How to Remove PoliGlow

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, Rod, I quite understand that you'd like such folks to come to your shop and have their gelcoat restored, and I'm quite ready to believe that you can make it look way better than Poli-Glow can.

But, there just might be a small difference in the cost of such treatments. On our previous boat we used P-G on thirty year old gelcoat, a surface that was quite porous, and which resisted the usual cut and polish as applied by amateurs during a short term slipping. It didn't look as good as new or newly restored gel, but it looked a hell of a lot better than untreated... and it only took us around 8 hours total labour and less than 50 AUD to get there. And the renewal was even quicker the next year.

Some folks, especially cruisers who are actively sailing, don't want to spend the time or money on perfection of appearance in an older boat. For such folks, P-G and its ilk are useful and welcome.

No experience with using it over LPU finishes, and no comments to make on the subject.

Jim

It is not a case of acrylic coating must be DIY and gelcoat restoration must be pro. Either can be done by either.

Regardless who performs the work, to do an equally good job, proper gelcoat restoration is vastly superior to clear acrylic coating, and it really does not take any longer.

All of the dock speak stories about how little time it takes to apply acrylic clear coat are mostly, dung.

Even for a couple spring maintenance coats, a thorough wash to get all last seasons stains off the boat before sealing them in takes a couple hours (including getting all tools out and packing them back up). Hang around for the boat to dry (hour on hot sunny day, hopefully no wind or it will blow crap on the boat to seal in forever, much longer on a damp overcast day), or chamois dry to speed up the process. Then the two clear coat applications (the latter being all people normally refer to in dock speak), which typically represent one third to one quarter of the total job.

The same results can be obtained with a one step restorer and wax, in the same time.

Benefits of proper gelcoat maintenance:

1. No stains sealed.
2. No brown gooey mess anywhere anyone leans on it with sunblock or lotion on their skin.
3. No removal required for gelcoat repair or painting.
4. On horizontal smooth surfaces, no slip waxes are far less slippery.

I am not suggesting anyone else should not use an acrylic coating if that makes them happy, just that in my opinion and after personal experience, using it, I will never use it again.

People can wipe dung on their boats if that makes them happy.

But putting acrylic clear coat over Awlgrip is wrong on so many counts.

The correct maintenance solution for Awlgrip, is Awlwash and Awlcare.

After about 10-15 years, the boat will need an Awlgrip repaint to be as beautiful as possible again.

If one does not really care about appearances, just leave it and it will look great for 20 - 25 years (except for dock scars and such that no coating will fix short of repair and repaint).

[TooCoys]

The poliglow on my boat has probably been there for a decade or more. I really would like to get back to gel coat and a buff before painting it after the first of the year.

Can you sand it off with 1000 then 2000 grit wet paper? Between the oxidation and poliglow it looks horrendous.

[TooCoys]

Here's a better photo where you can really see the splotches of unmaintained poliglow.

[Jim Cate]

It has been a few years since I last dealt with PG, but IIrC the stripper is ammonia based and definitely does not involve sanding. I think that any ammonia based HD cleaner will take it off, and without a great deal of labor.

If painting is in your near future, I'd advise not waxing the hull now. You will just have to get rid of it as part of the paint prep. And if the boat is a bit dull in the interim, just think how much nicer it will look painted and glossy!

Jim

[Chuck34]

Originally Posted by TooCoys

The poliglow on my boat has probably been there for a decade or more. I really would like to get back to gel coat and a buff before painting it after the first of the year.

Can you sand it off with 1000 then 2000 grit wet paper? Between the oxidation and poliglow it looks horrendous.

Before doing something extreme like wet sanding, get the Poliglow stripper first and try it. When I bought my boat, it was very splotchy as well.
With the stripper and a 3M scrubby pad, I was able to strip my boat in less than an hour.
Wet sanding is a last resort... only do it when less aggressive methods don't work.

[Durangutan]

I used this ZEP 128 oz. Heavy Duty Floor Stripper-ZULFFS128 - The Home Depot . This was on a 20' sailboat I had treated with Poli Glow several years ago and failed to maintain. I don't recall how strong a solution I used but it took a higher than recommended ratio of stripper to water with the blue scrub pads to make the work easier. I had also tried ammonia and it had little effect. I don't envy you, that's a good size boat! Good Luck!

[Dadrock33]

Poliglow makes their own "remover" and definitely DO NOT sand your hull!! I'd actually try and redo the effected areas first. Poliglow is much easier to maintain and apply than any wax product . . but, to each his own.

[FL Dan]

3M Adhesive Remover. The stuff was used on a boat of mine twenty or so years ago. Most detailers wanted nothing to do with it because the job is such a pain. One guy agreed, but said that this was the only product he'd use. Pricey, but the job turned out great.