Polycarbonate (Lexan) - Restore Your Own

Guide/Book Page

Polycarbonate (Lexan) - Restore Your Own

Polycarbonate is tough stuff. Everybody talks about the bulletproof uses, but for us on boats, it means your portlights can be nearly as strong as the cabin itself. Excepting maybe some exotic laminates, it's often the best thing for strong, shatterproof “glass” applications.

The two major things polycarbonate has going against it are cost, and the fact that it is a fairly soft material. The same qualities that make it so tough, also mean that it scratches and hazes easily, and common cleaners can ruin the surface immediately. Even paper towels scratch the stuff, really!

The thing is, unlike acrylics (Plexiglass), which craze, the damage to polycarbonate (Lexan) is almost entirely on the surface. It often has a coating that helps with UV, but even so, within a few years the sun's rays, boat washing, salt and wind and all of the other things combine to give you that lovely “frosted” effect that says “OLD BOAT!!!” Plus, it means popping your head out a hatch to see anything from below, which can be wet and cold.

So, step right up, my friends, and let me tell you of an amazing product that will both restore your polycarbonate to near new condition, and protect it from the sun's damaging rays. It will make even salt water bead off your portlights and hatches, withstand washing with typical boat detergents, and even slough off bird poop! And what is this amazing product?

Car wax.

Over the past ten years (once I priced replacing them all), I've tried all kinds of different things on our lexan pieces. I found that you CAN take the surface down with lighter and lighter grit polishes (starting with light rubbing compound and ending with plastic polish), and then finish with a good UV coating like a pure carnuba wax, and your “windows” can almost look brand new. It's a lot of work, and the UV coating has to be kept up, but it's the bristol path.

On the other hand, you can just grab whatever “restoring” wax you've got (meaning it has some polishing compound in it), take a polisher or a drill with a polishing bonnet, and evenly “rub out” the surface of the lexan. It will take some time; you're not just applying wax, you're removing the top layer of plastic, and then coating the raw surface with wax – so apply some pressure and take your time. You'll want to go over it a few times to get it evenly polished if it's badly hazed.

After you get the hang of it, you can take even the worst oxidation down in a few minutes – to the point where you can read a newspaper through it (or to the point where you'll be thinking of replacing your curtains). When it starts to get a little hazy again, just repeat.