Washing awlgrip hull paint

[lsheaf]

I know Awlgrip recommends using their special boat wash (possibly for good reason) but does Dawn dishsoap or the like damage the paint that bad?
I assume Awlgrip’s Awlwash isn’t readily available in some distant cruising locations so maybe there’s a better solution. Or maybe there will be other things to do on the boat rather than washing it haha.

~ Logan

[Lloyd]

I have just used Dawn on my Awlgrip paint. Long term who knows.

[CapnK]

I don't imagine soap would hurt that stuff much, it is tough. I'd stay away from the bleach scrubby stuff (can't recall the name), as it has an abrasive in it.

An aside: as much as Awlgrip paint and other products cost, I can only wonder just how expensive their soap would be!

[lsheaf]

After 20 minutes of warming up water and mixing it with vinegar (what Awlgrip recommends), I tested an area with vinegar only (not diluted).
I found that if I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then come back with diluted Awlwash/soft sponge, the salt stains would come right off. They were pretty heavy salt stains though, I won’t let it get that far again.

I rinsed with water again, dried the hull, and then applied Awlcare.

I’m finding the waterline is much more resistant to salt stains now which in turn prevents Algae buildup.

I’m super stoked

[Eidoloneliz23]

I too use Dawn when there’s a lot of stubborn stuff on my boat and have ignored her… But I do follow with Awlwash also and it IS pricey stuff.

For spots that are stubborn I carefully use Finess It followed by the Awlgrip sealer…. But in the back of my mind I know that if I were to need to topcoat with another coat of Awlgrip, I would be having to figure out how to properly clean the sealer off prior to prepping to paint.

My Awlgrip has been on for 14 years or so and it still looks good.

Cheers!!!

Elizabeth