Awlcraft 2000

[Columbia34]

I just got off the phone with a guy at Midwest Coatings, and he is suggesting that we use Awlcraft 2000 for for our topsides paint. He said that it is easier to fix up and easier to spray. Does anyone have any input on this for us? Thanks.

Scott

[Tim]

Here's what the Awlgrip website has to say about Awlcraft 2000:

Acrylic Urethane Topcoat
When topcoat application conditions re far from ideal, Awlcraft 2000
is the coating that will deliver a smooth, high gloss finish. Producing a rich lustrous finish similar to our famous Awlgrip, Awlcraft 2000 is ideal for use in situations where dust or fluctuating temperatures are a potential problem or where faster project turn-around time is critical. Its unique, fast drying formula helps reduce dust-free time between coats.

My take on this is that Awlcraft 2000 is formulated to be easier to work with, which might particularly apply to backyard refinishers, but that this probably translates into a slightly inferior final finish with somewhat different characteritics from regular Awlgrip.

If you're inclined to try it, I don't see any reason not to, though standard Awlgrip is still the granddaddy of topside finishes.

[Ceasar Choppy]

When I did my last boat, the guy I hired to spray it recommended Sherwin-Williams' Jet-Glo which was not only tough, but easy to touch-up. This paint is primarily used for painting airplanes (thus the name). It was easy to touch up as I had some decent sized scratches after a season of use.

I suspect the guy you are talking to might be thinking along similar lines. Awlgrip is very finicky and hard to touch up if it gets dinged. I have no experience with Awlcraft, but if the guy is recommending the Awlcraft as easy to touch up, it sounds like a winner to me.

Edit: after seeing what Tim got from the Awlgrip site, the only difference I see is that the Awlcraft is Acrylic (water-based??) where as the Awlgrip (and Jet-Glo for that matter) were strictly LPU paints.

[dkall]

Yep Awlcraft is softer and easier to repairt and doesn't hold the "shine" as long. Also Awlgrip is much tougher when it comes to reducers, that is primairly why we choose it, acetone, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, nothing effects it except I think amonia. Since we don't really using any of that for bedding fitting I don't worry about it. Just make sure you don't have cleaner w/ it, cause that will flatten it out quickly.

But summarizing, to me, the toughness is as important as anything else about it. Hands down.

[Columbia34]

has anyone had any luck with fixing dings in regular awlgrip? with the method of painting the ding wet sanding and then buffing? We are painting our boat some version of dark blue and are worried about fixing dock rash.

Scott

[Tim]

You can touch it up and even buff out repairs with some success, but it's challenging because of the hardness and gloss of the final coat.

The need for easy touchup is overblown, I think. Remember that small dings can be easily patched with dabs of color, and will be invisible to all but the closest inspection. You don't necessarily have to buff and blend every tiny dock ding. If you've done more damage than this sort of touch-up will cover, then you are probably looking at a much larger job anyway.

Small dings happen; these are boats, not museum pieces. We all get them, and they're not the end of the world. I have some dings on my hull that bug me whenever the boat's out of the water, but when she's in I never even notice. The first one hurts, for sure. Then you get over it and find that it's not so bad after all.

The proven track record and excellent shine, durability, longevity of Awlgrip LPU wins hands down for me. Having found Awlgrip to be (for me) more versatile and easier to apply than Alexseal, a newer and competing product, I expect to continue using Awlgrip for my painting needs. You just don't get the same results with anything else. It has its negative side, like cost, application learning curve (that's that the first coat is for, though) and the challenge of 100% invisible repairs. But from a pragmatic standpoint, these are far overshadowed by the overall excellence of the coating. Unless you're really lousy at docking, I suspect you'll find the worries about ding repair are not such a problem after all.

Awlgrip LPU is far from the only choice out there. Many other products work well, and may suit one person better than another. That's why there are choices, after all. But whatever other choices there are, there's no denying that Awlgrip is an excellent choice.