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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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After a season of sailing - Poly glow

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Turk
Admiral

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USA
736 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/29/2006 : 13:53:49

Last Spring I purchased and applied 5 coats of Poly Glow to the hull and some deck and cockpit areas. I would just like to give you some thoughts on how well I thought it performed over the sailing season.

The premise is that once Poly-Glow is applied there is no need for waxing to maintain fiberglass surfaced and a shiny hull. My c250 is a 2003 so it was not overly oxidized and has been maintained quite well. The "no waxing" intrigued me, so I bought some at the Annapolis boat show for $49. It included a quart of polyglow, a quart of "cleaner and remover" and a large applicator and a small one. You need to clean the surfaces very well and use the wax "remover" as the final step to applying the poly-glow. The PG goes on like varnish using a block wrapped in a Chamois. It drys in about 10 seconds so you have to keep moving quickly as to keep a wet edge. Round and round the boat hull I went until I had built up about 5 coats. The later coats are said to get shinier, but I noticed a build-up of dirt probably coming from the applicator. You need to keep the applicator very clean as bubbles can form and dry on the surface. This is what happened to several areas of my hull and I was hard pressed to smooth them out. The overall job was very satisfactory to me and looked mirror like.

That said, there were problems I discovered later. Any dirt or dust that is on the hull will get completely sealed into the layers. I noticed an area around the mast that seemed to be grey and white, only to discover that I overlooked cleaning that area and had sealed greyish dirt film under the PG. Looked terrible. I did not notice it to it was too late. I guess with a sponge and the remover, you could remove all the film, but I let it go for now.

Also, the tiny trapped bubbles that are barely noticable become huge dirt collectors on the water. In fact, I would rate the surface itself as not even close to what a wax surface would be. Dirt will cling to everything. The sides picked up dirt and slime from the water and I was constantly cleaning them. The cockpit would not stay clean at all require not just a rinsing, but washing.

I think the problem is in the fact that although the surface looks shinny, it really is not smooth like a waxed surface, and so, attracts dirt. I could wax it, but it kinda defeats the premise that you do not need to wax for several years.

My conclusion is that it is a great "restorer" of weathered fiberglass surfaces. And it does bring back the color and life from hulls, painted stripes, etc. if they have suffered oxidation, but I would not use it as an alternative to wax. Wax wins out hands down. I will be removing the PG this next spring. Back to waxing.

Turk

www.turk.mysailboatblog.com
2003 C250 WK #663
Northeast Ohio
Mosquito Lake/Lake Erie

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 14:15:46

Turk, I used Poliglo on my 1986 C22 and was very happy. I used it on the topsides but not the deck. I never had a problem with it atracting dirt and the hull looked great. Poliglo is not meant to be used on newer boats, only older oxidized boats. With my new 2000 C250 I also am doing the wax route. I am using 3M paste wax. The beauty of Poliglo is, that for older boats, it is quick and gives good results.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 11/29/2006 14:17:12

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 14:39:18

Hi Turk... As one who may have contributed to your decision to try PG, I won't dispute your general conclusion. I probably wouldn't suggest it for a "new" boat--in my case, it made a 17-year-old hull look like a 3-year-old hull, but admittedly not like a newly-waxed hull. (I don't think I claimed that it would.) However, at the end of the season, my hull looked better than many that had been waxed, and a light washing and single coat made it look like the original result. I never tried it above the rub-rail, so I can't speak to its resistence to grime. But it is indeed not a wax--it's essentially a plastic.

I didn't have the bubbling problem, but I have missed a few smudges and made them immortal with PG. Like the debate between spar varnish and Cetol, it's a matter of how much work you want to put into creating a "Bristol finish" versus one that looks good from a distance and lets you launch and go sailing. My last name notwithstanding, I generally opted for the latter. You'll have to admit that your five trips around your boat with the applicator didn't take very long compared to rubbing and buffing!

Edited by - on

djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 15:08:48

I'm with Dave, I don't think I would use it on a new hull, but it did a great job on my 1977 that had never been waxed. Cheers.

