Awlgrip or Interlux

[Bensimon132]

Hey all,
I am going to have my cape dory typhoon weekender painted. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for topside and deck paint. I have heard good things about both interlux perfection and awlgrip. If you have any experience with the two, please let me know what you think. I'm also having it painted by a professional. I hear bad things about trying to do the topsides yourself. Thanks
-Ben

[AnchorageGuy]

Ben, This is going to be a matter of personal preference. We have painted our second boat now with AwlGrip and I would not use anything else. But that's because I have had great results with it. Others will have a different preference for the same reason. They are both excellent paints. Chuck

[Bensimon132]

The boat is also white, and I have heard some concerns about painting it a different ( darker color. Any advice?

[KeysDreaming]

Originally Posted by Bensimon132

The boat is also white, and I have heard some concerns about painting it a different ( darker color. Any advice?

Depends on what climate you're in. If you're in a hot climate and you paint it a dark color it will turn into an oven. On the other hand, if in a cold climate and you need to warm up the boat then it may be a good idea. Even a slight shade can make a difference. My deck is white with the nonslip in very pale gray. The white is cool to the foot and the pale gray on a hot sunny day burns the heck out of my feet!

[sartorst]

Well one thing I can tell you about awlgrip it flows out so nice just beautiful BUT if the temp falls below dew point before it has kicked damit!!!!!! it looks 100years old the next day I know this the HARD way its there in the teck sheet just did not read that far

[minaret]

If you are paying a pro, then it's Awlgrip all the way. If you were trying to roll and tip it as a novice I would recommend Perfection instead, it's a little easier to apply. But Awlgrip definitely looks better and wears longer.

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by minaret

If you are paying a pro, then it's Awlgrip all the way. If you were trying to roll and tip it as a novice I would recommend Perfection instead, it's a little easier to apply. But Awlgrip definitely looks better and wears longer.

I'd agree with this. Also, the note about dew point is very important with any 2 part.

We rolled and tipped (actually, we quit tipping and just rolled, finding it gave a better overall finish) our topsides, using Perfection. Here are some photos:

[casual]

Just painted my 38 ft sailboat hull topsided non skid with All Grip,used all grip non skid looks new couldn,t be happier by the way rolled it.

[David M]

The Interlux is more intended for the non-professional.

Awlgrip is meant for professionals and the results when done by a professional who is well practiced is far superior to the Interlux. Non-professionals can still use Awlgrip but the chances of getting it right are far less, especially by non-professionals who have never applied Awlgrip.

I agree with going with the Awlgrip given it is being sprayed by a professional and given this is the paint that he normally applies.

[brankin]

Awlgrip is a polyester and Perfection is an acrylic. Polyester is more flexible and chemical resistant but unrepairable unless it is clear coated with an acrylic on the last coat. Perfection can be wet sanded, buffed and therefore repaired. Both systems will give exceptional service life if cleared.

Bottom line...use a polyester system (Awlgrip, Sterling, Dupont) and then clear coat. It will give you a much more scratch resistant coating that can be fixed if you really ding it.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by David M

The Interlux is more intended for the non-professional.

Awlgrip is meant for professionals and the results when done by a professional who is well practiced is far superior to the Interlux. Non-professionals can still use Awlgrip but the chances of getting it right are far less, especially by non-professionals who have never applied Awlgrip.

I agree with going with the Awlgrip given it is being sprayed by a professional and given this is the paint that he normally applies.

BOY!!--if thats not a commercial for Awlgrip, I don't know what is.

Please show me where Interlux states that their products are more intended for non-professionals.

Tell me this--how does an equally experienced "professional" painter know which brand of paint was used by another painter, without being told.

2 "professional" painters could not tell that my boat is painted with Imron.

At what stage does one become "a professional with spraying Awlgrip", if one should not spray Awlgrip until one is a "professional"

This is like saying that aspiring boatwrights should not be allowed to work with teak joinery, because of the material's cost and the material's contribution to the "appeal" of a high end yacht-- because he/she is not experienced with teak.

