Getting a shine back on Awlgrip

[kito]

Actually, it has gone full circle but heading in the right direction . I ruled out Awlgrip and the use of Awlcare which was my original question. Not really anyone within a 3 hour radius that I would trust determining crap from Shinola much less what's on my boat. Maybe I can chip off a piece from a spider crack and send it somewhere for analysis. Lots of good info here. Kind of feel like Lt. Joe Kenda

 

[Chris Patterson]

Soak a rag in acetone and tape it under a piece of plastic to keep it wet. Overnight. Awlgrip, (or gelcoat), will not bubble up. If it does, it is a single part paint, not two part. And Awlgrip should polish more or less like gelcoat. I'm way too late on this I'm sure, as it sounds like you've determined gelcoat.

Awlgrip is a tough and beautiful paint that will hold up for a very long time with minimal care. There is a Pearson sitting here on the hill that was sprayed with Awlgrip five years ago, and without a hose ever even sprayed at it looks fantastic still.

 

[kito]

I would play the odds. You say this is a project boat and appears to have been long neglected. How was the rest of the boat maintained? If well maintained it could be awlgrip but if not I would assume the PO would not spring for the cost and labor to apply Awlgrip. Just playing the odds.

The boat is in good shape structurally. Not really been neglected but not maintained as it should have been either. The only history I have on this boat is it came from Miami area and brought up to Oriental NC. It is a USCG documented boat but expired in 2005. There were interior water lines about 3" up on the bulkhead. I am thinking it took on water during a storm and was sold by an insurance company...I have no title. I only know of 2 PO's. The PO I bought it from did not do much to it but rip out the wall coverings. He lost his job and it sat for a year covered in a tarp. The PO he bought it from did do bottom work and barrier coated it....poorly I might add. I spent last Saturday grinding out the blisters he filled . Looks like he just chipped out the blister and filled it with something.

 

[kito]

Soak a rag in acetone and tape it under a piece of plastic to keep it wet. Overnight. Awlgrip, (or gelcoat), will not bubble up. If it does, it is a single part paint, not two part. And Awlgrip should polish more or less like gelcoat. I'm way too late on this I'm sure, as it sounds like you've determined gelcoat.

Awlgrip is a tough and beautiful paint that will hold up for a very long time with minimal care. There is a Pearson sitting here on the hill that was sprayed with Awlgrip five years ago, and without a hose ever even sprayed at it looks fantastic still.

I will do that tonight. Thanks Chris.

 

[kito]

Well I did the soaked rag in acetone test overnight and found no bubbles. And from what I have read in this thread, 2 part paints don't usually chalk up and can't be removed by running my hand across it, I believe I have 35 year old worn out gelcoat. Gelcoat is thin and an ugly crème color under the chalky white so a paint job is in order. I am debating between spraying Brightsides or roll/tip Awlgrip. I had great results spraying my Force 5 dingy hull with my Harbor Freight gun. I used Rustoleum Topsides on it and still looks great after 3 years. I want to use a higher quality paint on this job though.

 

[Maine Sail]

Well I did the soaked rag in acetone test overnight and found no bubbles. And from what I have read in this thread, 2 part paints don't usually chalk up and can't be removed by running my hand across it, I believe I have 35 year old worn out gelcoat. Gelcoat is thin and an ugly crème color under the chalky white so a paint job is in order. I am debating between spraying Brightsides or roll/tip Awlgrip. I had great results spraying my Force 5 dingy hull with my Harbor Freight gun. I used Rustoleum Topsides on it and still looks great after 3 years. I want to use a higher quality paint on this job though.

Your gelcoat can EASILY (well not easy on your shoulders) be brought back to life. You don't paint until the gelcoat is physically worn through other wise it becomes a waste of money.....

Tips For A Great Buff Wax

If you insist on painting paint work is all in the prep, please do yourself a favor and don't use a 1 part paint like Brightsides. A lot of work for a very short term gain...

 

[kito]

Thanks MS. You talked me into it. I will follow your instructions and work on the transom this weekend and see if I can make that crème gelcoat look great again. I am not sure how thick Hunter laid down their gelcoat back in the 70's. I figured it was on it's last leg after a pulled off a 35 year old decal and found the surface under was at least .020 proud of the exposed gelcoat surrounding it.

 

[Chris Patterson]

Kito, sounds like you need to start with about an 800 or 1000 grit wet sand paper to start. Start a small spot like that and see if it goes through the gel coat, which I don't think it will..

 

[kito]

Well, I want to thank all here that talked some sense into me. I wet sanded the transom tonight. I only had 500 and 1000 grit. I started with the 500 on the worst part and just used the same piece so probably wore down to 600 when finished with it. Finished off with a 1000 grit and must say it looks pretty good. I think it will polish up nicely. The crème color I thought it would be is actually an off white which is great. One issue I seen is some crazing going on along the bottom. Not spider cracks but random tiny cracks. I don't think it will be problem if I keep it waxed up. The big issue that does bother me is the bad case of pox that only runs within the boot stripe and maybe 2" above it. Probably thousands if tiny 1/8" diameter blisters. Is this an issue that I need to address now or deal with it when I eventually need to paint the hull?

 

[Picflight]

Pictures Kito, pictures.

 

[kito]

Pictures Kito, pictures.

Since it's in my backyard, I took some night pics. Not great but can see the pox and my un-buffed/waxed transom.

 

[agprice22]

Another option you might consider is an acrylic coating. I used a wipe-on acrylic coating on my 1983 C22 two seasons ago, and here is how it looks with ZERO maintenance after 2 years: Here is a before and after on my 272: See how much darker the bootsripe is after the acrylic? It looked horrible when i bought the boat. Now it looks dark and new. Applying this requires the same prep as a compound and wax: 600 grit and 1200 grit sanding. Then you clean and dry the hull, and you wipe on a super-thin layer of acrylic. As fast as you can walk around the boat applying it, it dries, and you just keep coating it. I go around 3 to 4 times. The first time or two, you will not have a glossy finish. By the 3rd, it looks good. By the 4th, it looks like the pictures. To remove it or maintain it, just scrub your boat clean, buff the acrylic with a scotchbrite pad, and recoat it. Thanks, Andrew

 

[kito]

I was considering using Poli Glow but heard after the 4th year it turns yellow and cracks and is a bear to remove. Maybe what you used is better stuff.

 

[Steve L22188]

PoliGlow works for me....

A point of view re: PoliGlow:

The previous owner had PoliGlow on my 302 for several years before I bought the boat.

After 4 +/- years of my doing nothing but washing it, there was some chalking. I had my yard do a complete removal and then recoat of PoliGlow (PoliGlow sells the removal kit). When the boat went back into the water several of my dockmates told me how good my boat looked. 4 years later - still looks great.

I have gray colored topsides - but never got any yellowing or cracking that I could find.

I don't think using PoliGlow is as good as following MaineSail's advice (nothing is much better than MaineSail's advice!), but I don't want to wax and buff on a regular basis.

 

[kito]

Got to say....you got me thinking. With my old gelcoat, spider cracks and crazing, maybe the acrylic coating may help seal up the tiny cracks.......hmmmm