Treatment can lengthen life of paint job - news

California-based Sea-Shield has introduced two new after-paint treatment systems to revive and protect vessel paint jobs.                                               

"One of the biggest costs to maintain a yacht is in its coatings system," said Francisco Linares, owner of Sea-Shield. "Paint manufacturers are recommending that yachts be painted every four to ­five years. With paint jobs starting at $300,000 and getting as high as $2 million for a yacht in the 125-foot to 200-foot range, that gets expensive, especially during these economic times."

The Sea-Shield line of products was developed by professionals and crew within the yachting industry and includes polishing systems that restore the dull ­finish on a weathered paint job and a paint protection system that protects the painted surfaces.

The polishing system includes three products: Heavy Cut No. 1, Cut and Polish No. 2 and Swirl Remover No. 3. and Final Polish. It is used on S/Y Zenji, S/Y Lady B, S/Y Ethereal, M/Y Diamonds are Forever, M/Y Golden Odyssey, M/Y Laura, M/Y Ocean Victory and M/Y Oasis and many more, the company said in a statement.
"As people in this industry know, salt water is probably the worst thing for a boat, and paint jobs are expensive," Capt. Steve Brownsea of M/Y Dumb Luck said in a statement. "Protecting the paint ­finish when it is new or restoring it to extend the date of the next paint job just makes sense. We've only had to use the Sea-Shield system in the last few years and our paint job from 2003 still looks great."
The paint protection system includes two products: Nano Coating and Exhaust Guard. When used to the manufacturer's speci­fications and application schedule, the system protects the paint and can keep the surface looking like new for up to 10 years, the company said.

"We developed a polishing system that provides a barrier against oxidation while burnishing the shine on paint," Linares said. "A paint restoration or protection system can't last forever, so being realistic, we developed a system that can be refreshed fairly quickly and only needs reapplication about 6 month to a year."
Sea-Shield products are available in South Florida, San Diego, Spain, South of France and New Zealand.