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Boats are meant to be on the water, not in dry dock awaiting exterior maintenance. Only Hatteras paints every exterior fiberglass surface above and below the waterline. Our process
provides a hard outer surface with a beautiful high sheen and
a longer lasting hull finish. The benefits -- less waxing, increased
UV resistance and less exterior maintenance.
From the waterline down, Hatteras uses both a vinylester blister-resistant gel coat and vinylester resin in the skin coat.
This process provides additional blister resistance and reduced
water intrusion.
Hatteras utilizes two other gel coats: an
exterior white gel followed by an interior black gel. Both
gels are resin-based. Application of the black gel provides
a dark backdrop that improves the fiberglass lay-up quality
during construction.
All exterior fiberglass surfaces above the water line are painted.
First, we sand the entire exterior, then apply two coats of
primer, re-sand the surface again, and finish by applying
three coats of polyurethane paint. This process has several
advantages:
Produces a high sheen finish
Provides UV resistance
Requires less exterior maintenance
Retains luster without continuous re-waxing
In the event of any damage to the boat, this finish is also
easier to repair. Unlike a porous gel coat that may yellow
or oxidize over time, this finish retains its color and is
much easier to match.
The last finish that is applied to every
Hatteras hull bottom is an ablative anti-fouling paint. While
some anti-fouling paints lose their effectiveness with age,
an antiblative paint sloughs off inactive components of the
aging bottom paint.In turn, this exposes new
anti-fouling agents. The bottom paint process consists of
a two-part polyurethane primer, two coats of epoxy primer
and finally two coats of copper-based anti-fouling paint.
The maintenance advantages of our paints and processes are
evident in other areas of our boats as well. We coat all walkways
and decks with a non-skid finish utilizing polymeric beads.
While the beads obviously improve footing, they also remain
white and do not blacken with wear. Hatteras also paints engine
rooms and bilge areas with white polyurethane to produce a
smooth finish that is easy to clean.
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