Paint or A Glaze?

[sadlerman]

I have been considering painting my faded topsides but someone has suggested that I use A Glaze instead. It appears to restore the original colour however my concern is whether or not it lives up to claims that the quality of finish can be retained year on year. Has anyone had any practical experience of this product?

 

[franky]

"a" glaze needs a good surface to bond to.So thorough preparation is essential.I had my boat A Glazed by a team at Chatham and she looked terrific,probably because the A Glaze director berthed opposite me.They recommend washing with their shampoo and repeating the application annually.

 

[Will33]

As has been mentioned the key to success of A-Glaze is getting the prep right. More traditional methods are required in addressing the faded gelcoat, combining wet and dry and various grades of compound. Where the A-Glaze comes into its own is in preventing further deteriation of the gel coat once it has been restored. My own view is that painting over gel coat should be the last resort.

Hope that helps

Will

 

[jfkal]

Try Poligow.

 

[gjgm]

try over on MBChat. One of the chiefs PMd me.. he said it wont restore faded blue gel.. you need to restore the colour first in the preperation, and then Aglaze it. Still, lots of boaters seem impressed with the product.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Yup, second Poliglow.... worked very well for me....

 

[sadlerman]

Thanks for the comments. I shall consider Poliglow aswell. I accept it is all in the preparation, does the finish last if shampoo'd etc annually?

 

[alldownwind]

I Poliglow'd my boat last year - been very pleased, although there are signs of some wear in the finish where fenders rub on it when the boat is in her permanent berth. I assume I can just patch over these areas as I had plenty of the stuff left. I guess A-Glaze may have the same problem
Incidentally Poliglow was reviewed in one of the mags recently (prretty sure it was Sailing Today), it was enthusiastic but found the same problem with fenders.