I've tried lots of buffing/polishing compounds on my 2006 Macgregor 26M. White areas are no problem but the dark blue hull and black striped areas are very difficult to buff and polish so I just apply various oils, rub them out and it looks great for a few months. Since the hull sat in the sun for several years I'm afraid if I use a serious cutting agent then polish, I'll eventually penetrate the color. Besides it's LOTS easier. I've used anything from old engine oil to coconut oil to even salad oil. They all work fine, may not last as long but are 10 times easier.
Restoring faded colored gelcoat; best fast option
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If you hold the pad so the side spinning downward is in contact, the buffer “holds itself up” and all you need do is work the proper pressure and angle. (Overhead surfaces are another story. )
NO NO POLIGLO. It will give a soft shine that has application marks and would never rival a wetsand/compound and wax shine. First step is a prep process that is labor intensive and will further ruin whatever surface you have now. Prep and coat is about the same labor as compound and waxing, after that you can use it about 2-3 years with a simple one-coat application each year and the application marks get thicker and streaks get worse. Eventually Poliglo builds up and degrades from beneath, then you’re going to have a heck of a time removing it all and your boat will look worse than when you started. At the end of 3 or 4 years IMHO the total labor is about the same as compounding because the first year is no labor saving and the last year is a double bitch.
If you compound/wax and the shine doesn’t last more than a few months your gelcoat has become oxidized it’s life is over, and paint is your only salvation. Been down this entire road and this was my experience.
Just finished mine last week (2006 hull). Hadn't polished in 4 years and let it go a bit too far. Followed Maine's procedure:
Washed thoroughly, 3M heavy duty compound and white wool pad on a Makita polisher. Followed with 3M Finessit
on a green pad, Meguiars #9 swirl remover on a yellow pad, and finally 2 coats of Collinite paste wax using microfiber cloths.
Really brought it back to life. Took five days work and quite a bit of Ibuprofen! Next time, think I will try Maine's go to products; Presta ultra cutting cream and Presta chroma followed by Collinite. When I left the yard last Wednesday, the yard owner jokingly said, "next time I need a boat polished, I will give you a call!" I took it as a compliment.
Washed thoroughly, 3M heavy duty compound and white wool pad on a Makita polisher. Followed with 3M Finessit
on a green pad, Meguiars #9 swirl remover on a yellow pad, and finally 2 coats of Collinite paste wax using microfiber cloths.
Really brought it back to life. Took five days work and quite a bit of Ibuprofen! Next time, think I will try Maine's go to products; Presta ultra cutting cream and Presta chroma followed by Collinite. When I left the yard last Wednesday, the yard owner jokingly said, "next time I need a boat polished, I will give you a call!" I took it as a compliment.
I did an experiment in 2015 where I tried NU-Finish on my starboard side only then waxed and buffed the entire boat. There was a big difference.... BUT ... when I posted it here there were a lot of skeptics who suspect the difference had more to do with the fact that the port side of my boat was exposed to the lake and the starboard side was in the shade of the covered docks nearby. UV-damage was the counter explanation.
HOWEVER... the side that had NU finish first DID look a lot better so I'd be interested in what you find.
As long as I wetsanded my acrylic coating every season, recoated it very thin til it shined, I got no flaking, yellowing, streaks or other problems. It takes a barely damp sponge or cloth to apply it. When you apply the first 2 coats, it is terrible looking, streaky and cloudy. Then it shines in the 3rd coat and looks wet forever in the 4th coat. If your first coats are wet looking, I would bet you over-applied it.
I did have to remove acrylic coating when a friend applied it to my deck and cockpit. I did not want it there. I removed it with the floor polish remover. It worked fine. I wet sanded with 1500 afterward. It just removes dirt and polishes the surface.
I used Proforce High Gloss Floor Finish. It worked great. I sold the boat, and it still looks great. I know because it is berthed on the next pier.
With my new boat, I painted with Awlgrip 2000, so I can compound and buff if, then wax it. It came out very nice this year. I used the Presta products. I do not think I would ever apply acrylic over paint. I would just repaint.
Anyway, these were my experiences with several boats over about 6 seasons.
Thanks,
Andrew
I did have to remove acrylic coating when a friend applied it to my deck and cockpit. I did not want it there. I removed it with the floor polish remover. It worked fine. I wet sanded with 1500 afterward. It just removes dirt and polishes the surface.
I used Proforce High Gloss Floor Finish. It worked great. I sold the boat, and it still looks great. I know because it is berthed on the next pier.
With my new boat, I painted with Awlgrip 2000, so I can compound and buff if, then wax it. It came out very nice this year. I used the Presta products. I do not think I would ever apply acrylic over paint. I would just repaint.
Anyway, these were my experiences with several boats over about 6 seasons.
