Being the owner of a 21 year old boat, I was reading with particular interest in the recent posts on Poly Glow and IG products and I ordered a Poly Glow kit. One of my dockmates had some left over IG products that he let me have. When I received the PG kit, I did test strips on the deck using both products. Over all, I liked the results of the PG better than the IG, so I did the entire deck with the exception of the non skid areas in Poly Glow. The preparation took more time than the application and the first couple of coats were depressing as the old gel coat really soaked it up. After a total of 5 coats, the deck area looks brand new, then of course I had to do the top side as well. Application is easy. The Poli Prep does remove all previous wax and other preparations to include acrlyic with little effort right down to the gel coat. My overall satisfaction will be determined as to how long the finish lasts.
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Let us know
Please let us know what your results are. I have used IG for the first time this year and it looks great. But like you time will tell. Keith
Please let us know what your results are. I have used IG for the first time this year and it looks great. But like you time will tell. Keith
Lettering
Do you have vinyl lettering? If so, did you work around the letters or wipe right over them? Was there any effect of using PG on the letters? Thanks for sharing your experience.
Do you have vinyl lettering? If so, did you work around the letters or wipe right over them? Was there any effect of using PG on the letters? Thanks for sharing your experience.
Mike
Yes I do have vinyl lettering and there was no effect by the Poly Prep and the Poly Glow went right over it and looks pretty good. Of course, I just made the application last week and only time will tell if it lasts.
Yes I do have vinyl lettering and there was no effect by the Poly Prep and the Poly Glow went right over it and looks pretty good. Of course, I just made the application last week and only time will tell if it lasts.
Just Applied Poli-Glow to the Hull
Funny you should ask about Poli-Glow. I am re-finishing my boat after 4 years on the initial PoliGlow treatment. The hull shined right up with just 1 coat, but I will probably put a second coat on for good measure. The deck should have been done after two years, rather than 4 years. Anyway, you should get some good life out of the Poliglow (I got 4 years). I would recommend taking the IG and sticking it in the trash. Regards, Ted
Funny you should ask about Poli-Glow. I am re-finishing my boat after 4 years on the initial PoliGlow treatment. The hull shined right up with just 1 coat, but I will probably put a second coat on for good measure. The deck should have been done after two years, rather than 4 years. Anyway, you should get some good life out of the Poliglow (I got 4 years). I would recommend taking the IG and sticking it in the trash. Regards, Ted
Dolphinite results
We tried the Dolphinite Heavy Duty Fiberglass cleaner on our transom. I'm still amazed at how incredibly clean the fiberglass became in a few seconds. All that diesal smoke residue - gone. The transom has never looked better. And this boat is 19 years old. Best cleaner/wax product I've ever found for our sailboat.
We tried the Dolphinite Heavy Duty Fiberglass cleaner on our transom. I'm still amazed at how incredibly clean the fiberglass became in a few seconds. All that diesal smoke residue - gone. The transom has never looked better. And this boat is 19 years old. Best cleaner/wax product I've ever found for our sailboat.
IG Much Better
I used IG for several years & tried PG -- It SUCKED -- I had to remove it & apply IG - It dried as I was applying it & it's poly-prep did not remove oxidation like the IG did -- bottom line-- I wasted a week applying & removing PG & then doing IG -- I would tell anyone to use IG -- much better & if you;re not pleased, much easier to change.
I used IG for several years & tried PG -- It SUCKED -- I had to remove it & apply IG - It dried as I was applying it & it's poly-prep did not remove oxidation like the IG did -- bottom line-- I wasted a week applying & removing PG & then doing IG -- I would tell anyone to use IG -- much better & if you;re not pleased, much easier to change.
Well, now you started it...
IG vs PG....now you've started it. I haven't tried PG, but I think IG was the biggest waste of money I've yet to spend on my boat. 3M worked far better and cost about $80 less. Peter
IG vs PG....now you've started it. I haven't tried PG, but I think IG was the biggest waste of money I've yet to spend on my boat. 3M worked far better and cost about $80 less. Peter
O'Boy, everybody has a story
You will hear from both sides of the fence on this one. The grass is always greener on the other side. I personally like Poly Glow. I used it on my 1981 H33, and now on my new 1990 H33.5. The Poly Prep worked great, and applying the 5 initial coats of Poly Glow wasn't too difficult. The hardest part is trying to see where you have been after the second or third coat. It always looks wet! If I had a new boat less than a few years old, I think I would stick with a good paste wax or try IG.
You will hear from both sides of the fence on this one. The grass is always greener on the other side. I personally like Poly Glow. I used it on my 1981 H33, and now on my new 1990 H33.5. The Poly Prep worked great, and applying the 5 initial coats of Poly Glow wasn't too difficult. The hardest part is trying to see where you have been after the second or third coat. It always looks wet! If I had a new boat less than a few years old, I think I would stick with a good paste wax or try IG.
My Experience
I have used IG for two years on a 27 yr. old. I am not over sold on the way the hull has come out and to Mike, the lettering curled up on one side of the hull when I applied the conditioner. On the deck I have been testing 3M on one side and IG on the other. The 3M fiberglass restorer does not work nearly as well as the IG conditioner. I think the Silkenseal is fantastic on the deck excluding the non-skid areas. I have conditioned both sides of the cockpit and IG'd one side and waxed the other. I will see this year which stands up best in an open cockpit. Jeff
I have used IG for two years on a 27 yr. old. I am not over sold on the way the hull has come out and to Mike, the lettering curled up on one side of the hull when I applied the conditioner. On the deck I have been testing 3M on one side and IG on the other. The 3M fiberglass restorer does not work nearly as well as the IG conditioner. I think the Silkenseal is fantastic on the deck excluding the non-skid areas. I have conditioned both sides of the cockpit and IG'd one side and waxed the other. I will see this year which stands up best in an open cockpit. Jeff
What I can't figure out.....
