Does anyone have a good product for restoring fiberglass? Has anyone used the 'Vertglas gel coat restoration system'? Thanks, Nathan Clark Brothers' Dream 1986 H34
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Craig Davis
POLI-GLOW
I used poli-glow and was happy with the result. cleaning the sides before application was a lot of work but it put a shine on that no wax could have.
I used poli-glow and was happy with the result. cleaning the sides before application was a lot of work but it put a shine on that no wax could have.
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Paul Akers
MaGuires
For light oxidation I used MaGuire's 44. Multiple appls if necessary. Then a finish coat of your favorite wax.
For light oxidation I used MaGuire's 44. Multiple appls if necessary. Then a finish coat of your favorite wax.
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Barry
I used Vertglas on my '83 h34
I put Vertglas on my h34 two years ago and am pleased with it. It looks far better than any wax and compound I previously tried. I watched the workers in the yard put it on another h34 the previous year and it looked great after the season was over. (5 months later on Lake Champlain) They did preparation with 600 grit wet sandpaper rather than the compound supplied in the kit. Worked good and appeared easier to do. Some folks complained about difficuly when they wanted to strip a similiar product made by a competitor. By accident I found out that West Marine has a product callled Black Streak Remover that dissolves the stuff and it comes off fairly easy with a brush. I found it much easier to use that any wax on the market and looked much better. Not sure if you could get similiar results in southern climate or salt enviroment but I'll never wax that old boat again. Happy after two years! Barry s/v "PER DIEM too"
I put Vertglas on my h34 two years ago and am pleased with it. It looks far better than any wax and compound I previously tried. I watched the workers in the yard put it on another h34 the previous year and it looked great after the season was over. (5 months later on Lake Champlain) They did preparation with 600 grit wet sandpaper rather than the compound supplied in the kit. Worked good and appeared easier to do. Some folks complained about difficuly when they wanted to strip a similiar product made by a competitor. By accident I found out that West Marine has a product callled Black Streak Remover that dissolves the stuff and it comes off fairly easy with a brush. I found it much easier to use that any wax on the market and looked much better. Not sure if you could get similiar results in southern climate or salt enviroment but I'll never wax that old boat again. Happy after two years! Barry s/v "PER DIEM too"
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George Kornreich
Sand it!
If the finish is only moderately bad, any good compound and wax and grease-of-elbow <g> will work. but if it's really lousy, wet sanding will make it like new in most cases. The trick is to use a series of grades, each to remove the scuff marks made by the last, coarser grade, For example, start with 220 (or 380 if it's not too bad), gently wet-sand it till the white is back, assuming of course it's a white boat! (if you've gone all the way through the gelcoat and still not white, then what you really needed is a new paint-job). The gel-coat is usually thicker than you expect, and you will usually not come anywhere near penetrating it. Now start resanding with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, and maybe even 1500, which will make it so glossy it'll be like a mirror.You usually won't need to use all these grades of wet-dry sandpaper, because you can skip alternate grades and still get a nice job in most cases. After all that work, and a couple of beers to celebrate, apply a good wax and go sailing!
If the finish is only moderately bad, any good compound and wax and grease-of-elbow <g> will work. but if it's really lousy, wet sanding will make it like new in most cases. The trick is to use a series of grades, each to remove the scuff marks made by the last, coarser grade, For example, start with 220 (or 380 if it's not too bad), gently wet-sand it till the white is back, assuming of course it's a white boat! (if you've gone all the way through the gelcoat and still not white, then what you really needed is a new paint-job). The gel-coat is usually thicker than you expect, and you will usually not come anywhere near penetrating it. Now start resanding with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, and maybe even 1500, which will make it so glossy it'll be like a mirror.You usually won't need to use all these grades of wet-dry sandpaper, because you can skip alternate grades and still get a nice job in most cases. After all that work, and a couple of beers to celebrate, apply a good wax and go sailing!
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Jim Ewing
Craig Davis
Craig, I'm getting ready to do my 37.5 with poli glow. Did you run into any issues during prep or application that I should watch out for? Did you apply to your non-skid surfaces too? Thanks! Jim "Prospect"
Craig, I'm getting ready to do my 37.5 with poli glow. Did you run into any issues during prep or application that I should watch out for? Did you apply to your non-skid surfaces too? Thanks! Jim "Prospect"
Island girl (don't ya'll want one)
Nathan: I am working with Island Girl finish restoring products now. They are a liquid and you use it with synthetic steel wool (West Marine has it). They have a wax that seems to seal the surface after ALL of the oxidation is removed. Then you can use what ever wax and polishes that you normally would use over the top. I am reserving judgment until I see what it looks like after 2-3 months, but it seems like a good product that really gets to the problem (not just a temp. cover up).
Nathan: I am working with Island Girl finish restoring products now. They are a liquid and you use it with synthetic steel wool (West Marine has it). They have a wax that seems to seal the surface after ALL of the oxidation is removed. Then you can use what ever wax and polishes that you normally would use over the top. I am reserving judgment until I see what it looks like after 2-3 months, but it seems like a good product that really gets to the problem (not just a temp. cover up).
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Dave Condon
compounding
3M makes an excellent compound called Finess-it. Using a buffer at slow speed, compounding first which can be quick depending on the machine and know how. Then apply your favorite wax. It sure does the job for me.
3M makes an excellent compound called Finess-it. Using a buffer at slow speed, compounding first which can be quick depending on the machine and know how. Then apply your favorite wax. It sure does the job for me.
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Craig Davis
Jim Ewing
Hi Jim, I did just the topsides on my 31, it may be to glossy for the deck. The cleaning step is the key, you want a clean consistant fiberglass. I had to wet sand some areas to get stains out before i applied poli-glow. I used it in april and so far it still looks great.
Hi Jim, I did just the topsides on my 31, it may be to glossy for the deck. The cleaning step is the key, you want a clean consistant fiberglass. I had to wet sand some areas to get stains out before i applied poli-glow. I used it in april and so far it still looks great.
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