“Poli Glow is a marine polish that wipes on without rubbing or buffing.” These modest words from Poli Glow Canada totally understate the impressive results you can get by using this product on a boler!
Bolers, of course, are fiberglass like many boats. And long ago bolers lost their original lustre, resulting in a flat finish that soils easily. In response, some owners paint their bolers, others apply a new fiberglass gelcoat. But professional painting is an expensive proposition, as is a new gelcoat.
A lower cost alternative to revive the looks of your boler is Poli Glow, which the previous owner of our boler used to great effect. We’ve continued the tradition for two seasons.
Available from Poli Glow Canada for $99.99 or Poli Glow International for $74.95 US, the kit consists of a 32 fl.oz bottle of Poli Glow, a 32 fl.oz bottle of Poli Prep, a 7-inch applicator (or mitt) and a scrubbing pad with handle (I think mine came with two pairs of gloves, as well). According to the company, there’s enough material to treat a 34-foot RV for one season, so you’ll have enough for two or three applications on your boler.
You start with preparation, which basically means cleaning your boler with diluted Poli Prep. You hose down your trailer and begin scrubbing top to bottom. It’s amazing what comes off! Take some time doing this, as preparation is key to a superior finish. I spent most of a morning scrubbing and rinsing, and followed up with a microfiber cloth to get rid of drips and streaks.
Poli Glow instructions recommend leaving the trailer overnight to completely dry, which I did.
You use the applicator (or mitt) to apply the Poli Glow. Squirt some on the applicator, lay it on the surface, and slide it in a straight line, following the contours of the boler. I started on a ladder, doing the roof. Do the centre first, and work out. Poliglow dries within a minute, so do one section, then move on, feathering each section into the next. Once the roof is done, start on the sides, working around the trailer until it’s coated. Identify and eliminate drips as you go.
Then repeat. The instructions recommend five or six thin coats.
I put six coats on. It doesn’t take long to apply (a couple of hours, tops, less time than preparation), there’s no toxic smell, and it’s really quite an agreeable activity.
Something to note is that Poli Glow reacts with rubber, and you likely have rubber seals around your windows. If you touch those seals with your mitt, you will create a black streak in your finish. You could mask any rubber surfaces beforehand, or go slow near rubber seals. The Poli Glow instructions warn that the streaks you create will become part of the finish. (It’s true…).
While Poli Glow is clear, I notice that it may give a slightly creamy hue to a white finish. We like it on ours, but I haven’t seen it applied to the two-tone bolers. It may deepen the colours a bit, make them a bit richer in appearance. Apparently Poli Glow is packed with UV inhibitors, which presumably help maintain the finish.
Poli Glow recommends a seasonal application. I do know that once applied, it makes the boler easier to clean if you’re in the habit of washing yours. And if you need to remove Poli Glow completely, there’s a Poli Strip product available for that purpose.
True, the Poli Glow application process is a bit time consuming, but it’s by no means hard work and is a fun project.
That’s all I know! It works for us. Check the company’s Canadian and International websites for more details.
The author purchased the product from Poli Glow Canada and has no affiliation with the company. He just likes a shiny boler!