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Turk
Admiral

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USA
736 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 15:28:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bristle
 You'll have to admit that your five trips around your boat with the applicator didn't take very long compared to rubbing and buffing!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I agree! I think that is where you can get into trouble - going too fast. I will also agree it probably is better for older boats. I gave the rest of the bottle to a friend who had a 70's red ski boat that was so oxidized that it looked pink from a distant. Boy did it look nice when he finished - bright even colored red.

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dblitz
Navigator

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240 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 17:09:15

I applied only 4 coats to the topsides in the early Spring and the boat was still shining when it was hauled out last week. I think the mfr recommends using it only on vertical surfaces. Happy with the results.

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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 19:12:36

I did not do my topsides as I though it would be to slippary. I scrubed the topside with the ox cleaner and it is nice and dull white. Cheers.

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 19:17:27

The topsides is the hull. The horizontal surface is the deck.

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britinusa
Web Editor

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5404 Posts

Response Posted - 11/29/2006 : 20:32:55

FYI, we used the WM boat hull cleaner to remove the yellow that appears after just a few days in the water. Brings the hull to a beautiful white.
We follow that (after a really good rinsing) with 'New Finish' from wallymart. Does a great job IMHO, certainly easy to apply and buff off. ($12.00 a bottle)

Paul

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3459 Posts

Response Posted - 11/30/2006 : 05:45:49

I applied 6 coats of Poliglow end of last winter with boat in the water and when I had my boat taken out for bottom painting in October, I took the opportunity to apply another couple of coats. My experience:

The preparation would be the same for waxing or Poliglow in that you really need to get down to a clean hull. If anything is skipped, it shows up immediately with Poliglow because of the shiny finish. But this is a good thing. The Poliglow worked fine but where I skimped in a few places with the cleaning, I could see the difference compared to areas that were spotless.

In my area, it seems that we have a rather dirty environment. This probably has to do with the fact that i chose a marina very close to work, just about as close as you can get to Washington, Dc from the Potomac River. As a result, week after week the rains bring streaks of dirt that form but this was the case with wax as well since I did some waxing at first, soon after I bought my boat. So...the shades of dirt, most noticeably where the deck has area where it drains, i get shades of dirt/grey that spreads out a bit. If i wash the boat regularly, then i can keep that to a minimum, otherwise, it then sets in and does not go away. Still, the majority of the boat still looks great. The thing is that with wax, I had same issues but added to that...the wax did not last that long and it's main negative is that it takesa lot of elbow grease to prep the surface again and then do another waxing. With the Poliglow...well...read on:

When I had my boat out of the water and in the yard for a bottom paint job, I took the opportunity to take care of a few things and one was what turned out to be light prepping of the topsides preparing it for the two coats of Poliglow I wanted to apply. I found that after washing the sides which was a lot easier with the boat out of the water, I had very few areas (mainly a few of those shaded grey/dirt areas that needed more tneder loving care. in those areas, I used the Poliprep to remove the oxidation and previous coating(s) at least a bit and then when i was satisfied, i reapplied the 2 and ind a partial 3 coatings. I had to reapply a third coat in some instances because I was so quick in putting on the 2 coats, that I had some drips that solidified. But I got them out with the Poliprep and then reapplied the coatings. The whole boat looked great once again and really very little work.

There was a guy working on his 28 footer in the maintenance yard and when he saw me zip thru the prep and then apply the coatings lightneing fast, he came over as he noticed the glossy surface. he was impressed. Wanted to know more about the product.

I think wax is a fine way to go and so is Poliglow. The main reason I like the Poliglow is that it's application is so quick and it lasted pretty good over the months with little work for a re-application. I did read some where that it is not recommended for new boats as it imparts a slight tonal color to the boat but not really that noticeable on older boats. The only area where I am not thrilled with anything so far, is the cockpit area. For some reason, that area seems to be off-white and the dirt/grey areas seem to be more noticeable. I have never really been happy waxing that area either. I think part of the problem is that I never prepped that area sufficiently whether i was using wax or Poliglow. If it bugs me enough, some day i will give that area a real going over and see if there is improvmeent.

Edited by - on

Renzo
Admiral

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USA
621 Posts

Response Posted - 11/30/2006 : 08:07:06

I've always used Collinite's wax on my 1984 hull and it looks like new. I strip off the previous years coat of wax using a commercial floor wax remover or ammonia and water, then rub out the hull with a pollishing compound followed with 2 light coats of Collinite's aircraft and boat wax. It seems to do the trick very nicely and at a reasonable price.