...is 'how can so many people use these 2 products and get opposite results??' Some say that one is great and the other garbage, while others say just the reverse. Why?? How can this be? Something is illogical!!
...is 'how can so many people use these 2 products and get opposite results??' Some say that one is great and the other garbage, while others say just the reverse. Why?? How can this be? Something is illogical!!
Nail on the Head
Ken, I believe that you just hit the nail on the head with your evaluation concerning a newer boat. I'm just guessing here, but there are adamant pro's and con's for both IG and PG from different people. I believe that probably the overall condition and age of the gel coat is directly related to the results of the application of either product and the results that will be attained. That is why I did test strips before making an application over the entire boat. Given the condition of my boat, the PG worked best for me as to attaining the results that I was looking for. My post wasn't a condemnation of IG, nor praise for PG, it was just an unbiased reporting of the results that I achieved. I don't own stock in either company, nor am I trying to sell either. To each his own, that is why there are so many products to choose from, one product doesn't suit everyone.
Ken, I believe that you just hit the nail on the head with your evaluation concerning a newer boat. I'm just guessing here, but there are adamant pro's and con's for both IG and PG from different people. I believe that probably the overall condition and age of the gel coat is directly related to the results of the application of either product and the results that will be attained. That is why I did test strips before making an application over the entire boat. Given the condition of my boat, the PG worked best for me as to attaining the results that I was looking for. My post wasn't a condemnation of IG, nor praise for PG, it was just an unbiased reporting of the results that I achieved. I don't own stock in either company, nor am I trying to sell either. To each his own, that is why there are so many products to choose from, one product doesn't suit everyone.
Before photo
I used PG on both my Pearson 28 and my Glastron. I did not get any photos of the Pearson before but as you can see the fiberglass on my Glastron is very faded and chalky. This was done with IG last season. It did not look much better then that last season after the inital IG application. I must admit though that the PG did not start to look good until the 3rd and 4th coat. I had my doubts up to that point See next message for after photo. Tim R.
I used PG on both my Pearson 28 and my Glastron. I did not get any photos of the Pearson before but as you can see the fiberglass on my Glastron is very faded and chalky. This was done with IG last season. It did not look much better then that last season after the inital IG application. I must admit though that the PG did not start to look good until the 3rd and 4th coat. I had my doubts up to that point See next message for after photo. Tim R.
Used PG yesterday
My son and I used Poli-Prep and PG on my 1996 Oceanis 281 yesterday. The Poli-Prep was easy to use and only required some elbow grease along the waterline. Worked great. The PG was much harder to apply than I had expexted. It was dificult to keep track of the number of coats and the applicator was "draggy" requiring some effort (I expected it to go on like water). I'm not exactly sure how many coats I actually put on and there are probably places that have more or less than some other places but the bottom line is that the hull looks great. We did the entire job in one long day.
My son and I used Poli-Prep and PG on my 1996 Oceanis 281 yesterday. The Poli-Prep was easy to use and only required some elbow grease along the waterline. Worked great. The PG was much harder to apply than I had expexted. It was dificult to keep track of the number of coats and the applicator was "draggy" requiring some effort (I expected it to go on like water). I'm not exactly sure how many coats I actually put on and there are probably places that have more or less than some other places but the bottom line is that the hull looks great. We did the entire job in one long day.
Ilandgirl
I tryed IG and It was a hard job I used it two seasons and It looked ok when there wasent BUGGGS STUCK all over it .I think dirt and disel just stuck right to it .Nasty stuff to work with and if it rained You where done for. Im in the north east and the wax dosent dry right when its cool and its cool untill July 4 weekend around here.I will say that the cleaner and the fiber glass restorer and sealer dose work good .My top sides where done with IG two years in a row and my deck was just waxed this weekend I used WM coler restorer to remove the IG then used WM wax and the parts that where restored with IG and then sealed over looked much better. John Olson
I tryed IG and It was a hard job I used it two seasons and It looked ok when there wasent BUGGGS STUCK all over it .I think dirt and disel just stuck right to it .Nasty stuff to work with and if it rained You where done for. Im in the north east and the wax dosent dry right when its cool and its cool untill July 4 weekend around here.I will say that the cleaner and the fiber glass restorer and sealer dose work good .My top sides where done with IG two years in a row and my deck was just waxed this weekend I used WM coler restorer to remove the IG then used WM wax and the parts that where restored with IG and then sealed over looked much better. John Olson
I just used PG, Holy Cow!!
Just put the PG on today. The PolyPrep worked great(as Tony says). Took a few minutes to get proficient at the PG application. Yes the applicator will drag IF you don't keep it wet enough. The stuff dries fast so you really need to keep the pad wet. After that it was a piece of cake. Used a couple of blue tapes to move along the hull to mark the location where I was working. Amazing how it brought the dull boot stripe back to life. Now my 11 year old boat looks like it just popped out of the mold. The other skippers in the yard were VERY surprised at the result. They all want to know where to get this stuff......wish I had an exclusive here.
Just put the PG on today. The PolyPrep worked great(as Tony says). Took a few minutes to get proficient at the PG application. Yes the applicator will drag IF you don't keep it wet enough. The stuff dries fast so you really need to keep the pad wet. After that it was a piece of cake. Used a couple of blue tapes to move along the hull to mark the location where I was working. Amazing how it brought the dull boot stripe back to life. Now my 11 year old boat looks like it just popped out of the mold. The other skippers in the yard were VERY surprised at the result. They all want to know where to get this stuff......wish I had an exclusive here.
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