Has anybody tried PloyGlow?

[Nonchalant1]

Sold our 53MY a few years ago, but I also have an older ski boat (1998 Mastercraft 200VR) that the gel coat was totally chalky. I saw good reviews of the PolyGlow product to put the shine back on older boats, so I tried it when I put the boat in the garage last Fall. It is a very thin clear liquid coating. After cleaning the chalky surface, you apply 5 or 6 thin coats with a chamois covered sponge. Goes on with no runs, no bubbles, even on vertical surfaces. Then you apply another coat after about 1 hour dry time to build up 6 coats. I could not believe how perfect it made the old chalky surface look. This boat sits out in a lift all summer with the stern and sb side getting full sun all summer long and was very chalky before this treatment. I'll be able to tell how it lasts after a year or two in the lift. I have no idea if it works well on Imron, etc. too.

Doug

 

[magnawake]

I used Polyglo on my sundeck roof about two years ago. I was having trouble with white streaks getting on my Isenglass from the run off. I could clean the windows and the next morning dew running off the sundeck roof had more white streaks showing. Since then I have had no more white streaks running down my isenglass. I guess it sealed the paint where oxygen cant get to the paint to oxidize it. At least thats the theory. Anyway, after putting 5 coats it looked like new. Last year I put another coat. I havent put another coat on yet this year but I need to do it asap. I have heard conflicting reports on using it on regular painted surfaces of the hull and structures. Some boats gel coats are too far gone and that would be the last resort. I think if you start using it on the hull you never can stop because it would look like it was flaking off. Over all I really like the product.

 

[seasalt]

Run, Forest, Run!!!

 

[magnawake]

Run, Forest, Run!!!

I dont get it. Am I missing something? Maybe I've been out too long in the sun cleaning.

 

[krush]

I used it on my red boat, see this thread: http://www.samsmarine.com/forums/showthread.php?22356-Red-gelcoat-oxidation-tricks

I hand wet-sanded the flat hull sides (not down around the strakes) last year before I put the polyglow on. I put many coats on. It held up well and kept a shine for most of the summer (boat went in July 2 last year). I'll stick a few more coats on this year. Boat will be going in the water in a couple weeks (lives on a lift).

 

[Beckytek]

I put 6 coats on my imron hull last year before splashing. After the winter, out in the open, it looks just as good as when I first did it. I put one more coat on this spring and intend to do the whole boat this summer. I also did most of the topside last year and will be adding another coat there. You don't have to wait an hour to put on another coat, more like 5 minutes. It dries very fast. I did 5 coats to my transom last year in twenty minutes and no buffing. Ron

 

[tom5518]

Good to see you post Doug, hope the family is doing well. Do you miss the 53? Where is she cruising these days?

 

[bobk]

Years ago, Polyglo had a deserved bad reputation. It would eventually yellow and start to lift. At that point it was a real chore to remove. I never tried it because of the results a friend had.

Last spring I had the hull buffed with Finessit and two coats of Awlcare applied. It held up beautifully for the round trip north and south with no ICW mustache. It will get another coat when it gets to Riverforest for storage.

Bobk

 

[mdshore]

its basically floor polish .

 

[Sailor John]

I had it used professionally on my 38' sailboat a few years ago with decidedly mediocre results.
The trick here, is to ensure that the hull is as clean and near perfect condition at possible. Otherwise, you just end up with shiny dirt.
As i said, the results were ho-hum. I never used it again.
Sailor John

 

[krush]

I had low expectations and it worked well for me. I only subjected it to about 3-4 months of sun though.

 

[lumina]

Hi All,

I tried PolyGlow, with poor results, sent it back. This was spring of 2007. Maybe the formula has changed since.

We switched to Collinite and never looked back. A little more work but beautiful long lasting (2 seasons) results.

They have 4 primary products, clean and wax, marine wax, fleet wax, and metal polish.

We do the entire boat with clean and wax (many people stop here), then a second coat with fleet wax. Beautiful !!!

Mental wax does a wonderful job on stainless. We usually scrub with a tooth brush and rag, wipe off and apply a coat of fleet wax and wipe that off.

No buffers, all by hand.

 

[GJH]

5, 6 coats???? That's insane! One coat of wipe on wipe off Rejex (my favorite), or AwlCare or Starbrite PTEF or Zaino will accomplish the same look with none of the disastrous long term effects. Two caots if you are paranoid, but for me one would last two years nicely with a lot of sea time. Every attempt I have seen (OMG!) or heard of to use PG has ended in a horror show. All salt water cruising boats, by the way. Why anyone still screws with this stuff on a boat totally escapes me.

 

[SeaEric]

I read the description of the Rejex product on their website. It sounds alot like Poly Glow to me in that it leaves a coating that has to cure onto the surface. If you later decide to do paint work it has to be removed - which sounds difficult to accomplish. I don't think I want that on my boat either.

 

[Topaz38]

I used it on my 31 Bertram according to instruction. It lasted in the hot Alabama sun for over one year. I have never tried anything else that lasted that long. Two years after that I put three more coats on it looked great again. Sold the boat a year or so after that . New owner sent me pictures yesterday after he compounded and waxed an could not believe how good it looked. I never saw any peeling , turning yellow or any of the other problems people are talking about here. I know my name here is Topaz 38 but I just got back from south fla. Where I picked up my new ( to me ) 50c hatteras . I am having it buffed and waxed next week. If that doesn't hold up I will not think twice about using poly on it. Nice to be a hatteras owner again.

 

[krush]

I don't think I would use polyglow on a painted boat like a hatteras. However, on the red gelcoat welcraft, I really had nothing to lose. It worked well for what I was expecting (not much).

 

[Nonchalant1]

Good to see you post Doug, hope the family is doing well. Do you miss the 53? Where is she cruising these days?

She's home to a nice couple in Charleston. They go to the Bahamas cruising I believe. We bought her for the express purpose of doing the Great Loop Route, which we did and then enjoyed her for years after. I miss having the fun but every vacation we took was to the boat and we were feeling a bit tied to our investment of time & money. Going cruising this month in England on a river barge some chef converted to a 4 cabin luxury riverboat. Went cruising in Ireland on a similar boat. Still go scuba diving and to my favorite place in the world... Saint John.

I still watch the forum because I loved that boat and knew her inside and out.

Thanks for asking.

 

[Nonchalant1]

I figured I had nothing to lose. I wish I had taken "before" pictures because the gel coat was really shot. I did do a lot of prep with the "PolyPrep" and had the surface perfectly clean before I applied it. As I said, I don't know if it can work on paint. I'll report back next year on how it stands up.

 

[Topaz38]

The 31 Bertram I used the polyglow on was painted not gel coat

 

[GJH]

I read the description of the Rejex product on their website. It sounds alot like Poly Glow to me in that it leaves a coating that has to cure onto the surface. If you later decide to do paint work it has to be removed - which sounds difficult to accomplish. I don't think I want that on my boat either.

No sure what you're getting at there Eric. Normal paint prep work removes it:

"If a RejeX-treated surface needs repainting, normal paint preparation is all that’s required. Abrasive cleaners, polishes, rubbing compounds or chemical paint strippers will remove the RejeX film."

The thing that sold me on it was how easy it was to wash the boat, basically hose off and chamois mop; and how little the boat needed washing, especially repelling the "Carolina ICW Mustache". I had the boat for about a year before I first used it and the difference was remarkable; the yard first went over it with a fine Finesse-it II glaze, then the Rejex. Re-did it 2 1/2 years later after heavy salt water and brown water full time cruising. Simply washed the boat really well then applied another coat two years after that, still looked great when we sold it.