TOPIC: Anyone use this "Snake oil".

Off another forum. Still say, simple Sillycone, like "Armor All". Does zip paint, thats oxidized, Nothing will replace faded paint...just a "reflecting", applied, to the eye. Heck a washed wet boat shines too, right? Anyway, heres the post..Thoughts?
"Has anyone out there tried a fiberglass restoration product called Vertglas??? www.vertglas.com/index.html
> Does it work or is it like the rest of the stuff out there? A week later and the oxidation is back."

Yep, wasted money, my take..

Havnt used it but probaully Snake oil . Pricey snake oil it looks like to .Ild probaully just Cowboy Up and get the buffer out and good old Elbow Grease .My buddy uses some wax called Wet obsetions . Puts it on his show Mustang that he drives Tons .Says its great and holds up very well .His car does look Great to .He is gonna bring it over to try on my CV16 .Ill let ya know how it goes .

I have not used that product but I had dramatic results with a product I ordered from Florida call NewGlass2. I was restoring an abandoned 27' Catalina sailboat a few years back. It was badly oxidized and I attempted the arduous task of the old standby's...rubbing compound, wax and polish polish polish. Very slow going.

Then I can across this product and it was reasonably priced at that time...about maybe $25 for a quart of NewGlass and I also got the other oxidization prep from them. Washed down and slight scrub with the prep. Go around the hull carefully removing any scuffs/marks/scratches etc.(this stuff will hide nothing).

I then applied the NewGlass...working about 2 feet at a time using the supplied applicator. It dries very quickly so I applied about 3-4 coats as I moved along. When I finished the entire 27' hull I still had about 1/2 the quart left.

Results were amazing. People I had gotten to know thru the spring in the boat yard as everyone was in and out working on their "yachts" ...all though that I had the boat repainted.

It lasted great all summer and still looked good when I pulled the tarp off her the next spring(but for where a couple tie downs had been rubbing on the hull).

I'd recommend and will be using again any time I need to bring the original gel-coat back to life quick and easily.

All of those 'snake oils' work to a point, but only to a point. I've never used them
on my own boats, but used to use them on others boats when I was doing detailing work on the side.

When I say to a point, I mean this-

They usually are like an overcoat, they soak in to the gel coat, restore some color, and add shine. Usually, for the most part, they look pretty good when they first go on, as long as you put them on right. Like anything, though, they fade over time, and need re application. How often will depend on the product, and the environment that they are exposed to.

Some can be VERY tough to put on well- and show streaks, drips, and runs... Others I have used look great right out of the bottle (which is why people buy them at boat shows- the demonstration looks SO easy!), but are very short lived.

A word of caution- Many of these products use silicons, and other such materials... This in itself isn't bad, except that they tend to build up over time, and are difficult to remove. If you are ever going to paint later, you need to make SURE that there is absolutely no silicone left- or the paint just won't stick. This will mean lots of washing and rewashing with solvents... It can be a pain.

When I was doing this type of work for people, I'd tell them that there is no such thing as a 'shortcut'... Sure, I'd apply whatever they wanted to pay for- But would rather do it right! That means wet sanding, rubbing compound, polish, and LOTS of work...

-Andrew

Lots of " snake oil " out there.

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What I do is take 600 / 1200 / 1500 wet/ dry paper.

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You sand away the oxidized layer of gelcoat that was attacked by the elements.

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Now you have good gelcoat exposed that needs to be polished.

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I use any common paint polish as found in the auto body shop supply place.---Amazing results

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try it you will like it !!

Lots of " snake oil " out there.

---

What I do is take 600 / 1200 / 1500 wet/ dry paper.

---

You sand away the oxidized layer of gelcoat that was attacked by the elements.

---

Now you have good gelcoat exposed that needs to be polished.

---

I use any common paint polish as found in the auto body shop supply place.---Amazing results

---

try it you will like it !!

I agree,
I had a guy come over one day to showoff his paint work that he was proud of, he didnt have spray equipment as I did, but he wanted me to see his ingenuity & persistence painting his bike tank, he used a rattle can of flat black, wet sanded it and put so many coats of wax on it, he got what appeared to be a flawless clear coat.

Not that Im suggesting thats the way to go, certainly better to use the correct materials but the point is when it comes to buffing you get what you put into it.

I agree with Professor and Madprops. Here are the before and after of my hull:

Before wet sanding and rub/polishing


After


Yes that's my grand Prix in the reflection, parked about 7 feet away. No substitute for the hard work IMHO.

Bob

BEFORE



AFTER









All I did is wipe on 2 oz of wax Blah Blah Blah ..Ill sell ya some for $59.95 ...L.O.L.. No that was almost 3 days of partial Wet Sanding , Compound ,Swirl remover ,Sealer , and 5 coats of Meguiars Carbuna . Pluss lots of Elbow Grease .The Bottom I thought was white at first till I laid into it with Compound .Turned out it was blue . Tried to buff it but said heck Time to wet sand .Im gonna have to reclear the deck . Some of the metalic must be poking threw the clear and it oxidises after about 6 months . Not as bad as before but it would be .So go to HF get the $49.95 Buffer and get busy .Leave the snake oil for the snakes ...

professor wrote:

Lots of " snake oil " out there.

---

What I do is take 600 / 1200 / 1500 wet/ dry paper.

---

You sand away the oxidized layer of gelcoat that was attacked by the elements.

---

Now you have good gelcoat exposed that needs to be polished.

---

I use any common paint polish as found in the auto body shop supply place.---Amazing results

---

try it you will like it !!

I tried it and I liked it!!! This advice is yet another reason I plan to continue to donate $$$ to support this informative and enthusiastic site. The Skagit's gelcoat wasn't all that bad but it appeared as if someone had tried to apply polish/wax to the whole boat in one shot instead of doing a small area at a time. I tried strong detergents to remove it with limited results. Started out with 1500-> 2000 and finished up with 2500 wet/dry. Fantastic results!!!

Melanie

Robby321 wrote:

Off another forum. Still say, simple Sillycone, like "Armor All". Does zip paint, thats oxidized, Nothing will replace faded paint...just a "reflecting", applied, to the eye. Heck a washed wet boat shines too, right? Anyway, heres the post..Thoughts?
"Has anyone out there tried a fiberglass restoration product called Vertglas??? www.vertglas.com/index.html
> Does it work or is it like the rest of the stuff out there? A week later and the oxidation is back."

Yep, wasted money, my take..

Ive used it on a couple of boats, it is not a permanent fix, but it works like they say. Its a lot less work than buffing or a total refinish.