Polishing gel coat with Window cleaner

[Annabel]

We were in a marina in Preveza recently and saw a man polishing his boat, it was very shiny and beautiful, not a particularly new boat, but not very old either. The finish came up like it was new though. He said he was using just ordinary old window cleaner. I tried it on a small bit of our new Hanse, and it was quite easy and felt and looked smooth and beautiful. Can anyone think of a reason not to use it, could have any negative effect down the track. Thanks

[RaymondR]

Depends upon what's in it.

Wax is usually used on FG boats to help the surface from suffering UV damage and going chalky.

[Sojourner]

I read that while windex might clean and shine, it strips off all the wax.

[Tillsbury]

Yes, the normal wax polish fills scratches, helps rain wash dirt off, and protects from uv. You won’t get any of that from windex.

[Capn Jimbo]

Windex in no way "polishes" or protects. While it may - may - clean, you need a lasting protective coating over your gelcoat to avoid premature aging and breakdown. Think about it...

[Annabel]

Thank you all very much for your replies. You have confirmed what I was secretly thinking, so that will be that. Designated wax it will be.

[Annabel]

One more question. I am going to embark on the big boat myself. Would I be wise to look at a polishing tool like an orbitle polisher or is the old elbow grease just as easy and effective?

[tarian]

Originally Posted by Annabel

One more question. I am going to embark on the big boat myself. Would I be wise to look at a polishing tool like an orbitle polisher or is the old elbow grease just as easy and effective?

Good quality orbital tool for polishing the hull with speed variences, but I use elbow grease for the wax it helps to see were it is needed and polishing it , you also have to dry buff the wax to get that ultimate shine,

[Connemara]

Yes. Get a 7-incher. Even on a smallish boat (27 feet), the five-inch orbital is a lot of work for these aging arms.

Connemara

(Where in Kiwiland, BTW?)

[Locquatious]

We have been using AwlCare on our boat for several years. It has made the 1982 gelcoat start to recover till almost like a paint shine.
Avoid a 10" polisher unless you want a lot of lifting exercise.

[Annabel]

That's great advice, thank you all very much

[Annabel]

Connemara we are Tauranga, but the yacht is in Greece, Cleopatra at the moment

[drewm3i]

Forget the wax and get a polymer polish like pro polish or 3m equivalent. These remove minor oxidation and last much longer due to a chemical bond to the gelcoat.

[drewm3i]

Originally Posted by Locquatious

We have been using AwlCare on our boat for several years. It has made the 1982 gelcoat start to recover till almost like a paint shine.
Avoid a 10" polisher unless you want a lot of lifting exercise.

+1, Awlcare is a polymer sealer (superior to wax).

[Suijin]

Awlcare is a polish and a polymer sealer. It's what they recommend for protecting Awlcraft and Awlgrip paints. You should use Awlwash first, if you can. Awlcare doesn't require any elbow grease...wipe on, rubbing just enough to clean, let it haze, buff it off easily by hand. Use LOTS of clean rags.

Window cleaner has ammonia in it and it probably works pretty well to clean gelcoat and strip off any chalkiness, within reason. But it's not in any way a protectant. Personally I would not use it as it's potentially pretty aggressive stuff. After all it's meant to get EVERYTHING off of glass, which is pretty immune to most chemicals.