Poliglow Coating a Hull while the boat remains in the water?

Status
Not open for further replies.
May 5, 2008
53
Oday 25 Washington DC
I just tried Poliglow and here is my story, seeking felllow sailor advice... I have a 1975 O'Day 25 badly oxidized. The boat is in the water but I am planning to haul it to do some work including poliglow coating the hull. Following advice of the Poliglow manufacturer I took on the top sides of the boat first while it is in the water. I avoided the non-skid surfaces which made this a very detail oriented task - painful. I did the poliprep then 5 - 6 coats or more of the poliglow. The results are a shinny finish but in a yelllow-ish tint. It was a lot of work Even just wiping on many coats of the glow was time consuming. In the future I wont have to do the prep but will have to keep coating the glow stuff on every year. When I pull the boat if I continue wth the plan to coat the hull my concern is how I will re-coat it next year. I am applying 2-year hull paint to save myself the expense of hauling the boat again next year. Can I scrub the hull clean wth boat soap and apply the poliglow while the boat is in the water? It looks possible but difficult. I wonder how long a good cost of paint lasts on the hull (not bottom paint but spray on high-gloss finish paint) vs the Poliglow route for the hull? Your feedback would be appreciated.
 

jimq26

.
Jun 5, 2004
860
- - -
Your topsides had non-skid? Wow - that's a first!

(it's ok Randee - we like to tease the newbies) All I can say is - follow the PoliGlow instructions exactly, and you will have success.
 

Manny

.
Oct 5, 2006
983
Hunter 82? 37 Cutter Wherever the wind takes me
Go for it

You can do it in the water. The second year is easy with Poli-Glow. You only need to clean up the hull (soft scrub works well on Poli- Glow) and put on two maintenance coats. Poli-Glow keeps the boat pretty clean and it is long lasting. It's surprising how good the boat looks even after 6 months. The applicator sponge thing they give you screws on to a regular wooden handle, so you can do it from the dock. Manny
 

John

.
Jun 3, 2006
803
Catalina 36mkII Alameda CA
chalky patches

I put poly glow on the topsides of my boat about six months ago. It came out looking pretty nice, but I've noticed it has started to develop some dull, chalky patches.
 
Dec 3, 2003
2,101
Hunter Legend 37 Portsmouth, RI
Hint: When you Poliglow it in the water...

...attach your main halyard to a cleat on the dock across from your slip. Then haul on it to canter the boat side upward to spread it a little easier at the waterline. Then turn the boat around and repeat the procesd on the other side (after it dries, of course).
 
C

Chief

Island Girl , all the way

I know this argument will go on until one company goes out of business, however here is my two cents. My first boat was a 1979 O'Day 23, white with a blue boot. The previous owner(s) did not maintain her very well. I had a long drawn out process to finally get her in the water so I had plenty of time to work on her. I tried conventional compound and wax, but was not happy with the results. I then ran into an ad for Island Girl and invested the $120.00 in the full kit. I will not lie it was a lot of work, but the results were fantastic. The boat looked new, and when I sold it two years latter I recovered all of my investment, plus a nice profit as well. Like a used car condition sells, and the boat looked like it just came out of the factory. I have told this story on this site before, but there was a similar boat in the yard and that owner elected to have them use compound and wax. He would stand in front of my boat and stare, even he could not believe the difference. I then purchased a 89 Cat 30 with a badly oxidized blue hull and had lousy results with both Poliglow and Island Girl. In fact I just gave the yard permission to compound and wax. Partly, because I have a broken toe, but the small advantage gained by using Island Girl is just not worth the effort. I am going to have to invest in a paint job, but not in the near future. I had the yard do a test on a small area and it looks OK, however he warned do not expect it to last very long as the hull is so oxidized. That was the difference with the Island Girl on the white hull. Even though the hull was chaulky, the Island Girl brought it back to "like new" and it lasted over two years. With the blue hull, nothing seems to work. I even tried wet sanding a small area, but still the results were not good.
 
Jun 4, 2004
273
Oday 25 Alameda
two birds, one stone

If you want your boat to look shiney, beat upwind into some chop.
 
Jun 1, 2005
772
Pearson 303 Robinhood, ME
Chief

Give Presta Ultra Cutting Creme followed by Presta Chroma 15000 with Presta compound wheels a try. Only problem is... it might set you back $140 for the supplies... (and that is without a buffer). I have a 1987 blue Hobie Cat that is pretty weathered. I will tackle that sometime this summer, take a before and after photo to share.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.