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Clean / Polish Fiberglass?

Hi,

what is the best way/product to clean up and
restore shine of fiberglass that is a bit dull,
i.e. the topsides of an older fiberglass boat?
Possibly without too much polishing? :)

Thanks,

Chris

I use 3m's brown rubbing compound first, followed by their Finesse-it
white polishing compound, then Collinite fleetwax paste. I use a Sears
orbital polisher. Elbow grease (helped by a polisher!) is the only way
to bring back dull fiberglass.

" wrote:

what is the best way/product to clean up and
restore shine of fiberglass that is a bit dull,
i.e. the topsides of an older fiberglass boat?
Possibly without too much polishing? :)

We used a product whose name escapes me at the moment for awhile, but
it got scruffy looking as it wore off, so now I think Bob uses
Penetrol. It takes 3 or 4 coats, but no buffing.

This is before
http://p.vtourist.com/1669765-Rosali...ted-Oxford.jpg

This is after
http://p.vtourist.com/1343947-Rosali..._Augustine.jpg

Low tide after Isabel in 2003
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasle...fterisabel.jpg

And a couple more - pictures that I think show reflections in the
hull.
http://p.vtourist.com/1258033-SV_Ros...abeth_City.jpg

http://p.vtourist.com/1301986-Rosali...rtle_Beach.jpg

http://p.vtourist.com/1327261-SV_Ros...t_Pleasant.jpg

http://p.vtourist.com/707669-Rosalie...y-West_End.jpg

grandma Rosalie

Peg,

You may be referring to "Poli Glow". Takes several coats on
an older boat, but the results are amazing and no buffing.
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 12:17:56 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote (with possible editing):

" wrote:

what is the best way/product to clean up and
restore shine of fiberglass that is a bit dull,
i.e. the topsides of an older fiberglass boat?
Possibly without too much polishing? :)

We used a product whose name escapes me at the moment for awhile, but
it got scruffy looking as it wore off, so now I think Bob uses
Penetrol. It takes 3 or 4 coats, but no buffing.

This is before
http://p.vtourist.com/1669765-Rosali...ted-Oxford.jpg

This is after
http://p.vtourist.com/1343947-Rosali..._Augustine.jpg

Low tide after Isabel in 2003
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasle...fterisabel.jpg

And a couple more - pictures that I think show reflections in the
hull.
http://p.vtourist.com/1258033-SV_Ros...abeth_City.jpg

http://p.vtourist.com/1301986-Rosali...rtle_Beach.jpg

http://p.vtourist.com/1327261-SV_Ros...t_Pleasant.jpg

http://p.vtourist.com/707669-Rosalie...y-West_End.jpg

grandma Rosalie

L. M. Rappaport wrote:

Peg,

You may be referring to "Poli Glow". Takes several coats on
an older boat, but the results are amazing and no buffing.

No that wasn't it.

grandma Rosalie

I've found that ignoring it workes best.

From: - Find messages by this author
I've found that ignoring it workes best.

I did have pretty good results with this
technique up to now, just wanted
to ty something else for a change. :)

Thanks a lot for all the replies!

Chris

Is poli-glow the same as VertiGlass?
The question is how old is the fiberglass boat and how big? What type of
gelcoat was used? Some gelcoat have been exposed to UV and rubbed many time
with compound restorer. A 15 to 25 years old boat if rubbed with compound
every 2-3 years may not have too much gelcoat left. You have to asses the
situation and come up with the best solution.
The best way is to make tests with different method on small areas.
Many people have had success with VertiGlass/PolyGlow.
For reason not known many of the VertiGlass users ended up painting their
boats after several years.
In Europe people are not uneasy about painting their fiberglass boat with a
brush or roller.
Since Allgrip many new two and one part epoxy paint have surfaced the
market.
At one time spraying was the only way to have a good job. Now with the new
self leveling agent added to newer paint the job is more acceptable.
I have seen an old fiberglass boat painted with a brush with one part
polyurethane
and the result was good.

"Red Cloud©" wrote in message
...
On 24 Aug 2005 09:15:09 -0500, Dave wrote:

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 13:30:07 GMT, Red Cloud© said:

Annual topsides maintenance consists of a quick
wash with very diluted poli-prep,

Just curious--how much do you dilute it for the wash? I don't want to
remove
the initial 5 or 6 coats in the process.

I put maybe a half pint or less in a bucket of water. It's enough to
remove any contaminants from the surface without really degrading the
poliglow. Full strength, it pretty much "melts" the poliglow and
completely removes it! I don't trust soap to rinse off as completely.
I don't let the diluted poli-prep sit long, either. I do a small area
at a time and rinse well immediately. If I have a heavy black streak
where someone has banged into me, or something like that, I have used
poli prep full strength in just that area to remove most the poliglow
along with the mark in that small area. I find that it's no big deal
to blend new poliglow back in over just the bare spot with a few
coats, followed by the two maintenance coats over the whole boat. The
resulting repair is completely invisible.

I've been using poli-glow for many years, and I will never wax a
fiberglass boat again. Why the heck would I?

rusty redcloud

Rosalie B. wrote:

L. M. Rappaport wrote:

Peg,

You may be referring to "Poli Glow". Takes several coats on
an older boat, but the results are amazing and no buffing.

No that wasn't it.

