Poliglow or another wax

scrit9mm

Chief Petty Officer
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May 31, 2011
Messages
425
My boat is no way oxidixed, but I am wanting a quality wax to put on my boat to help keep the boat looking clean and really shine as long as possible.

What do you guys use?
 

r.j.dawg

Ensign
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
993
Re: Poliglow or another wax

Poliglow isn't a wax. It is a polimer product kind of like floor wax. It is more for oxidized boats.

I've had great success with 3M products.
 

scrit9mm

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
425
Re: Poliglow or another wax

yes. I understand that Poliglow is not a wax. What 3M product have you used for wax or to produce a lasting glossy shine?

Has anyone actually used this product? If so how long does the "shine" last?
 

r.j.dawg

Ensign
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
993
Re: Poliglow or another wax

I use their "cleaner & wax" and then finish it off with Finesse-It. A buddy at our marina did his boat last spring with Poliglow and it lasted all summer. It seemed like a pain to put it on because he had to go over the entire boat with the prep solution. Then he has to apply 5 coats of the Poliglow. I could have waxed three boats in the time it took him to do his.
 

emilsr

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
774
Re: Poliglow or another wax

Honestly, I think it's more THAT you use than WHAT you use. I've seen gorgeous boats protected with all kinds of different brands and types of wax/protectant.

3M is good stuff; I've used it in the past and would use it again, but for the past few years I've been using Mequiar's pure wax as the final step. Seems to last a long time and give good protection. With red hull sides that's crucial for me as that color seems to be one of the worst for fading.
 

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
18,137
Re: Poliglow or another wax

yes. I understand that Poliglow is not a wax. What 3M product have you used for wax or to produce a lasting glossy shine?

Has anyone actually used this product? If so how long does the "shine" last?

I have used poliglow . . . it is for fairly well oxidized surfaces. If you surface is not oxidized very much, then Poliglow would not be good.

I got about 3 years of shine on my sailboat with PoliGlow before it needed to be re-done. Here is a link:

Fiberglass Gelcoat Restoration and Boat Graphics
 

captain zac

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 15, 2007
Messages
270
Re: Poliglow or another wax

If you have no oxidation at this time I would suggest

First wipe down with acatone and get surface clean of old wax

3M Marine Fiberglass Cleaner and Wax
Use a 3M superbuff compound pad
Then
3M Marine Ultra Performance Paste Wax
Use 3M High perfrmance cloth

touch up weekly with
3M Marine Clean and shine wax with soft Cloth or High performance cloth

Harry
 

Thalasso

Commander
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
2,879
Re: Poliglow or another wax

If you don't have a oxidation problem, all you need to use to get old wax off is Dawn Dish Detergent. It will strip all wax off. No need to be using acetone. Seeings you live in the south, wax isn't going to stay on long. The sun will just eat it up. What you should do is get marine fiberglass polish. This is what will give you the shine. Not wax. Wax is just a protectant. In the northern climates wax lasts longer. A good wax is Collinite insulator wax. Put the bottle in warm water before you use it. It won't even let dust settle on the surface.I use Duragloss Marine & RV Polish #501 from AutoGeek. As far as wax is concerned the same stuff you use on your car is good enough.Boat wax won't last any longer. Especially in the south.
 

jayhanig

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
836
Re: Poliglow or another wax

If you decide to go with Poliglow, be sure to order their applicator. I tried to go cheap and just used a small roller and got a very rippled result. I ended up having to use their remover product (which works very well) just to get my boat smooth to the touch again. Then I waxed it with car wax. In the meanwhile I have ordered a couple of applicators so I may try the Poliglow again in the future when I get my courage up again.
 

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
18,137
Re: Poliglow or another wax

I have found that the PoliGlow remover product works great on cleaning aluminum gutters. I believe that it has a harsh chemical that most cleaners don't have any more.
 

25thmustang

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
1,849
Re: Poliglow or another wax

The one boat I saw that had been poliglowed looked very bad. It was a season after the boat was done and inside a building but the hullsides (a mid 30'er similar to mine) were very spotty and blotchy. I never saw it back in the water but from the angles in the building it was worse than an oxidized hull.
 

Boobie Trap

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
122
Re: Poliglow or another wax

My boat is no way oxidixed, but I am wanting a quality wax to put on my boat to help keep the boat looking clean and really shine as long as possible.

What do you guys use?

Had our boat detailed right after we purchased it and the guy said to never use a paste wax, always use a liquid wax.
The liquid puts oils back into the gel coat and helps in maintaining the finish.
Works for me.
 

scrit9mm

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
425
Re: Poliglow or another wax

so, wax then polish or vise versa?
 

captain zac

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 15, 2007
Messages
270
Re: Poliglow or another wax

Polish has abrasives in it so it is used to get out the swirls and imperfections on the glass left behind by the compounds
Wax magnifies what is under it for a better shine.

IMO and if you read what 3m has to say

Always use the least abrasive compound that you can in order to remove the oxidation
(Heavy compound, light compound, polish)
followed by wax
if you start with light compound then you will have to use polish to remove the swirls and then wax
 
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