94 boat
Viewed from side, there is a slight shine
Chalky when surface viewed perpendicular
looks good when wet!

I've read a little bit about a product called Vertglass
I'm wondering if that is what is for me in this case to get a good finish on my hulls

I did try using an ordinary automotive orbital buffer with some mothers wax cleaner, then polish, then wax. Made the finish a bit better, but it definatly doesn't shine the way I want it to. Any pointers or tips? Or will I just have to deal with the finish the way it is

Repaint the entire boat

Have you used this product, any tips to go by. I'm not sure repainting the boat is something I want to do. Perhaps I have misconceptions about cost, but it seems pretty expensive to do the right way.

Any other advice from anyone else?

I was just messing with you

I just repainted my whole boat, and the shine is amazing... its like showroom quality... however, you might not have the facilities to do it like I did.

if your hulls are oxidizing, meaning when you run your finger over it, you get white powder on your finger, you need to use rubbing compound first. It goes on like a wax and it stops the oxidation. After the rubbing compound has done its thing, then you can go ahead and wax.

Make sure before you do anything though, you use a strong de-waxing agent on the hull to cleanse it.

ok...

If I run my finger down the hull, I get nada. This of course after it's clean. It just doesn't have any shine to it.

I'll try some of the dewaxing/buffing and then waxing stuff this week. I was/am a little hesitant to put any acrylic stuff on the boat. I think I'd rather repaint.

If you don't mind me asking, what did you spend on painting? I have a freind in the auto paint biz who is good, perhaps I could do the prep and......

Well, when I repainted, I also had a lot of hull repair to do. I also split the cost of painting with the guy that helped me do it, as we painted his wooden skiff at the same time.

What you need is a good polish. Talk to the guys at your local boat supply store, they usually can tell you what has worked for them. If your hulls aren't oxidizing then theres no need to repaint them, plus, if you start now, and don't work on it but every weekend, you'll miss the whole sailing season (assuming you're in the US).

McGuires has tons of polishes in all kinds of grits. Buy some of the not too heavy grit polish I can't remember the number. They have different numbers for different grit levels. Anyway use your buffer and McGuires and it will look like new again.

Mike Hill
H20 #791

Vertglass is basically water based polyurethane. It is shiny but looks like polyurethane applied with a brush or pad when viewed from the side. If you screw it up, it looks bad and is hard to get off. I tried it as an alternative to waxing on the deck of a monohull. I was happy to get it off.

There is a "sailing season"? - I just go out when there is wind, LOL.

Here in Vermont, the season is limited to times when the water is in a liquid state. (Last Sunday, the air was a chilly 48 degrees at 4 pm. Even us lifelong Vermonters were feeling that it's time to get on with summer.)

Oh I see - I guess 6 - 18 inches of ice would put a bit of a damper on water-sports.

Some of the folks just make a seasonal switch to boats with blades rather than hulls