I would like input from anyone who has used New Glass or Poly Glow over several years. Specifically, recoating, removing, longevity, and prep.
New glass / Poly Glow
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You can find tons of info here by searching the archives. Many threads on the subject.
http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/forums/search.php?searchid=746098
http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/forums/search.php?searchid=746100
And the best method if you are willing to do the work.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=108679
http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/forums/search.php?searchid=746098
http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/forums/search.php?searchid=746100
And the best method if you are willing to do the work.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=108679
A friend of mine - a professional painter - put poli-glow on her boat and it looked great. I used it on mine and had the opposite results. First, it was a lot of work removing all the old wax. Second, I had to put on some four or five coats of Poli-Glow. I had a lot of trouble getting it on right - it tended to form little bubbles and also to run. Then, it started to peel after about six months.
It's very possible that I didn't do it right, because I know other people who had good success with it. But my point is that it's not as easy to use as you might think. (One detail is that being out here in the SF Bay area, I applied it while the boat was in the water. I don't know if this made any difference or not.)
It's very possible that I didn't do it right, because I know other people who had good success with it. But my point is that it's not as easy to use as you might think. (One detail is that being out here in the SF Bay area, I applied it while the boat was in the water. I don't know if this made any difference or not.)
My vote and before and after photos
Tim is right. This is a topic that has generated much discussion.
My new (to me) boat came with Poliglow on it. The previous owner has used it for years. In my opinion, if you are looking for a fast and easy solution to have a shiny hull that looks great from 10 feet away it is the way to go. The toughest step is the first one. To have it look nice you still need to clean and buff your hull otherwise you just end up with a shiny dirty hull. Then you use the supplied clean and apply five coats. Application is a breeze. It is literally like waxing your kitchen floor. I use an extension pole and the head supplied threads right onto it. By the time you finish your first coat it is usually dry enough to start your next coat. The next season you just use white scotch brite to clean off any marks on it when you wash the hull. You will likely be surprised and pleased in most cases to find that the marks are actually on the coating, not the boat itself. Then you do 2-3 coats. It takes me about an hour to do three coats on my 30 footer once it is cleaned and prepped. It still looks good, but after about 4 years of poliglow it is getting to the point where I should probably strip it and start from scratch, mostly because you can get streaks in the poliglow if you don't maintain a wet edge so it can self level a bit before it drys. Apparently the previous owner rushed things one year. Over 4 years the streaks seem to have accumulated and the tape stripes on the hull also need replacing badly. I plan on stripping the poliglow to replace the tape stripes to ensure I get good adhesion to the hull.
It was actually pretty funny last year. Three guys were busting their humps cleaning an waxing a forty forter next to me. It took them over eight hours. In six hours, to the astonishment of one of the three, I washed my deck, the hull, left and had lunch, came back two hours later with a beer I was offered while I was chatting with some others in the yard, applied my three coats of poliglow and left. When I left he was still walking around my boat admiring the shine.
I have posted two photos that are quite similar. One is from the previous owner in which it appears that there is no poliglow on the boat yet (sticker on hull says 05). Note that the stripes are all intact still too. The second is the summer of 2008, a few days after poliglow was applied. In particular, look at the reflection of the bollards against the middle of the hull. The third photo on stands gives you another look at the shine.
Regarding John's post, I don't think I would apply it while the boat is on the water, certainly not for the initial application. For annual maintenance application it is probably less problematic. The instructions say that if it rains while you are coating it you can get spots in the coating that will dry out, but no doubt having salt involved complicates matters.
Tim is right. This is a topic that has generated much discussion.
