How much does Awlgrip cost?

[Otter]

Lazy Kipper's hull gel coat is blue but the previous owner painted her in Toplac. 35 years of bumps and scrapes and you have a tired, faded and chalky hull.

Repainting her in Toplac is one option but it's a big job and we're just not skilled at that sort of thing. And we don't like dark blue, it's hot in summer, salt water leaves marks and it quickly looks chalky. So the question is whether to have her painted? There are two types of Awlgrip and does anyone know roughly how much a large freeboard 35 footer might cost in the harder wearing stuff? Bearing in mind they'd also have to sand off the old Toplac.

Is it feasible to have he sprayed white over navy blue?

And finally it's a job we'd have to save up for, so in the next two years, what can we do to improve the look if the hull?

Thanks.

 

[sailorman]

Have a chat with Dominic in the spray shop when you get back.
He sprayed JB 15 yrs ago with Awlgrip

 

[SAMYL]

The old Toplac can be removed easily using Cirrus 620 paint stripper, once you have read and applied the instructions correctly. I have, just last week, removed a lot of paint from fibreglass using it but it would have been a soul destroying job trying to sand it off.

 

[pvb]

Awlgrip paint isn't cheap, but the materials cost is insignificant compared with the labour cost to prepare and spray. When I had the blue stripes repainted on my old HR a few years ago, I specified Awlcraft 2000, rather than Awlgrip, as the Awlcraft is more easily repairable.

If you were to use Fox's, you'll probably be reasonably confident of a good job. I used another local Awlgrip Centre, and wished I'd taken the boat to Fox's (pm me if you'd like info on this).

 

[Otter]

Thanks for those. Anyone had it done in the last five years and be able to say how much it cost?

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Repainting her in Toplac is one option but it's a big job and we're just not skilled at that sort of thing. And we don't like dark blue, it's hot in summer, salt water leaves marks and it quickly looks chalky. So the question is whether to have her painted?
.
.
.
Is it feasible to have he sprayed white over navy blue?

And finally it's a job we'd have to save up for, so in the next two years, what can we do to improve the look if the hull?

Thanks.

Yes, a dark blue hull is like a sauna in summer...especially here in the Mediterranean (Temp today is 34Celsius!).

My previous boat, a Westerly Centaur (CR1279) was a VERY dark blue; probably OK when she was in the North of Scotland but definitely not in Malta!. I was considering hand-painting her in two-pack but the old owner of the paint shop, who normally supplies car paintshops, talked me out of it. My only experience was spray-painting One Metre models. He simply said "Your boat is just bigger but the process is the same". So I followed his advice, freely given as work progressed. If I could do it - and if you have the space - so can you.

As has been said, most of the work is in the preparation. For this I used a Makita sander that takes half a sheet of wet-or-dry. Filling of dents, scratches or major gouges is pretty straightforward and is followed by even more sanding. My Makita is a heavy beast and part of the weight was taken by a length of thick bungee cord. It does help.

Next came spraying with a filler-primer, at the end of which the Centaur looked like a mini minesweeper! Any remaining surface imperfections become more evident now and are made good as necessary. If I had to do it again I would probably go for a lighter grey and then white. More sanding using finer grade. I believe that I gave three coats of filler-primer.

For the topcoat, the more paint you apply, the longer it will last. I think that I gave five coats in all, hand-sanding in between coats and applying cleaner just before spraying. It is possible to enlist the help of an experienced sprayer for the final coat if you want a 'showroom finish'; otherwise, let your final coat cure for a couple of weeks before polishing mechanically. I did not bother and the boat is still as white as when I finished...in 1999!

A word of warning: two-pack spray paint is highly toxic and should be applied while wearing a full head-mask that has a continuous supply of ventilating air. I was spraying outdoors, on calm days, and was willing to take a risk (I can hold my breath for quite some time). In any case, positive ventilation is not the end of the world and is a minor expense.

Bottom line: do not underestimate your abilities. If you are of average build and reasonably healthy there is not much that you cannot learn. I did mine when I was 53; I would not do it again because (1) I am now close to 68 and (2) I have a cardiac condition.

Think about it.

