Paint

[ullar]

What a good info for an old boat owner. I'm pretty intrigued by the Poliglow stuff and found an elightening link on this forum
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...x-13243-2.html
It's a bit outdated however. Is Poliglow still a product to go or are there newer waxes/protective covers taking over?

[rw58ph]

Some of the older pre 1980 where painted. I believe the older Hats were. I know the Eagle was painted. Weather its gel coat or paint the primary purpose it to protect the fiberglass hull from moisture and/or UV rays. Fiber glass is actually porous so it requires a barrier coat and does not hold up well to UV rays.

Gel coat is applied thicker than top coat paint. However, when paint there is a primer coats that is applied and then a top coat so the thickness of the multi coats of paint is equal to thickness a gel coat. The gel and the top gloss coat of paint is first to protect, NOT to be pretty. So to me on an older boat there is not much difference between the two as long as it still PROTECTS.

I elected to go with multi coats of primer and easier to apply one part Brightside polyurethane paint, which is easy it easy to apple, flows/fattens well and blends well. Actually applying a new coat of paining is almost as easy as rubbing/wax. Every year I re paint an area of the boat. This year its the pilot house and in side of Portuguese bridge.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by rw58ph

Some of the older pre 1980 where painted. I believe the older Hats were. I know the Eagle was painted. Weather its gel coat or paint the primary purpose it to protect the fiberglass hull from moisture and/or UV rays. Fiber glass is actually porous so it requires a barrier coat and does not hold up well to UV rays.

Gel coat is applied thicker than top coat paint. However, when paint there is a primer coats that is applied and then a top coat so the thickness of the multi coats of paint is equal to thickness a gel coat. The gel and the top gloss coat of paint is first to protect, NOT to be pretty. So to me on an older boat there is not much difference between the two as long as it still PROTECTS.

I elected to go with multi coats of primer and easier to apply one part Brightside polyurethane paint, which is easy it easy to apple, flows/fattens well and blends well. Actually applying a new coat of paining is almost as easy as rubbing/wax. Every year I re paint an area of the boat. This year its the pilot house and in side of Portuguese bridge.

DFT of 545 is 5-6 mils, before sanding, half that or less afterwards. DFT of Awlgrip and similar LPU's is 3-4 mils. This means a finished thickness of 6 mils is average for marine painted finishes. This does not compare to the thickness, and hence scratch resistance, of gelcoat. Which is often four times thicker, much harder, and all one color.

[valhalla360]

Gelcoat is typically applied more thickly.

It is not harder and more scratch resistant.

It's easier to scratch but the extra thickness allows you to buff out shallow scratches.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

GalaxyGirl, glad you got the distinction between paint and gelcoat. Just think of gelcoat as part of the fiberglass.

We have owned a number of boats ranging in age from early 70's through early 2000's so we have owned hulls in almost every stage of deterioration. Our progression of hull treatments/coatings goes like this. We always preserve the original gelcoat for as long as is possible. As long as we can compound, wax, buff or whatever combination to get a nice protected shine, that is always our first choice. I was just walking the boatyard last weekend watching people doing their spring commissioning and it's amazing how many old boats still had good looking original gelcoat. But most of those boats had a loving owner with wax and buffer in hand giving the boat the care it needs.

When the gelcoat is in generally good condition (no major damage/repaired areas, or thin see-through areas) but can no longer be brought up to a shine we graduate to Poliglow. Poliglow does require some maintenance, annual or bi-annual refreshing, depending on your area, but can be removed easily enough with the cleaner/stripper that comes with it, so if you get tired of it, it doesn't have to be forever. It will definitely refresh a tired gelcoat hull though and really make it shine. This worked perfectly on our 1981 Cape Dory when no amount of buffing could bring the shine up.

When there are visible repairs to the gelcoat or for whatever reason Poliglow is no longer an option we then go to a one-part paint like Interlux Brightsides. We prefer that because we can do it ourselves and it's easy to refresh the finish whenever you need to. My husband is very good with it and always gets a beautiful finish. This was the route chosen for most of our 70's vintage hulls. If we happen to rub up against something we don't have a heart attack about it like we might if we had spent several thousand on an $$ Awlgrip job because we know that we can repair it ourselves without breaking the bank.

In between repainting we wash and wax and care for it just like we would gelcoat.

Becky

Thanks for the info Becky. Does Poliglow get applied like a wax or more like a paint? Also, does your husband spray the Interlux or brush it on? Does all of the gelcoat have to be sanded off before applying either?

[oldragbaggers]

Galaxy Girl, you would never want or need to sand off all of your gelcoat. The Poliglow goes on with a foam applicator, not like wax or paint. It's a clear acrylic coating that will put a gloss on your gelcoat. My husband uses a method called roll and tip (actually we do it together, he rolls, I tip). You can probably find a youtube video that shows the process for either Poliglow or roll and tip painting.

[Horror Hotel]

Originally Posted by minaret

Of course. You might consider reading up a bit on basic boat construction.

It's been over a year I'm surprised this hasn't happened yet.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl

Thanks for the info Becky. Does Poliglow get applied like a wax or more like a paint? Also, does your husband spray the Interlux or brush it on? Does all of the gelcoat have to be sanded off before applying either?

Here's Maine Sail's How To Wax a Boat article. Tips For A Great Buff Wax - SailboatOwners.com

Do a Google search on Polyglow. People either love it or hate it, few in between.

[eyschulman]

GG here we go again. You are approaching a slightly complex issue from the wrong angle. There is some controversy regarding how to finish and maintain topsides of boats and the size of a boat does matter. As alluded to by other posters you should be doing some basic reading about boat construction and protective coatings. There are some things that are good to learn on this site and some things much less confusing by reading well organized basic literature on the subject. You are in a position of trying to learn from top down usually not as good as from bottom up. You are jumping into a large boat with little or no basic knowledge as I judge from your multiple posts not the best position to be in. So I advise read basics on boat construction-hull types-diesel motors-mechanical components-various building materials-coatings-rust and electrolytic and forms of metal and component degradation.

[oldragbaggers]

I would recommend Don Casey's second edition of This Old Boat.