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  1. #1

    Awlgrip or Imron

    Guys since I cant get any bites on this boat I going to go ahead and refinish it. So what is you alls expirence with Awlgrip or Imron? Any preferences? Cost of product. Any info would be great.

    Thanks for your help

  2. #2

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    Use whichever one a good shop uses. I'm partial to Imron but far more important than the paint is the prep work. If a shop that is known to do good work prefers to use either paint - fine, go with the shop's reputation, not the paint.
    Mike P
    San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Kent Island MD; San Antonio TX
    1980 53MY "Brigadoon"

  3. #3

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    have you looked at Aleseal? this paint replaces Algrip and is as tuff as Imron. would be glad to give you a quote on a paint job.
    Roger Wetherington
    252-670-4819 rwetheringt@centurylink.net
    Sam's Marine
    www.samsmarine.com

  4. #4

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    I'm told Awlgrip is a harder finish but more expensive and difficult to repair if damaged. Imron lasts as long, holds its shine and is easier to "buff out".
    Will

  5. #5

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    Last winter I had my boat painted by Jarrett Bay. When I was discussing the job with Jeff and Bruce, their position was, you choose the top coat. The quoted cost for the job would be the same, and they were experienced in Imron, Awlgrip, and Alexseal. I did my home work, looked at newly refinished boats, and a few that had 5 to 10 years on the paint job. I chose Alexseal. Why? First, I dismissed Awlgrip because of its inability to do spot repairs. I need good spot repair capability, or my boat needs to stay in its slip. Next, Imron was a favorite of mine. Have had it on three boats, including the original factory finish on our current boat. But, with the current VOC regulations, the paint you get in the can today is not the same as the paint on your vintage Hatteras when it left the factory. Alexseal has the spot repair capability, and its appearance closely matches the original Imron, in gloss, and depth perception.

    Other observations; Awlgrip has the greatest gloss when new, with the clear coat look of a new car. Imron tend to have more orange peel on the surface when new. The gloss of new Imron and Alexseal are the same to my eyes. Imron is the quickest to dry to the touch, Alexseal dries to the touch slower. I have personally sprayed Imron for 30 years, have sprayed Alexseal for 6 months on and off, just little stuff. I do not have experience spraying Awlgrip. Alexseal sprays as easy as Imron, and does not require the attention to orange peel.

    As mentioned above, prep, prep,and more prep is your primary consideration on the final finish. If you are after a impressive final finish, you have to spray in a temperature controlled, filter air, spray booth. There is no free lunch when it comes to painting. Skill, equipment, time, prep, and attention to details is what really determines the appearance of the top coat, with any top coat you choose. And finally, be sure to look at the finished work product of the exact paint crew that may be painting your boat. That's my 2 cents on the subject, maybe 3 cents.

    Pete

  6. #6

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    Imron and the other urethanes can be buffed which means after years of use you can get it to look almost like new. This is possible because the coating is softer. Awlgrip can not be buffed it is considered a no maintenance coating. With nothing but washing Awlgrip will last longer and hold a shine better but when it starts to fade it can not be brought back like Imron. Awlgrip requires more care in the application. This is because it's very difficult to fix because it can not be buffed. So if you get a run or some dust blows into it it really can't be fixed without compromising the job. Mil thickness and the sequence of coats are critical with Awlgrip. As the paint dries a clear resin layer floats to the top this makes the shine and gives it it's durability. The super finishes you see at boat shows are usually Awlgrip lots of coats were sequenced in one spraying operation so the resin layer is thick and the coating is durable.

    So you decide wether you want a finish that will require some care but given that care will probably look better longer Imron. Or do want a better initial look and a no maintenance coating that ounce faded can not be brought back to original Awlgrip. For some areas the choice is simple the very best coating on a deck is Awlgrip. For the rest of the boat it all depends on what your after.

    I like awlgrip I like the intial look and I don't want to maintain it other than washing. The projects i've done on our boat were all finished with Awlgrip. But because our boat is a 1985 I'm glad Hat used Imron because I can bring it back to an almost a new look if they had used Awlgrip I'd be looking at painting it.

    Brian
    Last edited by Brian Degulis; 08-25-2009 at 07:04 PM.

  7. #7

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    If you need to spot repair, do not use Awlgrip unless you have worked with it before, it can be repaired but I found that after 2-3 yrs it can show the paint color shift slightly, my 70 ft is awlgripped and I do it myself. The prep work is mind numbing as is waiting for the correct the painting conditions if working outside. I have no experience with other products but Alexseal appears to be a good choice as is Interlux "perfection" my friend sprayed his 30 ft sailboat with it and was amazed at how good it came out and he is a boatbuilder. Worth exploring.

  8. #8

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    Thanks for the help guys.

  9. #9

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    If you would like to see an Alexseal paint job, just find a 5 year old or newer Hatteras on the docks somewhere and take a look. They have been using Alexseal on their new production for a while.

    Pete

  10. #10

    Re: Awlgrip or Imron

    Eleven years ago I had an Awlgrip job done on a 43 DC. For whatever reasons (mostly because of a few runs here and there) the boat ended up with 5 or 6 coats of finish (Oyster). The job was absolutely fantastic and I was determined to follow the manufactuers maintaince recommendations to the letter, which included an application of"Awlcare" once or twice a year. The Awlcare product is very easy to apply and is not a wax or abrasive. It is some sort of polymer that keeps the surface sealed as I was told. Well here it is Eleven years later (I no longer own the boat) and the present owner has had it for about six years and maintains it with an annual application of Awlcare as well and it still looks like the day it was sprayed. I believe that in another eleven years, providing the care is still there, it will continue to look great. I had a discussion with some of the tech folks at the Awlgrip booths at boat shows and they seem to think that the combination of all the extra coats of paint and the annual Awlcare application is the reason it has been performing so well.

    The repair question is something else, as I personally have no experience with them. Alexseal and Perfection look and seem fine and can be repaired, which is a definate plus, but longevity is usually an important consideration as well. Oh well, at my age (72), I'm sure either product will still look pretty good after I'm retired from boating in about another 20 or 30 years.

    I'm thinking of contacting Roger W at Jarrett Bay to discuss some work on my present Hatt ('82, 48' MY) including a new paint job. I was very impressed with their carefullness with a paint job they did for one of our fellow HOFers about a year ago whereby they actually wrapped some towels around a power cord entering the newly painted boat through the stern door. Now details like that do not go unnoticed and they hopefully practice that and other considerations to insure that when the boat is done, it is as near to perfect as possible. Can't remember the boat or owner, perhaps it was Pete's?

    Walt

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