Re: Painting on top of gelcoat
OK, time to let out the big secret.<br /><br />First off, no, the Awl Grip top coat paint is not suitable for use below the waterline. <br /><br />Now here is the basic problem a lot of us face. Over time everyone runs aground a time or two, and pulling up a little to far at the ramp crunches the keel line. Then there are the couple of times the boat has blown around just when you were getting ready to slide it up on the trailer and got a scratch or two on the bottom. Also, you put in a thru hull you change it, you try a couple of different thru-hull transducers, and all these little glass repairs you did on the bottom start to add up. So what do you do with a trailered boat that has a crappy looking bottom? You don't want to plaster on any of that sludge they call bottom paint and you sure as hell aren't going to regelcoat it. Dark blue or black is not what you had in mind for the bottom anyway. So, what to do?<br /><br />Here is the answer, and its not a legitimate answer in that the company is NEVER going to tell you that their product can be used tis way. I did, however call the company and tell them I was going to do this and asked point blank if it would peel off or scrub off from the trailer. I was told quite officially that this was not the intended use of the product ....... and then they guy said something to this effect. Yep, we know of quite a few guys who are using this as a non-antifouling bottom paint just to improve the bottom after doing work. We have been told that it does in fact hold up to trailer use and that it can stand the boat being in the water for at least up to a couple of weeks at a time. But we never told you that because officially that's not what it is for.<br /><br />The stuff is called a primer in their catalog and it clearly notes that it is desgined for use below the water line. It comes in two colors only, WHITE and black. Now this is not a shiney white, it is, after all a primer, but it can be rolled and tipped to give a finish at least as smooth and reflective as a dull gel coat but with a bright white color. Its not particularly cheap at about $100 per gallon kit (1 gallon paint and a quart of hardner) but that's enough to do about 3 boats in the 20~25 foot range with 3 coats of paint each. Oh, and the other nice thing about the stuff is that you can recoat it right after its tacky, which means that you could put on 3 coats in a day if you were lucky and be back in the water the next day.<br /><br />Thom
