Plastic Classic Forum

When having a boat painted, are there any objective standards (as opposed to how it looks kinds of subjectivity) as to what constitutes a proper Awlgrip (or other kind of paint) job?

Proper preparation.

Attention to detail.

Use of appropriate products for the paint system chosen.

And final appearance is important, of course, though perhaps more difficult to quantify.

Actually Tim, what I had in mind is tests to be done after the paint is applied, such as:



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JonnyBoats wrote:When having a boat painted, are there any objective standards (as opposed to how it looks kinds of subjectivity) as to what constitutes a proper Awlgrip (or other kind of paint) job?

why?

why?

Well as with most things in life, I find that everything tends to go smoothest when everyone's expectations are met and there are few negative surprises. The rub of course is that everyone needs to be on the same page in terms of "expectations".

For some jobs on a boat, it is possible to agree on such things as "work will be done in accordance with applicable ABYC standards" and then an independent person should be able to ascertain if in fact the work complied with the standard.

For other things the standards seem much more subjective, for example no hull will ever be perfectly fair, so what constitutes an acceptabe job of fairing a hull? Further I am sure what might be perfectly acceptable to one boat owner might be unacceptable to another.

So what I am tring to find out is what is considered a "good" Awlgrip job, not a "perfect" job. Are there some things that most everyone would agree on?

Thanks.

to add to tim's list:

no obvious holidays or paint gaps

proper masking around edges so the paint covers everything that is intended and no paint on surfaces that do not get paint i.e. the rub rail, or any teak.

no runs or drips

the right color

the right number of coats

I feel like in a lot of painting any one can do a decent job in the wide open plains, but it is around the edges that things tend to get screwed up. It is the edges that make the look of perfection.

i am of course using as reference all my own mistakes.

r

If the steps required in order to have hope of a good paint finish are followed (i.e. proper prep, use of quality products, attention to detail, and so forth), then the final job is likely to be of acceptable caliber. Attention to detail at the prep stage typically leads to finish work that will pass muster.

There are just too many subjective qualifications to definitively say what makes a good paint job after the fact. If it's supposed to be shiny, then it should be shiny. It it's supposed to be smooth and blemish-free, then it should be. The more experienced the applicator, and the more expensive the work, the higher one's expectations must necessarily be.

"Good" can mean many different things to different people based on their individual expectations, but to paraphrase former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, one tends to know it when they see it.

John, do some research on Internationals', DuPont's, etc source material:

http://www.awlgrip.com/awlgrip_pages/ap ... _guide.htm
http://pc.dupont.com/Phantom/content/imron-comm.html
http://www.epifanes.com/eproducts.htm
http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa//product_ ... eID=6660#1

The latter two are amateur-able finishes and may really be different from the professionals-only first two.

There surely are objective tests and standards: substrates, atmospheric conditions, mil thicknesses, hardness, reflectivity, color, abrasion resistance, applicators' certificates and so on. Of course, some of these tests are done under controlled conditions and on special equipment, rather on end user's applications. (I just delved into MasterSpec for land-based versions of the two-part Polyurethanes and other high-performance coatings and the raw, unedited spec is too general to help you.)

Unfortunately, testing may be locally destructive and the cost usually borne by the owner, unless shortcomings are found. Depending upon Awlgrip's or similar's licensed/certified applicators might be your best guarantee. One would hope that they'd ensure their work by being sure of the substrates. That's got to be one of the worst potential problems on a 45 year old structure.

oh man I'd hate to have paint that shiny on my 46 year old hull. I shot with a two part ( not AwlGrip) poly, but I made sure I shot for a semi-gloss finish instead of that high gloss. My wife had faired our hull to a "fair thee well" but there are still flaws that show in any hull that old. I didn't want a gloss finish, nor do I like them on many boats.

The older wooden boats I grew up around most often had a semi gloss look to them, which I prefer for my own boats.

This was the seventh boat I've shot with a 2 part poly by the way, although I've never used AwlGrip.

I think that the best way to know whether or not someone has the skill to do a job that will be acceptable to you, is to go look at their work. Find out what other boats they have painted recently and check them out. If they look horrid, you should go find someone else. Painting is somewhat of an art form. The amount of attention that the painter pays to small details, will tell you a lot about how they have cared for the unseen part of the work. If they haven't been careful at how they mask a line, they probably haven't been careful about those dings under the primer.

John, don't mince words here. Let's get to the crux of your question.

Are you unhappy in some way with a paint job that you recently had done, or are you talking in hypotheticals? It makes a big difference to how people might respond to your question.

Are you unhappy in some way with a paint job that you recently had done, or are you talking in hypotheticals?

Actually my boat was just painted, and it looks great to me. I plan on posting some photos under the Projects section of the forum.

It is just that since I really don't know very much about Awlgrip, I wouldn't want to recommend the person who did my boat if there were some serious issue that would be easy to test for. (Such as "did they double clamp the hoses?").