A "true " professional will give you a professional finish with any material with which he is truly familiar.

[cburger]

Originally Posted by brankin

Awlgrip is a polyester and Perfection is an acrylic. Polyester is more flexible and chemical resistant but unrepairable unless it is clear coated with an acrylic on the last coat. Perfection can be wet sanded, buffed and therefore repaired. Both systems will give exceptional service life if cleared.

Bottom line...use a polyester system (Awlgrip, Sterling, Dupont) and then clear coat. It will give you a much more scratch resistant coating that can be fixed if you really ding it.

Wrong, Perfection and Awlgrip are both quality LPU's. Both Awlgrip and Perfection can be sprayed or rolled depending on what thinner you utilize. Awlcraft 2000, Imron are acrylic urethanes. I would be willing to bet that if you had a skilled applicator spray either system in the same color, most wouldn't be able to pick what product they were looking at.

I painted my hull a couple of years back with perfection as I couldn't afford to have a so called professional do the job. The hull is white and the sheer stripe is green. The learning curve is steep and there are numerous criteria that can all effect the final quality. I had numerous attempts to get the job done right. The secret is to thin the paint well, I went to the full 10%. You really have to move as once you kick the paint off the flow out is continuely changing. The roller is also critical as is the technique. I ended up using the little 3" hotdog rollers that don't leave any edge marks and did not tip the paint, this allowed the paint to flow out and self level with no brush marks, giving a job that was as good as most professional spray work, all of this done outside in July.

The gren sheer stripe was a completely different story as the charecteristics of the pigmented paint was different than the white and try as I may could not get a decent finish with the roller, after six attempts I finally shot the sheer with an HVLP spray system to get a decent result.

[sailnautilus]

NEITHER!!!!
Use Alexseal.... the best paint on the market.
Three years ago we painted our 52' Kanter, blue hull, white topsides.
Did the prep ourselves (with coaching) and had the pro spray it.
It is a fantastic paint and the finish looks as good today as the day it was sprayed.....
Very resistant to abrasion, scratching, salt stains, etc.
I have done boats with Imron, Interlux and Awl Grip; they can't touch this paint.
Regards,
Dr. Michele

[terrygandh]

My wife and I painted our 42ft trawler with AwlGrip. When I say my wife and I painted the boat I mean we did the cleaning, sanding, surface prep and paint application. We use a roller and brush. The biggest and toughest part is the sanding and prep. The first layer of piant that I applied looked horrible. The second coat looked a lot better and the last (third) coat looked great. Before we did this I would have told you that of all the things I am bad at painting is close to the top of the list. Buy quality rollers and brushes that are compatible with the type of paint you are using. I tried to get by with a cheap roller for use on some small areas and the roller came apart on the first coat. The good news is that if you don't like the finish product you can always sand it and add an additional coat. I did 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of finish ( some areas got 1-2 more coats depening on how I thought the finish product looked). The primer sanded very easy; it was like sanding chalk. The finish coats were hard to sand because the paint is much harder.We sanded both by hand and with an orbital sander. Don't try to extend the life of a piece of sand paper; when it is done it is done. We were and still are happy with the finish which we did 9 years ago although I really wouldn't want to do it again.

[Trekker]

I'll second the Alexseal choice. It's very tough and much more scratch resistant than Awlgrip, Perfection or Imron and maintains a high gloss forever (or so it seems). There are several boats here that were done with Alexseal several years ago and look like they were sprayed yesterday. I personally think Alexseal is the paint of the future when the world discovers it.

I'll also state that having a pro shoot the final coats, whatever the paint choice, almost always shows the difference between a first class job and an amateur effort. It's a learning curve issue.

FWIW, there's a boat here that was shot with Rustoleum Marine Gloss White a few months ago that provided an outstanding finish for pennies on the dollar. Owner bought the paint at Ace Hardware and had a pro shoot it with a total cost that wouldn't even buy the paint for any of the aforementioned systems and without the safety concerns (read the MSD info).

Just my $.02 worth as an aged out old boatyard guy ...........