# Awlgrip'ed Hulls



## volfan615 (Jul 3, 2008)

I'm looking at a couple of boats that have Awlgrip painted hulls. How durable is the paint? How long will it last? 

One of them is dark blue and the other is black? Any problems with dark colors? 

Thanks!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Properly applied it's quite durable, but not forever. Dark colours absorb extra heat, a possible issue in the tropics or other warm climes. Dark also shows dried salt more readily, but in a way that just ensures you hose the boat down appropriately.

Blues and blacks are much better and more stable pigments than red.

Fender rub is another culprit with paints, areas where fenders rub, esp in high wash areas or steady wind/tide pressure abeam can leave visible low gloss areas. Round rather than tubular fenders are preferred because they'll more often 'roll' rather than rub in all directions.

Nothing like a pristine dark blue, forest green, or black hull if the boat is fair enough and without blemishes!


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## Mirari (Sep 13, 2006)

Awlgrip is probably the most durable paint you can get for a boat. A good awlgrip job should be good for 10 years provided you don't bang the sides of the boat. Bumpers and such will abrade it over time and one problem with Awlgrip is you can't really buff it. If you do it will initially look great but within a few weeks the buffed area will look dull. Other paints are more forgiving in that area but you do suffer from a little less durability. I reshoot my dark blue hull about every 5 years or so depending on how bad I've banged it up.


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## volfan615 (Jul 3, 2008)

Here are pictures of the black one that I am looking at. it looks nice from the pictures but I have not seen it in person yet.

Had not thought about the fenders.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Always liked the look of the J-100s... not much for cruising, though. That one looks great!


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

Awlgrip is very good paint, but it is not as low maintenance as gelcoat. It is also very difficult to repair. Of course just as with dark colored cars, they look great when they are clean, but they look dirty very quickly, and they show every flaw!

Having said that, that is one sweeet looking boat!


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## windward54 (Apr 12, 2000)

I have an Awlgrip dark blue hull. It is much like the black car in it will show every spot. So we wash with Awl Wash and chamois dry. On the other side, we don't have to wax the hull, so we save a lot of work there. We use a sealer (AwlCare) on the hull. Lot easier than wax.


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

After 18 months of ownership of Awlgrip Flag Blue topsides, I've learned the following :

1) Get dark cloth covers for the fenders. White plastic ones leave white plastic marks on the topsides.

2) If you do have white marks from white fenders or the dock's rubbing strip, acetone will remove them. Don't use anything abrasive.

3) Awlgrip sell touch up paint in little bottles, I've used it for small scratches and chips and it works fine.

You should expect at least a 10 year, and probably 15 year, lifetime. It's pretty close to maintenance free. Mine has never had Awlcare or anything, I just hose it down now and then. I have a soft brush for any dirty patches.


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## FarCry (Apr 21, 2007)

windward54 said:


> I have an Awlgrip dark blue hull. It is much like the black car in it will show every spot. So we wash with Awl Wash and chamois dry. On the other side, we don't have to wax the hull, so we save a lot of work there. We use a sealer (AwlCare) on the hull. Lot easier than wax.


Ditto!!!!


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## MarcHall (Jun 13, 2006)

Cost ??

I have a Crealock 37 built in 1989 and the gelcoat just doesn't look the way I would like it. There are a couple of spots where the gelcoat color (gelcoat ??) is
entirely worn away.

Thanks

Marc Hall
Crazy Fish 
Crealock 37 Hull 207


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

A professional job on a 37 footer that's not already fair, esp for a darker colour, could easily run $20K. I'm sure quotes will be all over the map depending on where and whom, try to get a feel for the rep of local contractors - and get a look at their work.

We did a DIY on a 40 footer 15 years ago, hull and deck Awlgrip - not a pro result but much better than what was there before; total cost incl haulout and materials was between $4 and 5K plus 2 months of 4 persons' labour.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Fleece fender covers are a must for painted hulls. 

