Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

[DetailArtist]

Faded, chalky fiberglass boats can be a lot of work. Sometimes the ez way is better. Try Penetrol, and you'll know what i mean. Found in hardware stores in paint section. Will last only a few weeks but it works fast. Works on RV's, too.

[Tuck91]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

Faded, chalky fiberglass boats can be a lot of work. Sometimes the ez way is better. Try Penetrol, and you'll know what i mean. Found in hardware stores in paint section. Will last only a few weeks but it works fast. Works on RV's, too.

How can a protective coating remove oxidation off fiberglass?

Sometimes the hard way is better as well, as in polishing with M49.

[CieraSL]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

I agree with Nick.


It makes more sense to fix the problem rather than to try to cover it up or mask it.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

I agree with the others. Fix the problem. Repeat customer. Charging him to keep coming back every couple of weeks. Not a long term solution. Would not be building a stable customer base.

[DetailArtist]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

Dudes, don't knock something until you try it, and it behooves you to learn something new everyday by being open-minded. I've been in this biz alot longer than you may realize, I'm just passing along PROVEN tips. Different requirements, different solutions. I could spend an afternoon in the hot sun waxing a horrible boat or simply Penetrol it in about 30 minutes. Or a customer says " I don't want to spend $20 / foot to wax my 21 footer right now; what else can you do that will pick it up?" Or maybe he's selling it. I'd rather offer an alternative budget solution than not getting the job because its unrealistically priced to the customer. And be up-front; the heavy compound will last longer, the Penetrol will look good but for a shorter time.

[roushstage2]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

So, would this be more of like a fiberglass dressing then?

[Tuck91]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

I could spend an afternoon in the hot sun waxing a horrible boat or simply Penetrol it in about 30 minutes. And be up-front; the heavy compound will last longer, the Penetrol will look good but for a shorter time.

Simply waxing a boat in horrible condition in the sun is not going to do anything to remove oxidation or any defects. You have to use a compound, cleaner/polish, or cleaner wax to remove any oxidation, stains, or any other sort of defects.

I do not think any sort of "heavy compound" is going to protect the fiberglass either.

[ri.buzzard]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

From what I have been told, I would avoid using Penetrol. It is an oil base and it will fill the pores of the gel coat so that if you ever decide at some point to paint the hull you will have big problems. I used a water-based acrylic calledc Poli-Glow on my gel coat. It looked good for a few years. I have now removed all of it and am going back to the old fashioned compound/wax. Initially, I had alot of oxidation seeing that dark green gel coat is probably the most susceptiblew to fading and oxidation comparedc to other colors. I used wet sanding (600 then 100 then 1500 to get most if not all the oxidation off. Whatever is done, thew oxidation must bew removed first or it will show through the finish.

Jim

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Instant Gratification on Chalky fiberglass

Faded, chalky fiberglass boats can be a lot of work. Sometimes the ez way is better. Try Penetrol, and you'll know what i mean. Found in hardware stores in paint section. Will last only a few weeks but it works fast. Works on RV's, too.

How can a protective coating remove oxidation off fiberglass?

Sometimes the hard way is better as well, as in polishing with M49.

I agree with the others. Fix the problem. Repeat customer. Charging him to keep coming back every couple of weeks. Not a long term solution. Would not be building a stable customer base.

While we have no doubts that this product will improve the appearance, we're with the other guys on this one. DetailArtist, even you admit the improvement only lasts a few weeks - are your customers happy with a "fix" that is really that temporary? If so, fine, but we know a lot of folks that would be looking for a refund if their boats reverted back to what they were so quickly.

It sounds sort of like the gel coat equivalent of just loading badly swirled paint with a lot of glaze and calling it a day. If a short term solution is all that's needed then, again, fine. All depends on what you, and your customer's, expectations are.