Polytrol experiences?

C

chinita

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Dec 2005
Messages
13,224
Location
Outer Hebrides
Visit site
Have Googled this to death but can't find any consistency in answers. Varies from 'Magic, brilliant, durable, long lasting, instant' to 'Dull, needs lots of coats, difficult to remove'.

Anybody have any ACTUAL experience they may care to share?

TIA
 
chinita said:
May I ask why?
Click to expand...

Certainly. As you'll have no doubt read, any initial appearance improvement is followed by a yellowing of the coating, leading to a stained result which is virtually impossible to remove. If you need to improve the appearance, I'd suggest you go for thorough cleaning, possibly compounding, then a couple of coats of polish followed by a couple of coats of wax. Repeat every 6-12 months.
 
used it 2 months ago on my Laser 2000 which was badly faded and it has brought back most of it, also on a dark blue beneteau at same time with what I would say is a good result. But time will tell..........
 
Last edited:
pvb said:
Certainly. As you'll have no doubt read, any initial appearance improvement is followed by a yellowing of the coating, leading to a stained result which is virtually impossible to remove. If you need to improve the appearance, I'd suggest you go for thorough cleaning, possibly compounding, then a couple of coats of polish followed by a couple of coats of wax. Repeat every 6-12 months.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that.

I understand the 'yellowing' occurs when applied to a white surface - something Polytrol discourage.

In my case I have a wide blue hull stripe which I compounded and polished last September but, after nine months in the Algarve sun, it has begun to oxidise again.

I am reluctant to lift out to repeat the process and even more reluctant to wobble about in a dinghy with an electric compounding tool!

I should have initially stated that the surface was blue and I am really looking for long term implications on that colour - does it gloss with additional coats?, can it be polished over?, can it be removed? Is it durable?, is it UV resistant?

I don't really mind which way it goes as long as I am not stuck with a lemon at the end. If the only answer is compounding and polishing then so be it. It is just that the stuff was recommended to me by a highly competent Dutch surveyor but I am naturally suspicious of miracle cures and quick fixes.
 
I think the inconsistency in answers will reflect true life experiences.

I've used Owertrol (an earlier product) about four times on my current boat. I used it again this year. My gel coat is quite dull and I wanted something that might protect it. I haven't had great success with waxes and polishes probably because I haven't allocated enough time to do it properly. My experience with Owertrol is quite good. I brush it on and after a few minutes wipe the GRP down with a clean cloth and again with a second clean cloth. In effect, there is only a very thin layer left. There is a very slight yellow sheen but once the boat is in the water, I can't see it. It looks white to me, is reasonably shiny (if a bit patchy in places) and water runs off it. It doesn't seem to have built up over the years as some have reported. I think the secret is to make sure you rub as much off as possible before it dries. Only treat a small area at a time. It dries quite quickly.

I'd agree with pvb that a proper polish and wax is better if you have the time and energy. Those club members who do that have shinier boats than mine.

There are two possible disadvantage of waxes and polishes. Excessive abrasion of the gel coat can cause it to thin. I know my surveyor is against too much polishing for this reason. In addition, if you ever needed to paint the hull, then I would assume wax removal may be needed first. Owertrol can be used as a paint primer so that shouldn't be a problem.

I wouldn't use it on a newish hull but if it's faded and old, then you may want to try it. You could test it on a small area (the transom?) one year and see how you get on.

Cameras can lie but it doesn't look yellow to me. It also brings up the blue stripe nicely.

DSCF1133Woolfee2_zps0fdb5f2b.jpg
 
chinita said:
In my case I have a wide blue hull stripe which I compounded and polished last September but, after nine months in the Algarve sun, it has begun to oxidise again.

I am reluctant to lift out to repeat the process and even more reluctant to wobble about in a dinghy with an electric compounding tool!

I should have initially stated that the surface was blue and I am really looking for long term implications on that colour - does it gloss with additional coats?, can it be polished over?, can it be removed? Is it durable?, is it UV resistant?
Click to expand...

The Hallberg-Rassy I've just sold had wide blue gelcoat stripes which had faded badly. I tried Polytrol on the transom stripe. Don't have any pics, but it didn't look great. I found that polishing and waxing worked OK, but only lasted a few months. In the end, I had the stripes sprayed with Awlgrip, which cost a lot but probably helped me to get the high selling price I achieved. For the rest of the hull, I just used 2 coats of polish, followed by 2 coats of wax, all hand-applied, every 2 years.

sold_zps0774a9ee.jpg
 
Thanks everybody.

I shall try Polytrol on the boot line and leave it for the summer.

Interesting about Awlgrip. I once had a big steel ketch which I had sprayed in blue Awlgrip. It was immaculate and relatively easy to maintain, even in the Med. I had never considered taking the step of Awlgripping the GRP blue stripe. Perhaps it is nearing the time to think about it if things don't improve. Boat is an LM with similar blue/white proportions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top