I purchased a used sailboat last winter. This weekend while sitting at the mooring I decided to try the Island Girl system I purchased back when I bought the boat on a few places on the topsides. After I started I realized that one of the previous owners had coated the gelcoat with some kind of clear coat crap that has caused the streaky appearing gelcoat to begin with. Qestion is - does anyone have any idea what this clear coat stuff is and if so - is there anything out there that will srip it off without wasting a lot of time trying to wet sand this junk off?
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Clear C$%P
There is a good chance that the PO used something like Nu Glass (or some other brand of a similar product) which is an acrylic sealer. It has to be renewed every year or so and, on horizontal surfaces, will yellow and streak in short order. Go to Home Depot or any other DIY place and get some acrylic floor stripper (yes, this stuff is used on lots of kitchen floors). Apply full strength with a spray bottle, let sit a few minutes, and hose off with lots of water. You may have to scrub with something like a nylon kitchen pot scrubber. But first try it on a small area which is sort of out of sight. If it works, as I suspect it will, it may take several applications to got back to unadulterated gelcoat. Follow up with what ever you started to use to treat the gelcoat.
There is a good chance that the PO used something like Nu Glass (or some other brand of a similar product) which is an acrylic sealer. It has to be renewed every year or so and, on horizontal surfaces, will yellow and streak in short order. Go to Home Depot or any other DIY place and get some acrylic floor stripper (yes, this stuff is used on lots of kitchen floors). Apply full strength with a spray bottle, let sit a few minutes, and hose off with lots of water. You may have to scrub with something like a nylon kitchen pot scrubber. But first try it on a small area which is sort of out of sight. If it works, as I suspect it will, it may take several applications to got back to unadulterated gelcoat. Follow up with what ever you started to use to treat the gelcoat.
Vertglas
Sounds like it could be a product called "Vertglas." YOu can buy the stripper from the manufacturer for about $14. See link. But I'd contact the PO first and see if you can find out just what he put on the boat.
Sounds like it could be a product called "Vertglas." YOu can buy the stripper from the manufacturer for about $14. See link. But I'd contact the PO first and see if you can find out just what he put on the boat.
Poly Glow
I could also be Poly Glow. It is a non-petro based acrylic sealer. You can buy the stripper from the manufacturer. I use poly glow and it has never yellowed. In fact I swear by the stuff. It has made my boat look like new.
I could also be Poly Glow. It is a non-petro based acrylic sealer. You can buy the stripper from the manufacturer. I use poly glow and it has never yellowed. In fact I swear by the stuff. It has made my boat look like new.
Acrylic Coating
Make tired old gelocat look new and will out preform any wax on the market. Vertglas will yellow in 2-3 years. Poliglow is much better. I habe limited experience with Nuglass. Removing any of these products ain't fun but they are look much better than any wax product on tired old gelcoat. Don't use this stuff on a newer vessel. On more than one application I used wet sandpaper to remove it (with acrylic strippers) but I always put it back one ( especially when it was time to sell)
Make tired old gelocat look new and will out preform any wax on the market. Vertglas will yellow in 2-3 years. Poliglow is much better. I habe limited experience with Nuglass. Removing any of these products ain't fun but they are look much better than any wax product on tired old gelcoat. Don't use this stuff on a newer vessel. On more than one application I used wet sandpaper to remove it (with acrylic strippers) but I always put it back one ( especially when it was time to sell)
Start with Ammonia
Ken: Start with ammonia. This is one of the basic ingredients in floor strippers. It is cheap. If it does not work, then you can escalate to the more expensive CRAP.
Ken: Start with ammonia. This is one of the basic ingredients in floor strippers. It is cheap. If it does not work, then you can escalate to the more expensive CRAP.
Thanks for the responses!
Thanks to all for the responses. The more I think about it - it does look like the stuff I used to use on one of my old kitchen floors..
Thanks to all for the responses. The more I think about it - it does look like the stuff I used to use on one of my old kitchen floors..
All about water-based acrylic coatings!!
