Realistic Paint Advice

[Fletch170]

Hey all. I have a 76 170. I want to do the hull sides in "Aquamist" awlgrip, and the liner in "Mattehorn White". I've been reading the website and the directions are pretty intimidating. I will be spraying the paint on...and I've never done this before. I plan to do a few coats of high build primer before I paint. I think I understand what I need to do before the final paint. My questions are as follows:

1. Is a quart enough to paint the hull sides of a 17?

2. Do I need to add a "Converter" for the paint to work in my spray gun?

3. Is the two part poly the best for this application? What is EASIER, as I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards,

-Christian

[c master]

Well, Fletch, I can't answer your questions, but I do have a couple of ideas:

1. Since you're in a 'learning curve' with spraying this stuff, it might be worthwhile to buy extra paint and practice on something other than the boat, like an old bathtub or something smooth like that.  I know it's expensive but not as costly as having a bad patch of paint to fix.
2. Are you painting only above the chines?  Transom?  
3. I'm guessing a quart isn't enough.  
4. I'm guessing the spray tip is "key"...
5. I'm guessing clean-up of the sprayer is pretty critical.

I'm sure the 'prep' work requires a lot more time than the actual painting, since the paint will bring out every flaw underneath. Sand, sand, sand.  Sand.  Not trying to spend your money here, but maybe someone can 'weigh in' on whether it makes sense to do all the prep yourself, buy the paint & assorted chemicals, and pay someone to shoot the paint.  

I hand-painted a boat with the two-part epoxy a few years ago.  It came out pretty nice.  Foam rollers and tipping with a brush. People think it's gel-coat.

[Capt. Bob]

Here's as realistic as it gets on the prep part plus an often used painting method.

viewtopic.php?p=17045#p17045

The Resource forum is your friend.

Also try the search function using keys words like "spraying paint" etc. There have been several threads/posts on spray equipment and usage as well as different techniques.

As always,
The first one's free.

[CaptSteveBetz]

When I painted my boat I did not use Awl Grip. I used Sherwin Williams Acryglo. I have sprayed before (never a boat) so I did have some experience using a spray gun but was still not completely confident in my skills.

I enlisted the help from a couple of relatives who had a lot more experience than I did. My advice to you would be to do the same,get a friend or relative or who ever to guide you in how to mix and apply the paint properly.

I did the actual spraying of my top cap since it was a single stage paint but when it came to the sides it was a two stage metallic and since I had absolutely no experience in applying metallic I had my nephew do the spraying.

The single stage paint I used for the top cap was very user friendly for me as a novice. I still would not spray a metallic on something I would want to come out nice. Just dont feel my skills are up to it.

You may want to check into the acryglo as an option. My experience so far is that it is very durable and even more so if you apply a clear coat to it.

Only other advice I can give you is that I dont think a quart of paint will be enough to do the sides of your boat.

[bondobill]

I'm sure the 'prep' work requires a lot more time than the actual painting, since the paint will bring out every flaw underneath. Sand, sand, sand.  Sand.  Not trying to spend your money here, but maybe someone can 'weigh in' on whether it makes sense to do all the prep yourself, buy the paint & assorted chemicals, and pay someone to shoot the paint.

 

Got to agree with cmaster. If you have a autobdy shop that you have worked with before give them a call. Tell them what you got, you will supply all the paint, have all prep work done icluding masking, all they have to do is tach and  shoot it. I noticed where you are located and I am quessing shooting the boat outside this time of year isn't going to work. A 17ft boat will fit easly into a auto paint booth. A lot of shops paint booths sit idle on Fridays. If you can tell them you will pay in greenbacks, cash talks. You might be surprised what kind of deal you can get. Heck I would shoot it for ya but I am out here on the west coast. If you are doing inside and out in 2 different colors you probably would have to take boat home after first shoot and then bring back at another time for 2nd color. I would guess they would charge about 4 hours labor per color, that may sound like a lot of time but by the time they mix up the paint shoot color then cleanup equipment close to half of day is shot. If you are thinking of doing it yourself you would need at least 2 qts for spraying of sides, I would have 3 on hand just in case, better to have too much then not enough.

[slippery73]

I'd check about having a vinyl wrap applied before I would ruin my boat with a terrible paint job.  It takes a lot of experience to properly execute a paint job like this. It also takes a lot of money in tools to do it properly.  If your looking at this as a way to teach yourself something and pay for your equipment for further use down the road then go for it. Otherwise, pay to have it done, do some prep to save money, etc.  Your looking at a 10cfm+ compressor, oil sep, air dryer, spray gun, da sander, etc.  $1000 dollars in tools easy if your buying decent equipment. Maybe half that if you buy used.

Plus paint materials, time, spray location, etc.

