Riviera Aftermarket & Service manager Michael Swain.

Coomera, Gold Coast, Australia: Regularly waxing the gelcoat of your luxury Riviera may not boost your cruise speed or help you catch more fish, but it certainly will catch more potential customers when it comes time to sell and upgrade your boat.

Gelcoat is the barrier coating sprayed up against a highly polished mould at the beginning of the fibreglass lay-up process. On new boats, this surface is very smooth, mirror-like and very pleasing to the eye. But as gelcoat ages, it becomes porous – the more porous it becomes, the more easily it stains, the older it looks and the harder it is to clean.

Michael Swain from Riviera Aftermarket & Service recommends washing with a good quality wash and wax after every use, or at least fortnightly, will help protect your gelcoat.

He says wax, in particular, is best re-applied every three months to keep your boat looking like new.

“The good news is that almost all gelcoat can be restored, providing it is not completely worn through and providing corners are not cut in the process … and that’s part of the service we offer here at Aftermarket,” he says.

“There was a lot of interest in maintenance of gelcoat at the annual Riviera Festival of Boating, where we offered registered guests a range of tips to care for their much-loved yachts.

“And if you managed to inspect the new Rivieras, even those privately-owned boats berthed here, you could appreciate how much effort went into their presentation.”

Riviera had a completely full marina throughout the Festival – which this year aligned with the Gold Coast International Marine Expo – with all available berths booked six weeks in advance.

Michael urges people to get in early for next year’s Festival/Expo bonanza, to be held 19-22 May 2016.

In the meantime, Michael says, there are a total of 26 berths here at the home of Riviera on Australia’s Gold Coast, and they are available for both casual and permanent use.

“Many owners like to keep their boats here because they are close to Riviera Aftermarket and it really is a full-service facility here – we can service and make custom modifications, and we also have fuel supplies and free parking – in fact we have hundreds of ways to personalise and care for your Riviera … all right beside the Riviera Motor Yacht Club restaurant and bar,” he says.

“We also have the Twin Disc-owned Riviera 47 Enclosed Flybridge (Series II), which is a demonstration model for the innovative Seakeeper and Express Joystick System, as well as a few boats berthed permanently here so owners have easy access to them when they visit the Gold Coast.

“Indeed, we find many Sydney owners on their way north to cruise the Whitsundays call in to the Gold Coast and Aftermarket in particular to have their boats serviced or refitted – they often berth them at our marina until they are ready to head off to enjoy their ultimate boating experience.”

From a simple antifoul and detail right up to a full refit, Riviera Aftermarket has the service facilities, skills and knowledge to assist you in every aspect of boat maintenance.

The facilities include a 75-tonne travel lift, 6-bay undercover facility; 2-bay enclosed antifoul and spray facility; as well as a5 -bay hardstand.

Getting your boat ready for coastal or blue-water cruising is all part of the service.