With two bad hips and a bad back I'm not about to do the compound, polish, wax routine so I did the hull with PolyGlow and I'm happy with it. But what about the deck and topside on my '72 O'Day? Of course it has heavy oxidation and looks old & dull. The cleaner/waxes are pretty worthless. PolyGlow isn't an option, right? What's my best option? I'm at a dock with electric and running water and don't mind working slowly to get a good result but with all the angles and close quarters a buffing machine isn't workable. Thanks for any recommendations.
Topside shine
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I recommend PoliGlow for ANY surface that you do not walk on that you want to shine (you wouldn't want to wax a walking surface either.) Use PoliGlow on the bulkheads and a specially formulated cleaner for the non-skids.
Prep?
Okay, do I deal with the oxidation first by sanding and polishing or just clean, PolyGlow Prep and PlyGlow finish?
Okay, do I deal with the oxidation first by sanding and polishing or just clean, PolyGlow Prep and PlyGlow finish?
With the breaks in surface from HW and the odd angles I do not think you will be able to get Polyglo to work very well. Polyglo does have some issue when in direct sunlight. You may get yellowing or peeling and removing it will be difficult.
You would be surprised how well you can get into tight spaces with a Makita buffer. Take it slow, do one section at a time and before you know it you cabin top will be shiny again.
And before you get flamed on your terminology, the gelcoat portion of your hull above the waterline is called the topsides. Above the rail is deck and cabin top.
You would be surprised how well you can get into tight spaces with a Makita buffer. Take it slow, do one section at a time and before you know it you cabin top will be shiny again.
And before you get flamed on your terminology, the gelcoat portion of your hull above the waterline is called the topsides. Above the rail is deck and cabin top.
Get that back and those hips fixed! You are too young to spend the rest of your life half crippled.
Several years ago Practical Sailor did a study on different types of waxes--paste wax, different brands of liquid stuff; I don't know if they did Polyglow at the same time. But I remember reading about how good the paste waxes were and how long they lasted. But Practical Sailor did say it was work putting that stuff on. Although I am an old sod, I do have working parts but working at my age is not as delightful as it use to be, electric buffer or not.
And Practical Sailor at the time said that the liquid cleaner wax from West Marine was almost as good as the paste wax. Almost was good enough for me and I tried it out. It was a cleaner/wax and it went on easy and wiped off easy. I liked the easy part. Then I followed up with a polish that was suppose to protect your shine. It was even easier to put on and wipe off.
Well, it lasted for a whole year and a couple of friends asked me what I was using. One switched. I have a West marine electric buffer but I've never used it.
I thought I just throw this into the spin. I've got a new boat but I'm going back to my cleaner/wax system. It's easy on the arms.
And Practical Sailor at the time said that the liquid cleaner wax from West Marine was almost as good as the paste wax. Almost was good enough for me and I tried it out. It was a cleaner/wax and it went on easy and wiped off easy. I liked the easy part. Then I followed up with a polish that was suppose to protect your shine. It was even easier to put on and wipe off.
Well, it lasted for a whole year and a couple of friends asked me what I was using. One switched. I have a West marine electric buffer but I've never used it.
I thought I just throw this into the spin. I've got a new boat but I'm going back to my cleaner/wax system. It's easy on the arms.
I used New Glass on my boat last year. After a full season and a winter on the hard, my hull still shines like a mirror. I also put it on the topsides but not on the non skid. I admid it makes the surface a bit slipery to walk on. My boat is on a lake so not really a problem. I hahe found that the New Glass product on the topside does not stand up well in places that are touched many times (spots around the compainway) . Overall though it is a great product and for the hull is the next best thing to a new paint job.
Yes, there is prep work
The Most Important Step
Do not use rubbing or polishing compound(s) to clean the boat. Poli Prep is a concentrate cleaner (wear rubber gloves). Do not use full strength. Dilute three parts water to one part Poli Prep. Wet surface with water. Apply Poli Prep with trigger sprayer and scrub vigorously. Oxidation and stains must be removed (Poli Glow will seal in any stains on the surface, i.e. shiny rust stains) All colors have to be uniform with no light variations. Colored areas sometimes get a sunburned film or bleached layer over them. This needs to be removed. The surface does not need to be shiny for the application of Poli Glow, just clean and uniform in color. Let dry for one hour before applying Poli Glow.
The first year you must do 5 coats, but it is easier than it sounds as by the time I finish both sides I can start all over again on the first side. It goes very quickly.
http://www.poliglow-int.com/
The starter kit ($65) comes with Poli Prep, scrub pad, Poli Glow plus an applicator that you can mount on a roller extension. They also sell Poly Ox for removing heavy oxidation. I haven't used Poli Prep or Poli Ox ($8) as my boat came with Poli Glow on it and I haven't stripped it or redone the Poli Glow yet. There are also strippers for doing that. In my opinion the starter kit price is very reasonable for what you are getting. A replacement bottle of Poli Glow alone is $45 and that is 2-3 seasons worth for a 30 footer.