This paint works as a system, laymen rarely understand that.  That finished job is only as good as each component to the entire job, from initial prep, to sanding and buffing it out. If your really wanting to learn how to do it you'll need to find a material to use and read the manufacturers application directions, prep, thinning, gun tip sizes, psi, etc.

Its a long road that takes years of experience to become proficient in finishing. I wouldn't bother attempting it unless you can use it later on in life.

[Aswaff400]

Hey all. I have a 76 170. I want to do the hull sides in "Aquamist" awlgrip, and the liner in "Mattehorn White". I've been reading the website and the directions are pretty intimidating. I will be spraying the paint on...and I've never done this before. I plan to do a few coats of high build primer before I paint. I think I understand what I need to do before the final paint. My questions are as follows:

1. Is a quart enough to paint the hull sides of a 17?

2. Do I need to add a "Converter" for the paint to work in my spray gun?

3. Is the two part poly the best for this application? What is EASIER, as I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards,

-Christian

heres something else to think about, awlgrip is a fairly difficult paint to spray if youve never done anything like that. i had a pro spray mine custom blended color, including all prep, priming, sandint filing etc, cost me 1300 for the hull sides, he even mixed me enough paint to spray the whole boat again... he said 2 quarts exactly to spray the hull sides of my boat... cost me 1300 bucks cash... the guy who did mine sprays nothing but awlgrip, and has been doing it for 20 years

 ive seen guys who spray cars all day long, try to spray a boat with awlgrip, or even just spray a boat period, not a good finish... for the best finish result, find a pro who sprays nothing but awlgrip, or atleast sprays nothing but boats...  

I'd check about having a vinyl wrap applied before I would ruin my boat with a terrible paint job.  It takes a lot of experience to properly execute a paint job like this. It also takes a lot of money in tools to do it properly.  If your looking at this as a way to teach yourself something and pay for your equipment for further use down the road then go for it. Otherwise, pay to have it done, do some prep to save money, etc.  Your looking at a 10cfm+ compressor, oil sep, air dryer, spray gun, da sander, etc.  $1000 dollars in tools easy if your buying decent equipment. Maybe half that if you buy used.

Plus paint materials, time, spray location, etc.

This paint works as a system, laymen rarely understand that.  That finished job is only as good as each component to the entire job, from initial prep, to sanding and buffing it out. If your really wanting to learn how to do it you'll need to find a material to use and read the manufacturers application directions, prep, thinning, gun tip sizes, psi, etc.

Its a long road that takes years of experience to become proficient in finishing. I wouldn't bother attempting it unless you can use it later on in life.

i considered a wrap before paint because its not permenent, went to a bunch of local shops, the cheapest i could find was 1600 bucks, the most expensive was 3900 bucks and thats for the hull sides and transom... and every shop tries to sell you the crazy graphics and art work when you tell them you want a basic color...

another thing, a wrap wont shine nearly as long as paint, awlgrip i hear is good for upto 10 years before it looses its shine(if done right), vinyl wrap maybe 3 years tops

this was the day i picked the boat up, still hazy as the paint was still curing, now shines like a mirror!

[LilRichard]

Here's my take.  I am not a skilled painter - but I still got a great finish.  What you need is an ability to follow directions, patience, and proper equipment.  

When I say follow directions, this is general prep as well as painting procedures.  It's cliched, but prep work is the most important part of paint.  This includes making sure you use good primer!  Make sure your surface is smooth, dry, and dust / contaminant free, and you'll get great paint.  Awlgrip has some good tips online regarding degreasing the surface, using a tack cloth to remove dust, etc.  Last, make sure you learn how to paint (proper technique).

Patience is key because you'll want to rush through some of these steps, particularly the fairing / priming phase.  When you shoot the final paint, you want to make sure you don't rush the timing, or you'll get sags.  Also, as Rick said, practice spraying your material before you spray it!

Proper equipment will include a gun capable of spraying the material (right tip size), a good compressor, and a quality drier on your air line.  I also like to use an inline disposable filter for additional contaminant removal.

I did a good bit of reading, then went for it.  I am very happy with how my paint turned out... so don't let it intimidate you!

[Capt Matt]

Awlgrip requires awlgrip spray converter, mixed equal parts with the paint so a qt of paint is really a 1/2 gallon when mixed.
You will need at least two coats so plan on 2qts of paint (1 gallon with spray converter)

Use Awlgrip high build primer, as its made for the awlgrip paint. Don't expect the primer to fill alot, after the primer is on you will have a much better idea of what needs to be re sanded and filled.
What worked well for me was cheap spray can primer first to give me a better idea of what I had and needed to spot putty

Paint jobs are all in the prep work, 3 weeks to sand, prep and fare then a few hours to paint.

Capt Matt