awlgrip

[irwinsailor]

Has anyone used Awlgrip as a do it yourself project? I tryed talking to the awlgrip people at the Chicago boat show a few weeks ago and they said that it is not a diy product. They had no interest in talking to me. It made me wonder why they were there.

[sy Dolce Vita]

IMHO awlgrip is a seven year paint job. after that you gotta do it again.and it's not repairable.Do it right the first time and use Imron(it's rpairable too) and last much longer.

[irwinsailor]

I have been told that Imron is best (in my area) for the hull and Awlgrip is best for decks and spars and Awlgrip is better in tropical areas. I do not know what is best, but I do like that way a awlgrip paint job looks. My first paint job will be the aluminum spars.

[sy Dolce Vita]

paint only one spar with awlgrip. and at least it was my own and not a customers .I'll never do that again Imron is the one and only to use on a spar .You might want to look at Stierling LP paints too.

[AnchorageGuy]

IS, Painted my entire hull, cabin house and non skids and spars (ketch) With Awlgrip. The hull was done six years ago. All looks great today. I have a friend that owns a Marina and sprays Awlgrip and has complemented the boat many times. Put it on with a foam roller. It is not to be entered into lightly. You need to be reasonably handy and develop a technique for putting it on. Surface prep is the key to success. But it was not that difficult. Imron and any other multi part polyurethane or epoxy paint are all going to be in the same difficulty level and present the same challenges. You need to decide what is ready available in your area and start doing some research. Then decide which way you want to go. I feel comfortable with Awlgrip products so that is my preference.

[Steve Rust]

I think most DIY er's use the foam roller and brush method when applying two part polyurethane. The paint is very toxic when atomized in the air with a spray gun and requires a fresh air respirator if you don't want to have any nasty side affects. You can get good results from the roller and brush method but it does take some skill and technique. As Chuck said preparation is the key and you will spend most of your time fairing the hull. The painting goes quick. If that high gloss new car finish is not the most important thing you can add flattening agent to vary the finish from gloss all the way down to flat. I did this when I painted my trimaran and I came away with a nice satin finish. It helps to hide the minor surface imperfections. The high gloss will show up every scratch and dimple that you may have missed in the prepwork. As some mentioned to me as I was fretting over fairing the hull some more, "just get it done it's a boat not a German piano". I used Interlux over a 15 year old Imron paint job.