The Most Important Step
Do not use rubbing or polishing compound(s) to clean the boat. Poli Prep is a concentrate cleaner (wear rubber gloves). Do not use full strength. Dilute three parts water to one part Poli Prep. Wet surface with water. Apply Poli Prep with trigger sprayer and scrub vigorously. Oxidation and stains must be removed (Poli Glow will seal in any stains on the surface, i.e. shiny rust stains) All colors have to be uniform with no light variations. Colored areas sometimes get a sunburned film or bleached layer over them. This needs to be removed. The surface does not need to be shiny for the application of Poli Glow, just clean and uniform in color. Let dry for one hour before applying Poli Glow.
The first year you must do 5 coats, but it is easier than it sounds as by the time I finish both sides I can start all over again on the first side. It goes very quickly.
http://www.poliglow-int.com/
So, you've found that everyone has their own favorite shiner stuff! I broke my leg skiing last year and understand your limited mobility. The hull is one thing. The cabin sides and cockpit are quite another.
I avoid calling anything on the boat "work" (except my mainsail cover, 'cuz it IS!) and so deal with it like eating an elephant: one small bite at a time. Instead of "dedicating" a weekend to "cleaning the damned cockpit", I go sailing and either before I leave, while I'm motoring out or coming back, at anchor, or when i get back, I do a small portion. One day the backrests of the cabin top, the next the vertical sides of the seats, etc. After a few weeks or months, most of it gets done and I don't feel I've missed anything - cleaning OR sailing! I found recently I can sit on the cabintop and do the fiberglass near and around the portlights by leaning down between my legs - of course, everything's upside down, but the wax doesn't know that...
I avoid calling anything on the boat "work" (except my mainsail cover, 'cuz it IS!) and so deal with it like eating an elephant: one small bite at a time. Instead of "dedicating" a weekend to "cleaning the damned cockpit", I go sailing and either before I leave, while I'm motoring out or coming back, at anchor, or when i get back, I do a small portion. One day the backrests of the cabin top, the next the vertical sides of the seats, etc. After a few weeks or months, most of it gets done and I don't feel I've missed anything - cleaning OR sailing! I found recently I can sit on the cabintop and do the fiberglass near and around the portlights by leaning down between my legs - of course, everything's upside down, but the wax doesn't know that...
Oh no Stu, you cannot apply the wax upside down or the water will bead upside down. This will make your boat look upside down. Unless, of course, you sail below the equator:dance:
Hi Comfortzone:
Everyone has weighed in on your subject except Main Sail and I did catch his lastest thread which was outstanding. However, I am not really happy with my topside where non skid surfaces are concerned. "Main suggested he uses only "Woodywax", but I would like to hear specifically other suggestions or even comments from Main Sail about these non skid surfaces and how one can bring up the shine.
Alanwir
Everyone has weighed in on your subject except Main Sail and I did catch his lastest thread which was outstanding. However, I am not really happy with my topside where non skid surfaces are concerned. "Main suggested he uses only "Woodywax", but I would like to hear specifically other suggestions or even comments from Main Sail about these non skid surfaces and how one can bring up the shine.
Alanwir
why would anybody want to wax non-skid? I have used Poly Glow for many years and find it works great, except for any deck or cockpit areas. It seems to be easily scuffed if you walk on it. I use a fiberglass cleaner and paste wax on the deck and cockpit areas that are not non-skid.
You want to wax the non-skid to protect it from dirt and oxidation. Woody Wax is specifically designed for this purpose.
I have been using New Glass on the hull of my '77 C30 for over 10 years and I love it! My boat looks as good in the fall as it did in the spring. I tried it once on the decks and didn't like it. I also tried Woody Wax and did not like it either. Very expensive, only lasts about 6 weeks at best. I'm trying a product call "Sure Step" this season. reasonably priced, suppose to last all season and is made specificaly for decks and non-skid. I just bought some and will report back after I give it a shot.
To me wax means slick
Being older and at least hopefully wiser, I don't want anything on the deck that is even remotely slick. The connotation in my mind is wax = slick. So, I just try to wash regularly with soap, and a little bleach. Basically my rule is to not go up on deck whenever it is possible, but when necessary, I so not want to have to worry about footing.
Being older and at least hopefully wiser, I don't want anything on the deck that is even remotely slick. The connotation in my mind is wax = slick. So, I just try to wash regularly with soap, and a little bleach. Basically my rule is to not go up on deck whenever it is possible, but when necessary, I so not want to have to worry about footing.
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