painted hulls

[Parker]

I have 1994 28 TE with a dark green hull that was in pretty rough shape mainly due to oxidation. I was seriously considering repainting (apx $5K). This spring I used the Poliglow system: Poliprep, Poli-Ox (most important step), and 7 coats of Poliglow. The hull looks amazing. I'm kicking myself for not taking detailed "before" photos. According to the people at Poliglow, the finish should last 3-4 seasons with some minor maintenance. We'll see about that. At this point I’m about $4950 ahead of the game with about 8 hours of labor invested. I was very surprised with the results. She’s a real head-turner now.

I'd love to hear of similiar results or a better product.

[Denis]

Nice to hear some good news that also saved a lot of money for an Albin owner. I also have a 94 28TE with green sides. I bought the boat a year and a half ago. Six months before I bought it the previous owner had Awlgrip applied over the green gelcoat. The finish is so beautiful I get compliments from everyone, the sad part is I had nothing to do with it, plus it costs about $5,000 to apply.
We do have several boats near me at our marina that use the product you used. They don't have colored hulls but white or off white. They swear by the product. They do need to re-apply every spring it seems but it goes on very quickly and looks great all summer. I hope you get the same results from your application.
I got a kick out of your "The Beast" designation at the end of your letter. We have a good time making fun of that name on our engine also. Check out the pictures of my "Beast" in the pictures section. Nice to hear from you and hope to hear more in the future.
Denis

[Elizabeth Ann]

Welcome Parker!!!

Wow. I'm glad yo had luck with that Poliglow stuff. I'm gonna have to look into it, I never heard of that stuff.

Can youtry to throw some pics up so we can see your beautiful boat?

Cheers!

Brian

[Mariner]

When we bought our (used) 2003 ET 36', we were told by the broker that the navy blue hull was painted with Awlgrip and it should not be polished or waxed. Yet it was oxidizing on the transom and I was rather desperate to do something to clean it up. After it was delivered up here (From Vallejo, CA to Tacoma, WA) we had the bottom repainted before launching. I noticed that where some of the original bottom paint had chipped off (another story), the surface beneath was smooth and blue. I find it hard to believe that Albin would have bothered to Awlgrip below the waterline where it would obviously be covered in anti-fouling paint. When the time came to have the name removed from the transom (to make way for our new name), I needed to polish it so the fade marks would not remain visible. I inspected the transom very closely, especially where the blue met up with the tan and around the edges of the transom door. As best as I could tell, it appeared to be blue gelcoat. I tried a test area, and found that aggressive polishing with 3M Cleaner wax eliminated the oxidization and brought back the original shine. I went ahead and did the rest of the transom so that we could get the name put on, but I'm waiting to see how it looks after a year before attacking the whole hull with hard wax (besides, the transom was the only part that was oxidized).

One question I've always had was whether or not Albin's colored hulls were gelcoat or Awlgrip and whether or not the below-waterline color was any indication one way or the other.

I want to know the proper way to maintain the hull. I am familiar with gelcoat maintenance (cleaner wax followed by hard was once per year), but not Awlgrip. All I've been told is that they have special soap and that you're not supposed to wax it. I find this hard to believe becuase most every hard finish benefits from a coat of wax to repel damaging solutions.

[Denis]

Mariner,
I mentioned that I had Awlgrip applied on the hull of my boat. This past winter, the shrink wrap cover scuffed the finish in a few areas and took the shine away. I called Awlgrip and talked to their tech guy. He gave me very specific instructions on the proper procedure to get the shine back. The first thing to do was to get a product from a local auto parts place called "Finesse-it Finishing Material" made by 3M. Apply this as stated on the label, it's like a very fine compound. Then apply three or more coats of "Awlcare" purchased from the marina store or West Marine. This is a protective polymer sealer that restores the shine to almost like new condition. The tech guy did say NOT to use regular compound or wax on the Awlgrip surface. I hope this info. helps you. Denis

[Albinflorida]

All Albins are gelcoated from the factory. They color the bottom also as some boats are lift kept, without bottom paint. They do not have the facilities to paint at the plant. I tell my new boat clients that here in the Florida sun they will have to paint a colored hull in 4 - 5 years with good care, 2 years without good care. The best finish I have seen here in Florida is Imron. Awlcraft 2000 (an Awlgrip product) is good also.

