Hi south

Yea the stuff you are told in these forums has to be taken with a grain of salt. I was told the same thing in a post some time ago when asking about awlgrip. Im the engineer on an 80 foot yacht and we hire professional's to do the washing and waxing. They also use polishing compound and a buffer

Mitch

 

Hi south

Yea the stuff you are told in these forums has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Yes much if it..

I was told the same thing in a post some time ago when asking about awlgrip.

And you were given accurate advice. Akzo/Awlgrip will back this up and this is their advice too not just forumites..

Im the engineer on an 80 foot yacht and we hire professional's to do the washing and waxing. They also use polishing compound and a buffer

Mitch

Sorry but calling a detailer a "professional" who buffs Awlgrip is a stretch. There were many hacks in the marine detailing field who would think nothing of it and could get away with if for a time. Unless the Awlgrip is otherwise dead & chalky and Awlcare won't do anything, buffing it will shine it, but, on shiny paint it will also drastically shorten its life. If it is dead go for it and it can buy you a few more years.

May of the big boats are painted with Imron as it is buffable but many more are Awlgripped and the detailer should know the difference. Hattaras for example used Imron for many, many years and it was buffable.

The pic below is the result of a "pro" trying to buff out some light fender rash. It looked great after he was done, as shiny as the rest, and I snapped this photo the next spring before it went in... He ruined the hard shell and would have been better to leave the little bit of rash that was there.

That huge dull area is where he buffed. The shiny area was 10-12 year old Awlgrip, un-buffed.

This is not a "grain of salt" issue. Some of us actually do care if you ruin a 10k paint job on your boat and try to give the best advice we can to save you money over the long haul..... If your Awlgrip does shine don't hit it with a buffer, if it is dead and chalky you have nothing to lose.

And as always if folks don't like the "grain of salt" I have shared they can always look at the manufacturer for their "gain of salt"..

Do not use abrasives, scratch pads or polishing compounds. Scratching the surface gives dirt a place to cling while wearing out the resin layer. Using abrasives of any kind will reduce the overall life of the finish and voids the Awlgrip Limited Warranty.

 

Mitch,

When your Awlgrip is that far gone, and really needs a new paint job, you have nothing to lose, and it looks great. What you've actually done is burned though the top very hard protective layer, which really does not buff because the re-melt window is sooo narrow, and into the softer pigment layer which does buff.

You can make it shine but you give up the thin hard shell along the way. The paint will need more tlc and can scratch and abrade easier but it can buy you a few more years. I would NEVER, EVER advise this on Awlgrip that still has a shine.

If you want a buffable paint then the acrylic urethanes like Awlcraft 2000 or Imron are better choices. Alexseal is also formulated for limited polishing..

 

I uses turtle wax rubbing compound to bring off the oxidization followed by new finish wax all purchased at Canadian tire most of these products work awsome and because it does not have a picture of a boat on it, they are a third of the price with the same results

 

I bought a boat that had a perfect finish on it and was advertised as awlgrip. When I went to repaint, due to storm damage, the shop called and asked how I knew it was awlgrip. I only knew so, because it was told. They described that they ran a cloth with a solvent (mineral spirits maybe) and some color came off, so they knew it was not awlgrip.

I didn't really matter, as we were grinding down to fair out some rib printing anyway, but I contacted the prior owner to confirm my discovery and he was sure it was awlgrip. I was in touch with the broker that sold it to him some time later, who clarified that it was awlcraft 2000. It is made by Awlgrip, which is actually printed across the top of the can. I do believe the prior owner didn't know the difference. Anyway, Awlcraft is buffable. I couldnt get the pic to attach, so here is a link to the product.

AwlCraft 2000 Acrylic Urethane Topcoat Base Quart

p.s. I have Alexseal on her now.

 

Well, the PO of my boat mentioned to me that it was Awlgripped but for all I know, it could have been AwlCraft 2000...

I did not wet sand, compound, or wax because I did not want to ruin it in case it was Awlgrip and know these are not recommended on Awlgrip. I knew it had a ton of oxidation due to no preventive care taken previously...Looking at it though, you can see someone took a buffer to it and really roughed it up...

But just by passing the Oxidation remover with a big wool pad with my cheapo Harbor Freight buffer, I was able to get most of the crud off and bring back the original shine...The polishing condition was applied lightly after this but only to provide a conditioner and was applied lightly...Then the Awlcare applied in the end I hope will provide it the protective care it will need to stay in good shape as shown...

 

Awlgrip scratch repair

This is a very handy thread! My boat was painted with Awlgrip last winter, and I just finished the first season with it. I got through the entire season without a scratch, but then while I was cleaning it yesterday to apply Awlcare for the winter, I bumped it with the ladder :hothead

It made a very slight scratch which I hope won't even be visible from a distance. But, how can a scratch in Awlgrip be repaired?

My boat is Federal Yellow, so slight scratches show up

 

This is a very handy thread! My boat was painted with Awlgrip last winter, and I just finished the first season with it. I got through the entire season without a scratch, but then while I was cleaning it yesterday to apply Awlcare for the winter, I bumped it with the ladder :hothead

It made a very slight scratch which I hope won't even be visible from a distance. But, how can a scratch in Awlgrip be repaired?

My boat is Federal Yellow, so slight scratches show up

I can say that in all the scrapes and bruises my topsides had, when applying the oxidation remover to the "colored" scrapes. it removed them...It took lots of buffing with the remover in those spots but it did it...

Don't think this oxidation remover is very harsh so I assume it would be safe but then again, I would probably call the company for this answer...For me, I had nothing to lose as the paint was done in 1996 and was in bad shape...

I've called them and they actually provide pretty good customer support...I would assume they can recommend something to use...I know the company recommends Finesse It II to remove imperfections which I assume will probably remove those scrapes...might take a couple passes but I assume it would do well...Based on what finesse it does it is a "safe" product to use on Awlgrip as an oxydation/scratch remover...

 

I do listen to the advise given on these fourms, here and else where.
Over time, You get to know the individuals that have the most experience.
I am not sure why anybody would want to disagree with somebody that has the type of experince you can find here. Yes, you will get unsound advise every know and than, but you have to question the source. If somebody new comes along with two years of time on the water and tells you to apply bottom paint to your topsides because it won't rust, are you going to run out and buy VC and apply it to your top sides? Hell no.

My motto; "Stick with the winners."
They are easy to spot a mile away.

Yes, I listen to what is said around here.
Awlwash and Awlcare only products that have ever seen the topsides of our boat.

I do have some spots that are a bit faded; the bumper rash that Main speaks of, but all in all, we like the results.

 

What bottom paint is that? It appears that it has some kind of "chameleon" effect...or is the pic just deceiving and it is really fading?

 

That boat is simply gorgeous!

 

My take on this is that both sides are correct. Avoid using abrasives until the paint looks crappy. Then buff and polish to buy yourself a few more seasons before re-painting.

 

It is VC-17Extra.
In the pic it has been very recently applied with a roller, I do get some blotchy patches I think because I don't take enough time when mixing the copper powder.