Ever really thought about sanding? The sight of this on a yacht might make you…

This image shows “DA” marks adjacent to the hull rub rail sponson on a large yacht. (DA is short for Dual Action. A machine sander that both oscillates and rotates)

The marks are the direct result of poor technique. On a new build project there can be little discussion regarding apportioning responsibility for these.

On a refit project the applicator will always default to the argument that these marks were present before the refit so they are not responsible. Unless there are some very good pre-refit image records then this is a hard argument to win.

If such marks are identified prior to repainting then efforts can made to correct them. Skilled pre-refit paint surveys carried out by someone with an expert eye for such details will benefit all parties.

Regardless to any of the above, however, we simply don’t want to be employing applicators that will put such marks into the side of a yacht. It is entirely avoidable and unnecessary. The DA machine operator just needs better training and attention to detail.

What is also really sad about studying this image is that I can almost picture the person carefully moving the machine along by the cove so as not to sand into it, yet that “care” has lead them to inadvertently weighting the edge of the sanding pad and creating these semi circular marks.