Finally remember - it was NewGlass.

grandma Rosalie

On 23 Aug 2005 23:38:07 -0700, "
wrote:

Hi,

what is the best way/product to clean up and
restore shine of fiberglass that is a bit dull,
i.e. the topsides of an older fiberglass boat?
Possibly without too much polishing? :)

Thanks,

Chris

Spar varnish - while it lasts, at least.

Brian Whatcott

Restoring Gelcoat with a Buffer.
(Same as polishing a boat when its pulled from its mold)

First, get a handheld microscope or strong magnifying glass and look to
see if the gelcoat is alligatored ... if it is, then paint it. If not,
then:

Determined visually if there is sufficient gelcoat to sand/powerbuff
......usually on most boat the gel is quite thick.
Use a caustic wax stripper to remove all old dead wax that inside all
the 'pores'. TSP or a sodium silicate based detergent, applied, let
to soak then rinsed with water.

If heavily oxidized use increasingly finer grits of 1000, 1300 then
2000+ grit wet and dry sandpaper and remove the oxidized layer, use a
rubber sanding block and use a few drops of dishwashing detergent in
the water to keep the paper from getting fouled for a 'fast' cut.
Sandpaper will develop a 'satin' surface.

Need: high speed auto body shop polisher, several LAMBSWOOL polishing
bonnets, 3M Grits - either autobody shop or 3M fiberglass compounds,
Collinite or other natural CARNAUBA past wax.

Work in 2 ft. X 2 ft. sections, do whole boat before changing
grits/'bonnets. Use ONLY one grit per bonnet and dont mix bonnets.
Apply grit to bonnet, keep bonnet MOVING, dont burn through sharp
edges, etc. 600 then 1000 then 1300 then 2000 (3000 if you can find
it). Let the SPEED of the polisher do the work, = just light pressure
from you. When done and if the gelcoat isnt too badly oxidized
(internally) the boat should now be restored back to original
(showroom) brilliance.
Then take a paste natural Carnauba wax such as Collinite Fleet Wax and
with a buffer .... FILL the pores of the Gelcoat with wax. Filliing the
pores with wax will retard future oxidation and prevent the possibility
of 'alligatoring' - microcracks. Use a bit of water with the wax when
you apply by bare hand (Ok to use a wetted sponge), then buff to
brilliance. Reapply the wax about every 6 months to keep the 'surface
drops' of water/rain forming 'tight' droplets on the surface..
Strip the 'dead' wax with caustic at least every two years and do a
very light power-buff with wax and a teeny bit of 2000 grit in the mix.

IMPORTANT.... STOP if the matting under-layer or the color of the base
polyester/styrene begins to show through .... if that happens then its
either time to spray on new gelcoat .... or horror of horrors, time to
'paint'.

As I stated, this is the way a boat is polished when its pulled from
its mold. Once you get a boat buffed back to shape, its easy to keep
it that way by waxing, caustic stripping every 2 years, lightly
powerbuffing yearly. Once you get back to a brilliant gelcoat, then
the upkeep is easy and quite maintenance free.

hope this helps.

In article . com,
" wrote:

Hi,

what is the best way/product to clean up and
restore shine of fiberglass that is a bit dull,
i.e. the topsides of an older fiberglass boat?
Possibly without too much polishing? :)

Thanks,

Chris

I am "in the same boat" so to speak. Last year I shelled out $900 to get the
hull of our boat cleaned and waxed professionally.. and after 12 months the
hull is already getting a dull look - especially on the blue horizontal
decorative stripes, so I am not going to repeat the "professional"
treatment, but rather try to do it myself.

After reading the posts here - and googling for more details, decided to try
the NewGlass 2 treatment. Apart from the ease of appying this, the results
seem impressive - check out the pictures from one satisfied owner here -
http://www.members.dca.net/pwink/ranger/ranger.htm

The manufacturer's web site is:
http://www.newglass2.com/cgi-bin/cp-...=&pg=splashNew Glass 2134 Riverview RoadFort Myers, Florida 33905United StatesPhone: 800 785 7675

"cvj" wrote:

I am "in the same boat" so to speak. Last year I shelled out $900 to get the
hull of our boat cleaned and waxed professionally.. and after 12 months the
hull is already getting a dull look - especially on the blue horizontal
decorative stripes, so I am not going to repeat the "professional"
treatment, but rather try to do it myself.

After reading the posts here - and googling for more details, decided to try
the NewGlass 2 treatment. Apart from the ease of appying this, the results
seem impressive - check out the pictures from one satisfied owner here -
http://www.members.dca.net/pwink/ranger/ranger.htm

The manufacturer's web site is:
http://www.newglass2.com/cgi-bin/cp-...=&pg=splashNew Glass 2134 Riverview RoadFort Myers, Florida 33905United StatesPhone: 800 785 7675

We tried NewGlass and it is easy to apply and the boat looks good -
for awhile. But you have to strip it off (not so easy) and do it
again the following year.

We used it for several years, and have now switched (as I said) to
Penetrol which does as good a job, and is easier to use both putting
on and taking off.

grandma Rosalie

wrote in message
ups.com...

Hi,

what is the best way/product to clean up and
restore shine of fiberglass that is a bit dull,
i.e. the topsides of an older fiberglass boat?
Possibly without too much polishing? :)

Thanks,

Chris

Awlgrip.

--
Geoff
the sea hawk at wow way d0t com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
Spell checking is left as an excercise for the reader.