I have had several telephone queries on this and followed up with allo of them. Removing water-based acrylic coatings: These coatings are related to the non-wax floor coatings pioneered by Johnson Wax. The most cost effective way that I recommend is to purchase stripper (no jokes please!) from a janitorial supply house or good hardware store. It does contain ammonia but also some solvents. It works great and (according to what I hear) better than the kit-based stripper or ammonia and is MUCH cheaper. On older dark- colored gelcoat, it is important to periodically remove the older coating from deep down in the pores (this is how the coating gets its adhesion, unlike IG coatings that can be applied to any age of surface). This is because, "nothing lasts forever" and the material in the pores it will eventually go grey (yellow in some cases- see below). Much scuffing and even deep wet sanding may be required with weaker stripping agents. You need to periodically remove these acrylic coatings in this way, even if you want to stay with this approach. Peeling/Cracking: ALL the acrylic coatings will give good results in older porous gelcoat but WILL peel/flake on surfaces less than 3 years old, on painted surfaces, metal and any other surface with no physical "key" (don't wet sand that new boat!). Also, as with any paint job, thorough dewaxng is essential. Yellowing: With regards to yellowing, all of those coatings, including poliglow, originally had this problem but mainly the days before the "internets". This problem was only alluded to in a "to be followed up" fashion by Pract Sailor but (to my knowledge) never was. Probably if you use Sea Glow to preclean and deoxidize the surface this won't happen. The owner of Poliglow is a friend of mine and I made this suggestion to him at a Miami boat show about ten years ago and gave him a sample of our sea glow. He had previously experiemented with an optical brightener called "tinopal" but this this is only for paper and related absorbent materials. Sea glow uses a different one that cannot be in the poliglow coating (the water base would make it come our of solution) but it might be in the their cleaner or they might also have optimized the anti-oxidant mix in the coatings. I know I always query people who have used poliglow recently and I can confirm that they seem to have greatly reduced or eliminated the previous yellowing problems. Problems reported with Vertglass on this board might also be citing older experiences just like we still get complainers from 5-7 years ago resurfacing and whose complaints were the basis of many of our own improvements. Similar complaints were once cited for TSRW coatings (via Svendsens Marine) but I have never heard similar complaints about New Glass II. The original New Glass and Starbright's acrylic coating) had a poor rep due to problems with cracking/peeling (via old West Marine contacts), but this is almost certainly due to inappropriate use on newer non-porous and/or waxed gelcoat mentioned above. For those who want to try making or modifying you own coatings "Mop and Glow is VERY cheap_ you can get anti-oxidants etc from Ciba. It's the marketing that is the (cripplingly) expensive part! Call me anytime 1-800-441 4425) if you want advice on any cosmetic aspect of boat care. I promise I won't try to sell you anything! In over 12 years I have "been there done that" or know people who have that has not made it into print. As I posted before, Practical Sailor now refuse to test (so Mr Nouse told me) IG or any other cleaners or coatings and even lost the samples and DVDs I sent them. In response to how he would clean 5200 from upholstery, Mr Nouse even stated that "Fantastic" was as good or better than any marine cleaner (sorry about "CU" Peggy!) and that "nothing is better than paste wax that he has always used on his own boat". Therefore, we have have several comparative tests being done here in HI and by a old established detailing company called "Southern Waters" in Australia where they have a huge UV problems. Sincerely Jim W Pres IGP
I have had several telephone queries on this and followed up with allo of them. Removing water-based acrylic coatings: These coatings are related to the non-wax floor coatings pioneered by Johnson Wax. The most cost effective way that I recommend is to purchase stripper (no jokes please!) from a janitorial supply house or good hardware store. It does contain ammonia but also some solvents. It works great and (according to what I hear) better than the kit-based stripper or ammonia and is MUCH cheaper. On older dark- colored gelcoat, it is important to periodically remove the older coating from deep down in the pores (this is how the coating gets its adhesion, unlike IG coatings that can be applied to any age of surface). This is because, "nothing lasts forever" and the material in the pores it will eventually go grey (yellow in some cases- see below). Much scuffing and even deep wet sanding may be required with weaker stripping agents. You need to periodically remove these acrylic coatings in this way, even if you want to stay with this approach. Peeling/Cracking: ALL the acrylic coatings will give good results in older porous gelcoat but WILL peel/flake on surfaces less than 3 years old, on painted surfaces, metal and any other surface with no physical "key" (don't wet sand that new boat!). Also, as with any paint job, thorough dewaxng is essential. Yellowing: With regards to yellowing, all of those coatings, including poliglow, originally had this problem but mainly the days before the "internets". This problem was only alluded to in a "to be followed up" fashion by Pract Sailor but (to my knowledge) never was. Probably if you use Sea Glow to preclean and deoxidize the surface this won't happen. The owner of Poliglow is a friend of mine and I made this suggestion to him at a Miami boat show about ten years ago and gave him a sample of our sea glow. He had previously experiemented with an optical brightener called "tinopal" but this this is only for paper and related absorbent materials. Sea glow uses a different one that cannot be in the poliglow coating (the water base would make it come our of solution) but it might be in the their cleaner or they might also have optimized the anti-oxidant mix in the coatings. I know I always query people who have used poliglow recently and I can confirm that they seem to have greatly reduced or eliminated the previous yellowing problems. Problems reported with Vertglass on this board might also be citing older experiences just like we still get complainers from 5-7 years ago resurfacing and whose complaints were the basis of many of our own improvements. Similar complaints were once cited for TSRW coatings (via Svendsens Marine) but I have never heard similar complaints about New Glass II. The original New Glass and Starbright's acrylic coating) had a poor rep due to problems with cracking/peeling (via old West Marine contacts), but this is almost certainly due to inappropriate use on newer non-porous and/or waxed gelcoat mentioned above. For those who want to try making or modifying you own coatings "Mop and Glow is VERY cheap_ you can get anti-oxidants etc from Ciba. It's the marketing that is the (cripplingly) expensive part! Call me anytime 1-800-441 4425) if you want advice on any cosmetic aspect of boat care. I promise I won't try to sell you anything! In over 12 years I have "been there done that" or know people who have that has not made it into print. As I posted before, Practical Sailor now refuse to test (so Mr Nouse told me) IG or any other cleaners or coatings and even lost the samples and DVDs I sent them. In response to how he would clean 5200 from upholstery, Mr Nouse even stated that "Fantastic" was as good or better than any marine cleaner (sorry about "CU" Peggy!) and that "nothing is better than paste wax that he has always used on his own boat". Therefore, we have have several comparative tests being done here in HI and by a old established detailing company called "Southern Waters" in Australia where they have a huge UV problems. Sincerely Jim W Pres IGP
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