You will also notice every little scratch up close, but they will never show in pictures. Awlgrip and it's newer competitor, Alexseal, usually look great from 10 feet away. They hold a shine if you take care of them. 

We love our majestic blue hull. Looks almost black. Most think it is black. You need to care for it, however.


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## olson34 (Oct 13, 2000)

There is a 40 footer in our YC that was painted with a high-end LPU about 22 years ago. Other than some fading and a scratch or two it looked great when he prepped and refinished it a few months ago. He figures to get another 20 years out of the new surface.
The owner is one of the best painters and shipwrights in the NW. When you combine the best labor and best paint... you DO get what you pay for!

And yes, he always uses fleece fender covers.

LB


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

I'm not sure how old mine is, but I'm sure it's not been done since 1997 so that's at least 14 years. It looks fine. I just had the transom painted for $800. The old lettering put up a fight.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

If you call it a paint, they'll come take your boat away. The makers all prefer you call it a "coating". And while it is as durable as anything else, they'll all eventually concede that "once you paint, you will always have to repaint". Every 10 years or so, depending on wear and environment and whether anything like a fender rubs through.

Still, it is beautiful.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

hellosailor said:


> ....The makers all prefer you call it a "coating". .....


lol. That's exactly right. That's exactly how the salesman referred to his product. However, I'm convinced that for hundreds of dollar a gallon, they will tolerate calling it whatever you like.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

As Faster indicated, fender rub is an issue. You wouldn't think so because the stuff is so hard. I have dark blue as well. It makes fenders blue, shows every scratch into the white, and absorbs a lot of heat. The inside surface gets hot to the touch at times. With reflected and direct sunlight hitting the same area, it can get very hot. When I repaint, it will be a lighter color, probably teal or light blue which was the original gelcoat color.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Had my 44 footer painted in Trinidad by Selwyn and Michael.

Old paint sanded off, two coats hibuild primer, 3 coats Awlgrip. $4300 US

Well pleased with the job.

Black and Blue will not last as long as white and will be noticeably hotter in the tropics.

I expect mine [off white ] to last 10 to 15 years.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

I am thinking of redoing mine in stars and strips blue like Mainesails. Anyone have experience with this color

Dave


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

Have painted two of my boats with Awlgrip. Most of the time-consuming work, as with any paint job, is in the prep. The actual spraying takes just a few minutes. If you follow the procedures and materials that Awlgrip specifies, it can be DIY with good outcomes. When I hear of paying 10 grand to have a paint job done, it just seems way, way over the top. Paying someone $60 bucks an hour to sand is simply absurd. To paint my boat, a job which is getting closer to the top of the to-do list, I have figured well under $1000 for paint and materials. That's a long way from some of the numbers people are throwing around. With a little practice so you don't wind up getting curtains, fish eyes, etc., using a regular good quality spray gun, and a good organic vapor mask, IMO anyone can do his/her own Awlgrip job. I've done it outdoors when the conditions are right (although a big f$%^ing moth once flew right into the topcoat). Am also considering using Imron which is basically the same type paint at a slightly better price. Have painted a number of cars/trucks with Imron and think it is probably just as durable as Awlgrip. It also comes in some neat colors.


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## patrscoe (May 9, 2011)

The gelcoat on our previous sailboat was starting to fade and received multiple quotes from good respectable boatyards in Deltaville, Va area. For a P35, turn-key Awlgrip dark blue color, ranged from $9,800 to $14,000. I investigated their work and some of their paint jobs with Awlgrip look unbelievable, perhaps looks equal or better then gelcoat, at least freshly done without any fender marks, etc... I looked at doing this myself but there is an extensive amount of time and patients required. And I would had to roll / tip, just not the same as a sprayed finish. At least that would be the case if I was the one rolling/tipping.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

murph, you are right, it is over the top.

The problem is, you can't get a $10,000 paint job in an open field.

First, you need a "barn" to keep out the dust and pollen and gnats, moths too, that leave marks in the paint. Ergh, coating. Then you need some EPA permits and a way to treat and filter the exhaust and any drippings, if you want to do it legally as an ongoingbusiness.

