine supply houses now carry a complete line of repair kits for fiberglass boats.
As with a steel, or wooden hull, any excessive damage to a fiberglass boat is best repaired by craftsmen skilled in this type of work. To further assist your local boat yard, Chris Craft has available thru its Service Department descriptive literature covering the proper sequence for major repair to fiberglass boats.
Should it become apparent that the original finish has deteriorated to the extent where it is impossible to bring back the original finish to the gel-coat surface, this surface readily adapts itself to painting. First, thoroughly clean the entire surface to be painted using plenty of soap and water. Next, remove all traces of wax using a liberal amount of turpentine and plenty of clean rags to assure that the wax has all been removed and not just reapplied. It is necessary to thoroughly sand the area, using one of the finer grades of wet-or-dry type sand paper. The surface must be completely free of any gloss to form a good bonding surface for the paint.
If the finish shows signs of fading or turning chalky, a thorough cleaning is indicated. This can be accomplished in the following manner, using a high grade of automotive type rubbing compound mixed on the basis of fifty per cent compound and fifty per cent water. (Example: (1) pint compound paste mixed with (1) one pint of water). This mixture is to be applied to the surface using a non-woven cloth such as flannel.
Note: Chris Craft does not recommend the use of kitchen type cleansers for cleaning gelcoated surfaces. Or the use of acetone for this purpose.
Many of today's paint manufacturers are able to supply suitable refinishing materials for fiberglass surfaces. The new acrylic type lacquers have proven to give excellent results -We would strongly recommend that when refinishing, you explicitly follow the recommendation for application of the material as prescribed by the manufacturer.
The Chris Craft Corporation keeps a permanent record of each boat, listing all of the pertinent information about it. All records are filed by "Hull Number" consequently, when any specific information is required regarding your new boat, always include the complete hull number in your correspondence with eitherthe Service Department, which is located at Pompano Beach, Florida, or with the Parts Department in Algonae, Michigan.
The hull numbers are located on the interior surface of the porthull side, forward of the foremost bulkhead. Numbers are glassed over with glass cloth impregnated with clear resin.