Protecting Black Hull from Sun Damage

Question:
Jim Wade has submitted the following:
I have a black hull and my boat will be exposed to the sun part of the day. What is the best product and preparation I can do to prevent my hull from fading or discoloring from exposure to the sun? I really would like to keep it looking good and shiny.

Answer:
Black is especially tough to protect against fading from the sun. You have several options which can help. Clean the hull first with Boat Clean Plus and Boat Scrub to make sure that the protective polishes bond to the gelcoat rather than to old wax or pollutants or dirt etc.

Option 1 is to apply 2 or 3 coats of Premium Boat Shine. This is our most durable polish and it contains the VS721 polymer for added durability. It has excellent UV protection which will outlast any other polish available but even so all UV protection systems will degrade and the dark color will absorb more radiation and degrade the UV protection more quickly. I would suggest reapplying a couple of coats of Premium Boat Shine every 90 days or so. If you can keep the boat in the shade or under a cover of some sort, two coats will last for a full year.

Option 2 is to apply 2 coats of Kwik Shine and then reapply it every 2 weeks or so. The advantage of this is that you are constantly renewing the UV protection. Also, since Kwik Shine is a spray and wipe cleaner / polish, it is fast and easy to apply. Many boaters that have trailered boats, especially if they boat in salt water, love Kwik Shine because they can spray the boat down after every use and quickly wipe off the salt and water spots and they get a brilliant shine which keeps their boat looking new. Kwik Shine also contains Salt Busters which ionize the salt and convert it into a polish.

Keeping black, red or dark blue boats covered or in the shade when not in use, is still the best protection for the boat. The best UV protection systems available only have a maximum life of about 6 months of constant UV radiation and this is shortened by the darker colors.

Thanks for your question.
Captain Aurora

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