 

[pvb]

Thanks for those. Anyone had it done in the last five years and be able to say how much it cost?

For a decent job, I'd imagine you need to budget £12-15K.

 

[Otter]

For a decent job, I'd imagine you need to budget £12-15K.

Holy moly!

Thanks for that advice Puff, I think you sound like you have the attention to detail that I completely lack.

If pvb is in the right ballpark then we'll have to investigate more Toplac

 

[Starjump]

Hi, I have just joined the forum, this is my first post, forgive me if it should be a new thread? Puff did you remove the old dk blue paint, as SAMYL did prior to using the primer filler? Thank you.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Thanks for that advice Puff, I think you sound like you have the attention to detail that I completely lack.

Well, Sir, my pockets weren't very deep...but I still think that the result was a big improvement on what was a dark blue sauna:

Note: The name on the bows was done with stickers; all the rest, including the 'go-fast' lines, was sprayed.
Note 2: No amount of Toplack will mask shoddy preparation...

 

[doug748]

Thanks for those. Anyone had it done in the last five years and be able to say how much it cost?

Mine was done about 6/7 years ago in dark blue, costing about £3000 ish. Boat is the smallest of 32 footers. First rate yard but well away from the Solent.

Being no great fan of paint, I would not do it again, particularly if you want to go from blue to white (good idea in my view). Have you thought about re-gelcoating? I had a rough quote of £2000 earlier in the year.

 

[Coaster]

I had a rough quote of £2000 earlier in the year.

May I ask if the figure was from a person or company in the Plymouth area? We hope to get some work done in that vicinity during the next year.

 

[TQA]

! had my 44 ft cutter Awlgripped 3 years ago. 2 coats primer 3 coats topcoat contrasting Awlgrip boot stripe. £2,600 this included all materials.

Where? Powerboats in Trinidad and Selwyn was the painter. N.B. This was significantly cheaper than other quotes in places like Antigua and Grenada.

 

[Otter]

! had my 44 ft cutter Awlgripped 3 years ago. 2 coats primer 3 coats topcoat contrasting Awlgrip boot stripe. £2,600 this included all materials.

Where? Powerboats in Trinidad and Selwyn was the painter. N.B. This was significantly cheaper than other quotes in places like Antigua and Grenada.

I'm on my way to the yard now with that quote

 

[Tranona]

Lazy Kipper's hull gel coat is blue but the previous owner painted her in Toplac. 35 years of bumps and scrapes and you have a tired, faded and chalky hull.




And finally it's a job we'd have to save up for, so in the next two years, what can we do to improve the look if the hull?

Thanks.

2.5l of undercoat, 2.5l of Toplac in a lighter colour and 3/4 days hard graft and the look will be transformed. It really does not need a lot of skill to get a good finish provided you have a good fair surface to begin with. Start at the bow with one person laying the paint on with a 3" brush and another person following on to tip it off. Won't be perfect but once the boat is on the water it will look great.

 

[doug748]

May I ask if the figure was from a person or company in the Plymouth area? We hope to get some work done in that vicinity during the next year.

These people:

http://www.gelcoatingsouthwest.co.uk/Blog/?page_id=25

They seemed very helpful.

I have seen their past gelcoat work and it is excellent. Friends had their topsides and decks done 5 or 6 years ago and it still looks perfect.

However I do know that there has been a change of personnel at the company so this is worth bearing in mind, perhaps others have used them more recently?

 

[ghostlymoron]

I'm considering repainting with Sandtex high gloss. Don't know what primer/undercoat to use though.

 

[sailorman]

I'm on my way to the yard now with that quote

DONT have the acrylic Awlgrip, its too soft & doesnt hold the gloss as well as the G-Line
We used "Off White" as we didnt want a white bright colour. look around at the white boats all differing shades, & bright white doesnt suit an older boat

 

[oldvarnish]

For a decent job, I'd imagine you need to budget £12-15K.

Wow! I had a 38ft done for £3.5K and a nice job (admittedly not high topsides) I would have thought £5/6K tops for the OP

 

[sailorman]

if the OP has his fine vessel painted in his marina he should get a refund on his berthing as work is being done ashore
BUT only ask once the price is agreed :encouragement: