Topside finishes . . .

[Ancient Race]

I'm currently contemplating whether to roll & tip Interlux Perfection for a less-than-first-rate-but-acceptable finish on the Tartan; or take on the expense of HVLP & supplied air, and the attendant learning curve, to shoot it myself; or subcontract the actual spraying to a freelance shooter in my shop. Which means I'm also considering appropriate products.

So the following discussion was of great interest to me with regard to topside and deck finishes:

PS - Tim, I read that you used Awlgrip for Glissando's mast...are you now not advocating Awlgrip? I thought I read recently that you were unhappy with Awlgrip...

No, not at all. Awlgrip was and is a great product line.

I switched to Alexseal 5 years ago because of a supplier issue, not because I think the product is necessarily better.

One strike against the Interlux line is that they don't have a high build primer, which both Awlgrip and Alexseal do. In repainting the Jet with Perfection - particularly the bottom - I found that a high build primer would have been helpful in smoothing minor surface imperfections that required attention.

OTOH, Perfection is more tolerant of repair if - when - the finish is dinged. My understanding is that while Alexseal is as well, Awlgrip is not.

So I guess the question I'm posing to those here assembled, particularly Tim, is whether, absent supplier difficulties, Alexseal would be preferred over Awlgrip?

Greg

[Tim]

One strike against the Interlux line is that they don't have a high build primer...

There's no reason you can't use either Awlgrip or Alexseal high-build primer beneath Interlux topcoat. It's cross-compatible beneath any "lesser" paint and makes a great base for any subsequent primers and finish paints.

[Rachel]

I'd like to understand why Interlux Perfection would be more "repairable" than Alexseal or Awlgrip. I thought that Perfection was a linear polyurethane -- and wouldn't all linear polyurethanes be equally "difficult" to repair?

In my mind the heirarchy goes something like this, but I'd love to hear the input of more knowledgeable people, as I am in no way an expert:

1) Two-part, linear polyurethane paints: Hard "shell" coatings that last a very long time with high gloss retention and virtually no maintenance. On the other hand, trickier to repair and harder to apply. Buffing would actually "ruin" the hard shell and only be a last resort. Spraying needs supplied air.

2) Two-part paints like Imron (polyurethane anamel) or Awlcraft (acrylic urethane) that are still hard and durable and with long-lasting shine, but that are softer and without the "hard shell." They are easier to repair or buff out; on the other hand, they may need buffing out when the former would just keep on keeping on without attention. Still need supplied air to spray (?)

3) One part "polyurethanes" (but they are really modified alkyd products... right?) like Interlux Brightsides and Pettit Easypoxy are the easiest to apply and repair, but don't have nearly the durability or gloss retention of the others.

Rachel

[bcooke]

Still need supplied air to spray (?)

Oh yes. Still highly toxic stuff when atomized and sprayed into the air. About 10 minutes after my Awlcraft was sprayed I ventured in to the paint booth with an ordinary charcoal filter respirator to decide whether a fourth coat should be applied (no). You could just feel Death in the air with you. Nasty stuff.

but they are really modified alkyd products... right?)

That's my understanding. Fancy name for oil based paint.

Now this is a tangent I know but I find it hard to lump Interlux paints into one category. Interlux has been buying up every other paint manufacturer in the country with the goal of dominating the marine paint industry- a plan that has been quite successful. The issue I have is that there is no 'Interlux' type. They just produce what used to be the recipes of other paint companies and in many cases they have diluted the originals with cheaper ingredients.

Even if you find that explanation a bit conspiracy oriented, Interlux markets a wide variety of paints with widely differing properties with no family resemblence to one another. There really is no way to lump them together.

whether, absent supplier difficulties, Alexseal would be preferred over Awlgrip?

As more grist for the rumor mill, I have heard that Alexseal was created by Awlgrip engineers. It was a 'second generation' of Awlgrip that had slightly better properties. Since then Awlgrip has upgraded their product line and now they are basically identical.

[Shoalcove]

I just finished painting my boat with Perfection last week and was happy with the results. I will say that the finish was not perfect but it was pretty good. I got some complements and mostly met my goals. The shady side looks best. I worked outside and it's hard to control all the variables to get a sprayed look if you roll and tip like I did. For instance, a huge moth landed in the paint and caused some grief!
My expectations were never for perfect since I sail with kids and want them to use the boat and expect to have dings as they learn. It made the trade off between a yard job at big $$$ and my labour quite easy. I saved about 90% and it looks about 90% as good. Up close I can see it's limitations, 10 feet away it looks stunning.
It's all about your expectations. I'm glad I used the Perfection.
Best regards,
David

[Oscar]

Is Alexseal available to mere mortals? A quick Google reveals nothing like the retail avalanche the others generate.

[Tim]

Hamilton Marine sells Alexseal at retail.