Awl grip boot stripe clear Finnish got dulled by scotch brite pad

Jan 24, 2017
666
Hunter 34 Toms River Nj
Was down at the marina today getting boat ready for launch date.
Started scrubbing old bottom paint to get off any dirt, dust, and slim residew off with some soap and water before repainting. Left for a few minutes to get some supplies and asked one of the new yard staff guys to finnish rinse off the the bottom so it would not dry.
I returned a few minutes later to find the new yard crew member scrubbing the boot strip with a sponge/scotch bright pad.

Ohh Noooooo

He didn't know that this was awalgrip not gelcote, and damaged the clear finish on the boot strip. Needless to say he should not have been using a scotchbrite pad on gelcote either. Anyway the boot stripe now has a few dull spots where he tried to clean some water line scum build up off. It's not really bad but I can notice it when I look at it on an angle.
Tried to take a picture, however it doesn't show up in the photo.

I am just being financial! It not that noticeable however I can see it. I had the entire hull awalgrip painted five seasons ago, and have kept looking as good as the day it was done. Using only awalgrip products. The boat looks perfect.

Now I have about twenty dull spots that are driving me crazy.
I have left a message with awalgrip tech support and waiting for response.

Anyone know of any ways to shine or restore the clear coat Finnish to my awlgrip boot stripe ????

I tried awlcare polymer protectant on a few spots, did nothing. I even tried using it with an orbital polishing wheel in a small inconspicuous spot with not luck.
I'm afraid to use a wax or compound on it because the mfg said that that will damage it.

I hope someone has some way to restore or fix this issue.
 

SG

.
Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
You could try to put a wax coating on it and buff it? Or you can put a clear coat on it with a brush -- but you'll have to prep it well or it'll be toast.
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
I think it depends on which awlgrip was used. The awlgrip 2000 I used was designed to be wetsanded, compounded, and polished to a shine.
I think other formulas are not made to be refinished if they become hazed.
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
If you do try refinishing it, be sure to tape it well, so you do not expand your problem.
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,077
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Did you hire this yard guy to do work?

If so, you might respectfully ask the yard manager what they intend to do about the damage caused by an employee.
 
  • Like
Likes: agprice22
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
If he was Finnish, maybe he misunderstood you :p
Let's hope Awlgrip gets back to you. Good tips here so far too. Except mine.
 
Jan 13, 2009
391
J Boat 92 78 Sandusky
Do not put wax on it. Try some Awlcare by hand. The clear coat in Awlgrip is in the paint. Had similar problem with fender rub on my red Awlgrip boat. Lots of rubbing with Awlcare and hand buffing and it looked a lot better. BTW- wax will attract dirt and yellow quickly. Awlgrip doesn’t recommend it.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Did you hire this yard guy to do work?

If so, you might respectfully ask the yard manager what they intend to do about the damage caused by an employee.
It is not surprising that yards can yards can cause problems because many of the personnel are not as knowledgeable as the boat owners in many instances. After getting advice from Awlgrip , I would approach the yard management and tell them what happened and this is what you expect the yard to do to fix the problem as per awlgrip's advice.
I would be present when the yard is "fixing" the problem to ensure that they are proceeding to your satisfaction and not causing a greater problem.
 
Jan 24, 2017
666
Hunter 34 Toms River Nj
Don,
unfortunately I didn't hire the yard staff member,
I just asked him to rinse off the soap because I was pressed for time to get to the supply house. So the yard has no liability, this is all on me. The kid felt horrible about it and thought he was going to get fired. Told him not to worry, he was just trying to be helpful.

Awalgrip technical support called me back.
They said that the clear coat finish is toast. They said that I can use 3m polish with a buffing wheel and told me to buff it out.
They said to tape off above and below the areas I need to buff out so that I don't damage anything else. They said with persistence the finish can be brought back.

I only worked on the areas that were dulled, and not the entire stripe. It worked out pretty well. Took about three hours polishing and buffing, really slow process. After hours of buffing the finish was restored. It's not as perfect as it was but it's as good as it's going to get. It's about 90% restored, looks a lot better. Nobody can notice it unless you knew where the damage was.

Awalgrip technical support said that it could be restored with a lot of time and effort, they were not kidding, however they made me aware that area will always be a matinance issue. The only way to really fix it will be to repaint the stripe. I didn't want to go that route so waxing the boot stripe is not the end of the word. I'm just glad that it was able to be restored.

Lesson learned here is do you own work and if someone wants to help you, watch them like a hawk‼‼⛵

Hopefully nobody else has to go through this. I can see how easily it is to unintentionally damage Awalgrip.
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
I am glad you got it taken care of! I know it breaks your heart to see good things damaged. I think I read that a scotchbright pad is the equivalent of 800 grit. Thus, buffing with polish, usually 1200 grit or higher, would leave some of the depth of the 800 grit scratches. Hence the loss of some of your shine. You would have needed to start with a more aggressive compound or wetsand and then work your way up to the higher polish.
The finish will be different no matter what because the polishing has changed the texture of the surface as well as leaving minute scratches that will reflect light along their lines.
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,077
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Don,
unfortunately I didn't hire the yard staff member,
I just asked him to rinse off the soap because I was pressed for time to get to the supply house. So the yard has no liability, this is all on me. The kid felt horrible about it and thought he was going to get fired. Told him not to worry, he was just trying to be helpful.

Awalgrip technical support called me back.
They said that the clear coat finish is toast. They said that I can use 3m polish with a buffing wheel and told me to buff it out.
They said to tape off above and below the areas I need to buff out so that I don't damage anything else. They said with persistence the finish can be brought back.

I only worked on the areas that were dulled, and not the entire stripe. It worked out pretty well. Took about three hours polishing and buffing, really slow process. After hours of buffing the finish was restored. It's not as perfect as it was but it's as good as it's going to get. It's about 90% restored, looks a lot better. Nobody can notice it unless you knew where the damage was.

Awalgrip technical support said that it could be restored with a lot of time and effort, they were not kidding, however they made me aware that area will always be a matinance issue. The only way to really fix it will be to repaint the stripe. I didn't want to go that route so waxing the boot stripe is not the end of the word. I'm just glad that it was able to be restored.

Lesson learned here is do you own work and if someone wants to help you, watch them like a hawk‼‼⛵

Hopefully nobody else has to go through this. I can see how easily it is to unintentionally damage Awalgrip.

For what it’s worth, I had a somewhat similar experience which was repairable despite rumors to the contrary that Awlgrip can’t be polished.

When they pulled our boat, the yard guy forgot to put pads on the slings resulting in some nasty abrasion to the paint. Fortunately, they had a guy on staff who knows how to buff with just the right pressure and consistency to remove the scratches. It is an art form knowing the right “touch” to heat up the clear coat top layer without removing it.

The resulting fix lasted years and was indescribable from the rest of the topsides.
 
Jan 13, 2009
391
J Boat 92 78 Sandusky
Coincidentally I had a discussion with the yard manager last night. He mentioned that Akzo Nobel is bringing out a new formulation of Awlgrip that is fixable (not Awlcraft). He had gone to a demonstration last week and was quite impressed. IMO, nothing looks better than a good Awlgrip job. As I found out with my last boat maintenance is a pain. Something as simple as washing the deck left white streaks on my Vivid red Awlgrip necessitating cleaning the hull sides every time we scrubbed the deck.
Photo 41.jpg