Thanks,
Andrew
I think there is a case for Poliglow, or just acrylic as Andrew mentioned above. Not convinced Poliglow gives you much more. There is a point where you can bring a shine back but it just doesn't last. You may not need to paint yet, but continued buffing might not be the answer either as there's only so much gelcoat. At this point it makes sense (to me anyway) to add a clear coat over top.
I tried a little experiment this last spring on mine. As you can tell from the side pic below, I have no problem buffing and bringing the shine back to basically a new boat. However, after 22 years, how much longer can you do this? Don't know the answer.
So on the transom only, I did a little experiment. I cleaned it with Bar Keepers friend, and TSP. Then put aboout 8 coats of Zep commercial acrylic floor polish on it. Even went a step further and burnished (in floor wax terms) the acrylic with a fine pad and Presta Chroma. Job was indistinguishable from the rest of the boat that I buffed and put a couple of coats of wax on. Transom held up better this year than ever. Previously, when waxed, diesel exhaust haze would embed itself and could only be cleaned off totally with a cleaner wax. Washes right of the acrylic without leaving a trace. All I'll have to do to it in the spring is clean it well and add a couple more coats of acrylic. Not sure I have the nads to do the whole boat yet though (old habits die hard). Pics below taken this spring.
Edit: The poliglow people make a microfiber applicator mitt that works great for applying the acrylic in the very thin coats you need. I used one when I applied the acrylic.
I tried a little experiment this last spring on mine. As you can tell from the side pic below, I have no problem buffing and bringing the shine back to basically a new boat. However, after 22 years, how much longer can you do this? Don't know the answer.
So on the transom only, I did a little experiment. I cleaned it with Bar Keepers friend, and TSP. Then put aboout 8 coats of Zep commercial acrylic floor polish on it. Even went a step further and burnished (in floor wax terms) the acrylic with a fine pad and Presta Chroma. Job was indistinguishable from the rest of the boat that I buffed and put a couple of coats of wax on. Transom held up better this year than ever. Previously, when waxed, diesel exhaust haze would embed itself and could only be cleaned off totally with a cleaner wax. Washes right of the acrylic without leaving a trace. All I'll have to do to it in the spring is clean it well and add a couple more coats of acrylic. Not sure I have the nads to do the whole boat yet though (old habits die hard). Pics below taken this spring.
Edit: The poliglow people make a microfiber applicator mitt that works great for applying the acrylic in the very thin coats you need. I used one when I applied the acrylic.
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Poliglow's justification of price is that it contains expensive UV protection. Theoretically, floor wax has none, so the difference. However, I noticed no indication on my boat that there was any UV damage happening under the acrylic on the transom. FWIW, the transom faces south in our slip, so should be a pretty good test. The true test would be the blue gelcoat stripe under the rub rail. I've always had issues most with that area as it oxidizes under the wax. Interested what would happen under acrylic but still reluctant to try it over the whole boat. Maybe in another year or two if we still have it. Acrylic (especially Zep commercial floor wax) has quite a loyal following in the RV world.
The floor polish I used said: water, scuff, and UV resistant. I would guess the ZEP does too?
Believe me, I was reluctant too, but I was dealing with an ‘83 C-22 and an ‘87 272, and both were badly faded, so I decided to give it a try. I was not unhappy with the results over 3 seasons with each boat.
I don't want to give the impression that acrylic coatings are some sort of magic bullet or time saver, though. It is easier to wipe on coats of acrylic than rubbing on and off wax, that's all. The prep work is what takes the time. I could buff one side of my boat with Presta Cutting Cream and follow up with Chroma in the amount of time it would take me to strip the existing wax, and prep it with a TSP wash and Bar Keeper's Friend for the acrylic. Screw up the prep work and you get the horror stories you read about where the acrylic goes bad mid season or comes out looking bad from the start.
Also not sure how long you can go before you have to strip the acrylic and start fresh (hopefully at least 3 years or so). Zep commercial stripper takes it right off, and you can then recoat, but if you wanted to go back to a buffed and waxed hull, it would take a lot of work. Likely could involve wet sanding, as well. So if you have a hull that looks good with waxing and or minimal buffing and polishing, I sure would think twice about going the acrylic route. The previous owner of our boat used Poliglow, and I cursed the stuff initially when I removed it and went back to buffing and waxing. Now, a few years later I'm thinking just maybe he wasn't so crazy after all.
Also not sure how long you can go before you have to strip the acrylic and start fresh (hopefully at least 3 years or so). Zep commercial stripper takes it right off, and you can then recoat, but if you wanted to go back to a buffed and waxed hull, it would take a lot of work. Likely could involve wet sanding, as well. So if you have a hull that looks good with waxing and or minimal buffing and polishing, I sure would think twice about going the acrylic route. The previous owner of our boat used Poliglow, and I cursed the stuff initially when I removed it and went back to buffing and waxing. Now, a few years later I'm thinking just maybe he wasn't so crazy after all.