great report judyB. detailed and full of personal experience. :: Dave Scobie :: Sage Marine --- On Mon, 3/5/12, Judith Blumhorst, DC <drjudyb@blumhorst.com> wrote:
Hi Skip,
Based on my experience, I'd say Polyglo would be great for a trailerable boat that isn't in the California sun 300 days of the year. For waterline stains, however, I think the long term solution is a dark stripe on the waterline that hides stains. :^)
Here's my 5 year history with Polyglo. I like it. It's the superhero of boat waxes. But it's not invincible.
I've had Polyglo on my 35 year old Catalina 27 for the past 5-6 years. It stays in the water in CA 365 days a year, with over 300 days in strong sunlight. . The gelcoat is long past its prime. 35 years of exposure to the sun and oxydation has left the surface of the old gelcoat full of micro-pits which didn't reflect light and which trapped dirt. I pull the boat out about every 2-3 years to renew the bottom paint, at which time I renew the Polyglo on the sides of the hull (topsides).
The first three years I owned the boat, we buffed and compounded it and used a top quality marine wax. Itdidn't look very good two years later when we pulled the boat again to do some work on it.
The next time we pull the boat out of the water to give it a coat of bottom paint, we switched to Polyglo. Polyglo is far superior to wax for longevity. We used the Polyprep to remove oxidation first, and then did 6 coats of Polyglo. It looked great from 10 feet away.
On the hull (topsides), the Polyglo did a remarkable job of adding a smooth, shiny layer on top of the old gelcoat. It was good enough to last more than one year on the side of my boat exposed to the sun. On the sunny side of the hull, it did not stay shiny and clear for the full three years between treatments; it became blotched with dull and yellowed patches. . On the shady side of my boat, it stays shiny almost the full three years without touch up.
The Polyglo didn't perform as well on the deck. the deck was more sun-damaged and worn than the topside to start with. The Polyglo on the deck also is exposed to the strongest UV rays at noon because the sun hits it square. It did however, greatly outperforn other acrylic waxes formulated for indoor use, like Future Floor wax, which which I experimented. But nothing is really going to replace the gelcoat which is just about gone in places due to UV damage. Nothing is going to make the gelcoat on the deck of that boat look good, I'm afraid, other than painting it.
I can't tell you from my experiencer whether or not the Polyglo will eliminate stains at the waterline. I really don't remember. I do remember that spilling red wine in th cockpit stained the boat, right through the Polyglo. About three years after I bought the boat I painted a dark green bootstripe at the waterline, using Awlgrip. The dark green doesn't show waterline stains.
Based on experience, I can tell you that strong acids, like hull stain removers, remove Polyglo. So do really strong bases, like undiluted ammonia.
Fair winds, Judy B
Judy Blumhorst Hyde Sails of Northern California www.judybsails.com judy@judybsails.com
cell: 925.208.1692 fax: 925.820.2327 skype: judith.blumhorst www.HydeSails.com/NorthAmerica