[jcollins]

Parker - welcome to the board!

I had my last boat painted with Awlgrip in 2003. Sold it in 2005. The black hullsides looked brand new when I sold it. I was told the same thing. Do not put anything on Awlgrip except the Finesse-it product. My Albin, like Parkers, is badly oxidized. I tried the 3M products this spring but I was in such a hurry to put the boat in (new toy) it was not a good job and it's showing already. Parker, I'm going to keep a copy of your note and try that stuff. If you don't have a place to host your pics there is a place called photo-bucket I believe. Send a note to Mariner. He knows about it. Or, email them to me and I will post for you.

Once again, Welcome to the board!

[jcollins]

Parker,
In your signature I noticed your a fellow soft-top owner. There aren't many of them out there. Would like to see your pics.

[Mariner]

Albinflorida,

First off I want to welcome you here. What we've really been needing all along is someone with a little "inside knowledge". We'll try not to pester you too much with our questions, but we sure do appreciate it. The support directly from Albin Marine has been, shall I say, minimal.

I've definitely noticed that the impact of that Florida sun on gel coat is significant. Primarily, when talking with Boston Whaler owners over at www.continuouswave.com/whaler. Up here, a properly maintained gelcoat will last decades (My whaler is like new at 35 years old). Very few people take the time to wax their boat annualy, but it makes a huge difference here.

[Parker]

If it ever stops raining in NE this summer, I'll take and post some photos of our boat. I've never seen another soft top in person and it took me a while to find this one. Luckily the previous owner seemed diligent and meticulous in caring for the boat.

The Poliglow is basically a clear coat which is why the oxidation removal is so important. I believe it is similar to acrylic floor finish. Seems like it would be easy to touch up in the event it gets scuffed - and I fully expect that it will. I'd probably puke if my new 5K paint job got messed up. I'll stick with this for a few seasons and see how it works out.

I recently heard about a product called Penetrol (sp?) but have not tried it.

Great site. Hopefully more topics are covered over time.

[Lowe Key]

Parker,

I am glad to hear your comments. One boat I am interested in has "chaulking." The broker told me it would be 5k to paint her. I am not a fan of painting fiberglass.

Where do you find the Poliglow system?

The yard would compound my last boat, an 1986, with 3M products for about $500. They would use a fine, finishing compound with a large buffer. I would do it about every second to third year. The hull looked great. She was cream color. I would keep the diesel soot down with McGeires (from the auto shop). Like you it was much better than the price of a paint job.

Anything that can be used on a Corvette, I figure I can use on a fiberglass boat. Only difference, the corvette is usually in a garage. A boat is outside, and if in FL gets more sun all the time.

[Parker]

Try Poliglow's website: http://www.poliglowproducts.com/. The site is pretty informative and you can call the company and speak with the owner (Howard Marsh) directly.

The removal of the oxidation is the key step. You can do it pretty easily with a Scotch-brite pad. The results were fantastic. I’ll let you know in the fall how it held up for the season.

In the event you purchase an Albin with a Peninsular diesel, you call that company and speak with the company’s President (Matt Koning) directly as well.

The skeg is one of my favorite features of my 28TE. I bump along in shallow water quite a bit looking for out of the way spots most boats will not approach.

[jcollins]

Parker,
I ordered the poly-glow today. Hopefully I'll post great results like you.

I know what you mean about the skeg. The water at my pier is very shallow at low tide. The other day I was dragging through the muck to get out.

[Elizabeth Ann]

Hey John,

Are you planning to do this while she's in the water?
Or are you short hauling her?

Brian

[jcollins]

Brain,
I haven't decided. My first thought is in the water. I can take some friends out for a cruise, drop anchor to swim...and then "oh by the way.."

Or, take a couple of days off and have it hauled. Because of my 1200.00+ inverter replacement bill, I may be short of funds. <smile>