awlgrip paint

[Steplift 72']

I believe you'll be way ahead by painting with any reputable paint. I painted with automotive Deltron for a couple hundred bucks....with great results. The stuff is tough and doesn't chip in years of usage. I've rubbed and waxed gelcoat for decades and then found that when properly painted, a fiberglass boat is finally trouble free. Around here the dark water stains the white gelcoat to a nasty brownish orange color, the paint just washes off with soap and water..... enough said.

[awthacker]

Again, this is Interlux Perfection, not Awlgrip. After researching I decided to roll on the Perfection because it claimed to be designed for the do-it-yourselfer and this is my first ever paint job. It has been a monumental task, but it's going well. Today, we applied the second topcoat and I believe three coats will be enough so I hope to complete the job this weekend. The PrimeKote was very thick and required alot of sanding to get it smooth. We went with one coat of primer, then I touched up the thin areas after sanding. The topcoat went on much easier than the primer. Here are some pictures today after the 2nd topcoat.

[awthacker]

I chose Cream and it's a little darker than I hoped, but I think it's the closest match to the original color - you can kinda see on the hull where the stripes protected the original finish. My plan is only to paint above the rubrail, then buff below the rubrail to try and restore the gelcoat (since there was no major cosmetic work done on the hull). The deck was a totally different story.

Some more pics of the sliding hatch, steering assembly, & console. On Sunday, I painted these parts only for my trial. Because that went so well, I attempted to paint the deck by myself on Monday because I got home early from work and was anxious to get going. That was a mistake that resulted in alot of bubbles and alot of drips. Took alot of sanding to get it straightened out. Today, I took a long lunch and my buddy came over to help. It went much better with two, and in my opinion it's the only way to go.