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sparex

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I know this topic has been covered in detail before but as it is my first sports cruiser and I never polished a boat before, would it be stupid to polish it with the same products you would use on a car -- turtle wax for instance?
 
Absolutely! It's a boat you're polishing now, so you're obliged to purchase what is likely to be exactly the same product but in a tin/bottle/tube with the word "Marine" on it and at a cost which is at least five times that of the automotive/domestic cleaner - Nothing Else Will Do!

PS I hope you've not gone and bought a boat which (cleaning/polishing wise) is any bigger than your wife can cope with?
 
Yep the above comment sounds about right. borrowed some mildew cleaner from a mate last weekend packaged as "marine" it cost £7 Wifey bought same stuff from tesco packaged as "home" it cost £3 it looked the same smelt the same and did the same job.
On a serious note as far as polish is concerned I find that a mild abrasive cleaner (milder than T'cut) available most swindlers followed by Autoglym is the dogs doo dahs. Have just tryed MER however wasnt as impressed as Autoglym.
Ian
 
Quite agree. Autoglym is better than Mer. 2 coats of Autoglym Super Resin (bottle with the red square) & 2 coats Autoglym Extra Gloss (bottle with the gold square) and it lasts all season. And no, I don't work for Autoglym.
 
Not tryed the "gold label" stuff. Is it neccassary after the ""red label" stuff and whats the difference exactly. Could you just use the "gold label" stuff ??????
Ian
 
[ QUOTE ]
Could you just use the "gold label" stuff ??????

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see why not, but surely a bit like using two part teak cleaner, but only using the one part. The Gold stuff is very liquid - bit like skimmed milk - no wax / polish as such in it.

Another tip for getting coloured hulls looking like new with minimal effort is with Polytrol. Wipe on & instantly restores the original colour. Wipe off after a few minutes and then apply Autoglym.
 
I use em both on cars and reading the bottles the Gold one is supposed to go on over the red labelled one. It seems it's a gloss finish only, not having the protective properties of the other.
That's how I read it anyway.

Autoglym.jpg


Autoglym Site
 
Whatever you use, make sure that it does not contain silicone as this can cause problems if you ever have to have a GRP repair done later. It "wicks" down the fibres and can then cause poor adhesion to any subsequent repair.

I use International Polwax as a sealer coat after cutting with Farecla(if reqd)and if honest, its the best product I have ever used on a boat. Goes on easily and buffs up a treat even by hand.

Some auto polishes are OK, and as has been said, AutoGlym range is probably among the kindest, but just check whats in it.

JH
 
I have taken a radical step and used a new product that is fantastic on plastic windows & vinyl & also claims to be superb on unpainted GRP.

Its called 303 Aerospace Protectant & it works like factor 30 sun screen for your boat, therefore restores colour and stops fade.

I have just polished it into the hull using a rechargeable polisher (eg not too fast) & it has given excellent results. The hull has all its cream colour back and looks like a glass surface. The question is how long will it last for ?

re-application is a spray on, wipe off affair.... no more buffing & rubbing.

It can only be bought from the polishing company, found here
http://www.thepolishingcompany.com/foryourboat.html

I use their P21 car products that are far better than the normal halfords stoicked brands.....but more expensive.
 
Well I used Starbrite's Teflon based polish last season for the first time - very much with tongue in cheek re the claims for it.

However, it was geniunely excellent and the shine/protection lasted right through the season and beyond. My test is to splash water up the topsides and see if it still forms into droplets instead of forming a flat 'sheet' if you see what I mean.

The shine on the hull is exactly the same now as it was when she was launched at the beginning of last season, so as I say, I very impressed. And so I damn well should be with it costing circa £14.75 for a small bottle of the stuff!!

I put on the two coats within 30 days prior to launch as recommended and have just done the first one ready for this season. My friends in the same boatyard are also extremely impressed and several intend using it themselves this year.

No connection etc, but well recommended product.
 
Richard (Questor) said;
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another tip for getting coloured hulls looking like new with minimal effort is with Polytrol. Wipe on & instantly restores the original colour. Wipe off after a few minutes and then apply Autoglym.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

That sounds terrific - kinda like the "bone idle persons guide to getting a shiny boat" - which is why it appeals to me !

Is it really an alternative to cutting with Farecla or similar ?

The idea of a simple wipe on/wipe off treatment is appealing - but does it really leave the grp shiny enough to simply coat/cover/protect with a good quality polish ? I know that many manufacturers claim to be the dog's doodahs, but does anyone have experience of this stuff really doing what it says on the tin? If so, I'll place my order now !!!

Spec. sheet right here.
 
I tried something similar a while back and it wasn't a great success, but I didn't apply it very scientifically so I can't say it wont work if applied in the right way. Its basically a varnish for paintwork that makes it look the colour it would if it was wet. One issue is, I think when you've done this its not easy to go back to conventional polish, cos you've got a thin coat of polymer on top. I seem to remember it was targetted at old boats where the gel coat was beyond conventional polishing.
 
Nick - are you saying that it becomes difficult to get subsequent polish applications to adhere to the grp after applying the Polytrol ? If so it would be a non-starter, surely.......???
 
I found the stuff I used, it was called Glass Cote

web page

It looks similar to the stuff you found, and I'm sure it mentioned that you couldn't use normal polish after, or you had to clean it first or something similar, it was quite a while ago.

I couldn't get a nice shiny finish with it either, but I wouldn't want to rubbish the product when it may have been down to me.
 
We used Autoglym Yellow - the wax polish with the Autoglym Gold and it worked great. We still got rain water runoff stains from the stainless steel but they wiped off quickly with no effort and we can highly recommend this.

Took quite a while to do and we are about to start polishing again as soon as the temperature gets up more. I will have a closer inspection of the polish after a full year very soon. Our foredeck gets quite black with runoff after a year but it definitely seemed much cleaner this year with using the Gold finish. Also, we only used the bodywork conditioner when hosing and cleaning during the year.
 
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