Then you need guys who speak YnGlitch and will show up on time and can be trusted to do the job right, and you need bunny suits and forced air for them and your insurer isn't going to appreciate the line of work they're in, either.

And of course, if you can't find a LOCAL yard that wants to compete on price, you have to invest a couple of days back and forth getting the boat somewhere else.

I give you kudos for tackling the job yourself, but I've also seen some very expensive bargains out there. And some folks? Really, some folks just can't paint to save their lives. Fisheyes, thinner, compensating for temperature and humidity without the controlled environment in the barn....This is why they don't sell AwlGrip Kits at WalMart. (G)


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

All true, but some seem to think there's more to it than there actually is, some kind of magic. We used to paint ski lift towers with Imron from 55 gal drums, same stuff BEFORE it was reformulated to make it safer. Guys didn't even wear dust masks.  I just use a good fresh organic vapor mask. O2 supply is more for guys doing it on a regular basis inside a closed shop. Doing it outside IS a challenge because of bugs mostly. Awlgrip does take a few minutes to get tack free while you try to fend off the little buggers. It's not as fast as acrylic lacquer/ auto paint. Like I mentioned above, I was painting a cabin cruiser and just as luck would have it, there was BIG moth hatch. I ran around like a madman. The boat was partially under a tarp but one made it to the paint! Ouch. Nothing you can do but carefully pluck it off so it stops fluttering around. With a small compressor and a decent spray gun almost anyone can lay on a good coat after a couple of trials. Awlgrip really has some good instructions as to spray patterns, pressure, timing, etc. I've seen some "professional" jobs that have curtains, thin spots, etc. Some of them do no better than the job you can do yourself. As I find in many things, people are often more careful when doing their own stuff than a pro would be.

One gallon of primer and one of topcoat (w/activator at 1:1) easily puts 2 good coats on a 35' sailboat. Other than that all you need is fairing compound of some sort, the spray reducer, some wax lifter, and fisheye (Crater-X)eliminator, some tack cloths and lots of sandpaper. If you have the compressor there anyway, a real pneumatic DA works wonders. There are not really that many sq.' to cover on most hulls. You're talking 6-700 bucks and your labor. If the old Awlgrip is in relatively good shape, just needing some fairing and filling, there is no reason whatsoever to sand it all off, so the labor is not even that daunting.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

I agree, smurph, and we've done that same project ourselves a couple of times in the past, and would likely do it again if it became necessary.

But as an 'experienced amateur' at best, the result is not likely to be 'professional' despite probably being much better than what was there before. There are definite skills and even art involved in a proper fairing job, a clean and straight stripe masking job etc and the amateur is well advised to stay with unrevealing colours and simple lines.

Me, I'm simply too cheap to pay someone else to do the grunt work, but in reality not patient nor skilled enough to truly do it right. But the results are still decent... 'far from perfect' but 'perfect from afar'....

I expect there are large numbers of boat owners who would find the prospect of such a project overwhelmingly intimidating (to the perennial relief of the pros!)


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

Very true Faster. I'm not looking for perfection, just a decent job that gets rid of the wear and tear and passes the "just stand back a little farther" or the "blur your eyes a little" test. I don't have the patience or desire to get out long boards, etc. and fuss over getting a mirror finish although I admire those who do get those kinds of results. They're not necessarily all pros either. I marvel at a friend of mine who can get an absolutely perfect finish with a brush. Awlgrip and Imron IMO are worth the bucks for some pretty amazing and durable products. I'm really liking the teal.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

I did mine out in my front yard field and yes if you get within 10' the blems show up 

BUT I have gloss because i waited 8 freaking months for the RIGHT week of humidity after getting shutout by the fall 2010 hurricance

There are MORE Ways to screwup awlgrip than i can even count 

I know plenty of body shop friends that it gives fits to becasue it so MUCH different than paint


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