poli glow?

[special k]

i am considering trying poly glow on my blue hull this season. has anyone used this product or have any opinions. my gel coat is in very good condition but still becomes somewhat chalky after a few months even with multiple coats of premium wax.

thanks....

[DougSea]

I used it for several seasons and was happy with the results. My 1997 hull was starting to show it's age.

Poli-Glo is a surface product, not a wax. If you want to know approximately what it will look like spray your boat with water. That wet shine? That's what it will look like. That dirty or really oxidized area that now looks like wet dirt or oxidation? That's what IT will look like!

So prep is important. The first time I did mine I lightly compounded the hull, got it all clean, and applied 6 coats. It took a few hours to allow for some drying time but went on very easily.

If you ty it and don't like it. Or you have an area you want to compound more after it's on, you use the striper they provide in the kit and it comes right off.

It can rub off a bit in season. I had my boat on a mooring and had two fenders always hanging off the boat to protect her from crazed launch operators. Over the course of a season of wave action the fender would rub into the poli-Glo. I'd just pull up to the dock, wash the area with soap and water, and apply a few coats.

Does it look as nice as wax from 5 feet away? Maybe, maybe not, depends on your hull. Did mine look great from 10 feet? I thought so.

A friend also used the product on his new at the time Sailfish 21. He was happy as well.

One last thing, I found the staff at the company very helpful. I had some questions during the initial application and they got me all squared away.

[special k]

thanks doug, very helpful and pretty much what i thought. i think i'll give it a try.

[Jack]

I was disappointed with it. At the boat show, it looked like a miracle and easy to use. It took me a couple of days to do the prep and application. It initially looked like a big improvement (although not like new) but it faded back to the earlier appearance within a couple of months. My boat is on a mooring so it isn't easy to keep waxing and polishing it.

[special k]

my thoughts are that after buffing and waxing my flag blue hull is deep enough to get lost in, however once it's in the water the hull never sees buffing or waxing again. too busy boating and fishing. come september water spots and chalking are evident and by blackfish season she aint so pretty. wondering if the poly product was longer lasting or substantially more durable.

[DougSea]

I won't be using it on my new boat only because I want to see how "regular" waxing and such holds up with my slip and usage. If, as I suspect, she's not looking the way I want in August/September then I'll go with Poli-Glo next season. On the old boat this wasn't an option, no amount of waxing was making it look good. Maybe if I'd gone the wet-sanding route...but that wasn't going to happen.

Jack - not sure from your post why it took so long for you to apply. How many coats did you do? I went with 6, which on a reasonably warm day meant; Apply to whole boat. Take short break. Repeat. Took a few hours. My hull was inrough shape to start so the prep did take me a fair amount of time.

And you can touch up fairly easily, since you don't have to press like you do with wax. I've nosed into shallow water and "fixed" a few spots near the bow where the mooring ball would rub through the finished layer.

Anyway, I remain a fan.

[special k]

ok, after much prep i got to apply the first three coats of poly glow yesterday. no as good as wax close up but from 10 feet away it looks fantastic! easy to apply and looking "wet and glossy"

if the uv protection and longevity are as advertised i'll call this a keeper.
still going with regular wax on topside surfaces.

cheers! mick