My new (to me) boat came with Poliglow on it. The previous owner has used it for years. In my opinion, if you are looking for a fast and easy solution to have a shiny hull that looks great from 10 feet away it is the way to go. The toughest step is the first one. To have it look nice you still need to clean and buff your hull otherwise you just end up with a shiny dirty hull. Then you use the supplied clean and apply five coats. Application is a breeze. It is literally like waxing your kitchen floor. I use an extension pole and the head supplied threads right onto it. By the time you finish your first coat it is usually dry enough to start your next coat. The next season you just use white scotch brite to clean off any marks on it when you wash the hull. You will likely be surprised and pleased in most cases to find that the marks are actually on the coating, not the boat itself. Then you do 2-3 coats. It takes me about an hour to do three coats on my 30 footer once it is cleaned and prepped. It still looks good, but after about 4 years of poliglow it is getting to the point where I should probably strip it and start from scratch, mostly because you can get streaks in the poliglow if you don't maintain a wet edge so it can self level a bit before it drys. Apparently the previous owner rushed things one year. Over 4 years the streaks seem to have accumulated and the tape stripes on the hull also need replacing badly. I plan on stripping the poliglow to replace the tape stripes to ensure I get good adhesion to the hull.
It was actually pretty funny last year. Three guys were busting their humps cleaning an waxing a forty forter next to me. It took them over eight hours. In six hours, to the astonishment of one of the three, I washed my deck, the hull, left and had lunch, came back two hours later with a beer I was offered while I was chatting with some others in the yard, applied my three coats of poliglow and left. When I left he was still walking around my boat admiring the shine.
I have posted two photos that are quite similar. One is from the previous owner in which it appears that there is no poliglow on the boat yet (sticker on hull says 05). Note that the stripes are all intact still too. The second is the summer of 2008, a few days after poliglow was applied. In particular, look at the reflection of the bollards against the middle of the hull. The third photo on stands gives you another look at the shine.
Regarding John's post, I don't think I would apply it while the boat is on the water, certainly not for the initial application. For annual maintenance application it is probably less problematic. The instructions say that if it rains while you are coating it you can get spots in the coating that will dry out, but no doubt having salt involved complicates matters.
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I used a product called Vertglas and was pleased with the result from the first application. After the first year I didn't keep on top of it as I should have, and would clean and apply a couple of coats after the coating had worn thin. After a couple years of this the hull was looking bad with yellow and white spots. Last month I spent a day and removed the vertglas, used mary kate hull cleaner(an acid) to get rid of the yellow spots, and buffed the hull. I was going to reapply the vertglas, but after doing some research, the Poliglow seems to hold up better according to the Practical sailor tests. It looks easier to apply and remove also. These type of coatings do make a boat shine, especially darker colors.
Your best bet is to buff out the hull with top quality products and apply a quality wax. Most users have complained about removal of the product. If you do not get the hull clean before you start you will have problems down the road.
Exactly
Life is so difficult when you live in a year-round sailing area!
I think that was part of the problem. My friend who used it did it while the boat was on the hard. It's harder to have complete control over the applicator when it's in the water and also difficult to keep the applicator out of the water, meaning that salt water gets mixed in with the poli-glow.
Life is so difficult when you live in a year-round sailing area!
I knew the pro waxers would come out sooner or later!
My topsides easily look better before I start my maintenance coats in the spring than than 95% of the boats I see.
You may be part of the 5% who's topsides look better...more power to you!
I just can't justify the extra work. I am very happy with a shine that is only better than nearly every boat I see for only a half days work running a mop head over my boat thee times.
I may feel different after the first time I strip it and redo it, but for now I say Poliglow rules!
My topsides easily look better before I start my maintenance coats in the spring than than 95% of the boats I see.You may be part of the 5% who's topsides look better...more power to you!
I just can't justify the extra work. I am very happy with a shine that is only better than nearly every boat I see for only a half days work running a mop head over my boat thee times.
Rub it in!
C'mon...it has snowed three times already (no accumulation) and I am still sailing this weekend...but the boat comes out MondayI think that was part of the problem. My friend who used it did it while the boat was on the hard. It's harder to have complete control over the applicator when it's in the water and also difficult to keep the applicator out of the water, meaning that salt water gets mixed in with the poli-glow.
Life is so difficult when you live in a year-round sailing area!
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