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wmeinert@kconline.com
Past Commodore

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USA
353 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2006 : 09:24:26

Next time you may want to try VERTGLASS. I used it this year on the deck my 77 and it was remarkable, no stains or colection of dirt. I will say that it works best if you pressure wash your boat first to make sure ALL the dirt is out of the pores. But for racing there is only one wax I use on my verticval Hull and that is the 3M products. I apply 5-6 coats with a high speed buffer and wow what a result. The first year working the 3M system from bare hull to finish is a bitch, but every year after it becomes easier. Where a lot of boaters in my opinion have wax problems is when they use a different brand every year.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2006 : 11:03:10

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by wmeinert@kconline.com
 Next time you may want to try VERTGLASS.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Near as I can tell, Vertglass and Poli Glow are the same substance--a polymer finish similar to Mop n Glow (probably with some additional UV inhibiters). While I wouldn't endorse using either on decks--especially on nonskid--I doubt that either would make as slippery a surface as just about any brand of wax. (That's why Turk had his dirty experience...)

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3459 Posts

Response Posted - 12/04/2006 : 12:10:54

I wanted to add one addl comment to my above write-up:
Sometimes, the experience one has with a product is dependent under the conditions they have to also work under the boat. Sometimes i feel that when we answer questions on this Forum, we need to answer some preliminary questions because it has a bearing sometimes on the answer.

My boat is in the water all year round. So....minimizing the prep work needed each time to reapply whatever and also the reappplying technique...the simpler the better is advantageous for me since I frequently do not have the luxury of working the sides conveniently. Working on it involves sitting on the finger slip and while ensuring my feet do not dip into the drink, i move along the sides applying the Polyglow. Waxing involves a bit more work and under the conditions of working it in the water makes it just a wee but more difficult. That may not be so much an issue for those that have the luxury of working on their boat on land during the offseason or inbetween trailoring.

Added to the addl effort of working from sitting on the finger slip, I really should not/can't use a buffer to help in waxing. it all has to be done manually. This because the marina tries to adhere to EPA requirements not to contaminate the Potomac River. If they here power tools, they come ovr to inspect what is being done. generally, the guideline is that power tools can be used inside the boat but not on the outside.

recently, I was made a mount for hooking up a battery charger in my boat and I had some standoff strips of starboar cut to put on the mount. these were just some small 5" X 3/4" strips. I had misjudged the size a bit and needed to cut off a 1/2 off the matl. I did not have a small hacksaw but had my portable Dremel tool. So...sitting on one of the storage boxes on the dock, i was cutting thru the matl. just the small whine noise from the dremel had the marina staff coming after me to see what i was doing. they were satisfied that it was an infinetesimally small job with hardly any waste matl so they let me be....but since they then remonded me of the EPA rules...it was just as easy for to do the cutting from a picnic bench and so i finsihed the job there. it was easier there anyway.

But point i am making is that power buffing....they would be after me. So...if one considers working on the topsides in the water and doing the job manually....Polyglow and Vertiglas are definitely easier in this instance. (As far as any drips getting in the water....well let's not go there. Let's say I am careful...which is true.

Edited by - on

Turk
Admiral

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USA
736 Posts

Response Posted - 12/09/2006 : 07:34:38

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bristle
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by wmeinert@kconline.com
 Next time you may want to try VERTGLASS.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Near as I can tell, Vertglass and Poli Glow are the same substance--a polymer finish similar to Mop n Glow (probably with some additional UV inhibiters). While I wouldn't endorse using either on decks--especially on nonskid--I doubt that either would make as slippery a surface as just about any brand of wax. (That's why Turk had his dirty experience...)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Your right. Polyglow is not slippery. In fact, it offers a kind of surface that would help deck shoes to actually grip. I did not polyglow any of the non-skid surfaces, only the smooth areas of the deck. If "Mop-N-Glow" is a similar product, you can see why the surface would not resemble wax and offer more of a "gripping" surface (you wouldn't want a slippery floor). I will be revisiting this over the winter. I wonder if waxing over the polyglow would get rid of the dirt clinging effect?

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