Poly Glow
 

I've tried to do a small area of the hull with some 3M compound and the results are better than it was but I would like it better.

Has anyone tried Poly Glow?
I've seen some of the material on it and it showes good results.

Anyone use it before?

Re: Poly Glow
 

A few years ago,I did the hardtop,on a Trophy that was in poor condition.
After trying all kinds of waxes,that looked good,but lasted only for a very short period,I tried the Poli Glow.

I was actually surprised how nice it came out,much better than I thought it would be.It lasted pretty well for a couple of years.
It was stored outside,on the trailer,and at a slip for two seasons(NY).
After the two seasons,it was ready for another application,but I sold the Trophy,and bought the Seacraft.
I would say it's worth a shot,if you are looking for a shine that lasts much longer than wax.It's not a replacement for paint,but it may get you by,until you are ready to paint or apply a permanent finish to the hull.

Re: Poly Glow
 

It works well. Very well on darker colors, however, allot of prep needs to be done, clean the gelcoat well or you will infact seal in a stain, mark etc. You must also take good care in applying as to not streal or create lines from streaking

Re: Poly Glow
 

I used the 3m gelcoat restore product it cleaned off the oxidation, I tried wax but became dull again. I was at a boat show and they had a display for polyglow so I purchased it and was I suprised, I would recommend it to anyone that wants to get a shine out of their boat it does work.

Re: Poly Glow
 

I've used it on my Seafari for a couple of years and you can ask anyone that's seen it at the gatherings in Tampa, Long Point or Key Largo how it looks. Just answered a PM from Blue Heron who saw it in Key Largo last week and wanted to know what I used.

It really does work . . . MUCH less work than compounding/wax and much more durable. The cleaner in the kit appears to be a very strong alkali and leaves the gel coat very dull but clean! The coating appears to be some sort of urethane emulsion that dries to a clear film on the bottle spout and rubber gloves. The first couple of coats will look somewhat streaked, but after 5-6 coats it looks great. Can easily add a couple more coats after a year or so. Have to be careful with strong cleaners like Simple Green, etc, as it will streak/partially remove it if used full strength. As someone said, the surface needs to be surgically clean before you apply it, as whatever is on it will be sealed in for a couple of years after you apply it! :eek:

Re: Poly Glow
 

I've read about this stuff on THT but have never used it. Most people on the THT dont seem to like it and say its a major pain in the ass to remove it. Have you tried or heard of aquabuff 2000. I highly reccommend it. Its pretty expensive. Maybe you can get a sample of it and try it on your boat before you buy a gallon. Its a pretty aggressive polish/compound that makes gellcoat shine. Apply with high speed buffer and wool bonnet. Then wax the hullsides and your done. -will

Re: Poly Glow
 

It would be nice if some close by had some poly glow to try if 1st

Anyone?

Re: Poly Glow
 

Years ago we had a product called poly glycoat, worked ok if applied properly the problem was if you ever wanted to repaint it was Very hard to remove to prep for painting. it does streak easy if applied wrong, sounds like it is the same exact stuff.

Re: Poly Glow
 

The poly prep that comes in the kit will easily remove the polyglo if used full strength. The only problem I've had with streaking is on the first couple of coats. If you apply 5-6 coats per directions, they seem to disappear. Of course this is on a white/ivory hull. Maybe that's more of a problem on a different or darker color.

I've tried the polishing compounds and waxes and the problem is they don't seem to last very long, at least in South Florida. The polyglo is so easy and so much more durable that it's no contest in my experience.

Re: Poly Glow
 

I am going to try polyglow as well....I saw Denny's boat and can contest that it looks awesome!!!!
Also anyone have experience with Vertglas (spelling)...seems like it is like polyglow..has applicator pad/ cleaner etc. etc.
Also, I have been using 3m kit as well (bought from Boaters World for 40 bucks and was all excited!!...just doesnt seem to do the trick...not that glassy shine like Denny's hull. Mabey its because it's not a Seacraft :o
-FRED

Re: Poly Glow
 

Fred, thanks for the kind words. In the Jan 07 issue of Powerboat Reports (a great Consumer Reports type magazine which unfortunately went out of business after May 07), which I still have, they tested PoliGlow, Vertglas and New Glass 2. They were rated Excellent, Good and Fair respectively. The article claims ". . these hull restorers consist of water-based emulsions of acrylic or acrylic/urethane resins. The resins are in the form of tiny droplets that are suspended in water. When applied, the water evaporates and the droplets flow together to form clear films. These emulsions dry rapidly and require multiple coats." These hull restorers were evidently developed specifically for use on gelcoats that were too far gone for compounding/waxing to bring back, although they can obviously be used on healthy gelcoats as well.

PBR applied the coatings to 3 separate sections on both sides of a Neptune 212 and after 3 years of baking in the Florida sun (I believe their testing is done on west coast, either in the Ft. Meyers or Sarasota area), they reported that the PoliGlow sections were actually still shiny but the other 2 "needed some help". This was better than expected, as the coating is supposed to applied after 1 or 2 seasons, so they said "Recommending Poli Glow is a no-brainer." For what it's worth, they also did similar tests on various waxes, and said Collinite paste wax was the most durable. I've used it on the cabin bunks but have switched to Poli Glow for everything else because it lasts so much longer. Denny

Re: Poly Glow
 

i buff boats for a living. poly glow is garbage. find someone who knows what there doing(and thats tough) and they can buff it out if its not shot, if so then save money and do it right(paint it). poly glow is just a half assed cover up

Re: Poly Glow
 

Gee, I don't think anybody meant to take your work, brother... :rolleyes:

Re: Poly Glow
 

I know that some where down the road I will have to paint the boat, but in the meantime, I would like for it to look better than it is.

I did try to buff it out and I guess I didi it wrong or it's too far gone for it to shine.

Re: Poly Glow
 

I bought some Poli Glow after seeing Bushwacker's Seafari in Key Largo. I've now used it on both my 20SF and my 18 Action Craft. The Seacraft looks like new. The Action Craft looks, well, shiny.

The gelcoat on my 20 SF was in fair shape, just dull. I used a liquid rust stain remover I picked up at Lowes to get rust and tannin stains off, then pretty much just followed the poli prep and poli glow instructions. Although the instructions say it's not for automotive finishes, which I assume means any painted finish, I used it on my motor too. The lower cowl and mid section had no gloss at all, but now they do. :D

My action craft is a medium blue and was severely oxidized. I wet sanded it with 1000 grit and brought most of the color back, but there is still some oxidation. At least with the Poli Glow, it's shiny oxidation. Doesn't look bad from a distance of 10' or more.

So, I recommend the product. But as with any coating, and this is a clear coat, not a wax, the prep will make or break the end result. I'll try to post before/after pictures, but if you look at the Poli Glow web site, you'll get the idea. Their before/after shots are similar to my results.

Oh, and after doing both boats, I still have half a bottle of each product left. This isn't a product I would have bought based just on their advertisement. I'm a born skeptic, and their results look too good to be true. I owe a debt of gratitude to Bushwacker for his recommendation. The stuff works.

Dave

Re: PolyGlow
 

Thanks Dave. Carla called me after seeing Dave's boat and said it looks like it's brand new! Glad to hear it worked for you as well as it did for me! Denny

Re: PolyGlow
 

Ah, you are so right. When we stopped by Blue Heron's place to pick up some boat parts to take North for Don, NATURALLY ... we had to check out his boats.
There is no exageration to what they are saying ... the polyglow stuff really works to take 30-40 year old gelcoat & turn it into looking almost new.