After much hand wriging, reading, worry, and a weeks worth of prep, the first coat of Awl-Grip paint is on. I am amazed, it is as smooth as glass. Mixing Awl-Grip is a terrible thing, 2:1 ratio of pigment to converter + 25% reducer + accelerator, consistency has to be just so, something like vegetable oil. I know why every can says in bold letters "FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY." You mix it, let it bake (sit) for about 30 min and then...
Then the timing is crucial...one person rolls the paint on while the other follows behind and tips the surface (to remove bubbles and smooth the surface...), doing the whole boat took about 90-110 minutes. About 70 hours of prep and 90 minutes to paint.
But it is GORGEOUS!!! The hull looks like glass, instead of 32 she looks almost new! Instead of lipstick, the old girl got a face lift. When we do her bottom then we won't even be able to recognize her.
It's been worth the work for 2 reasons:
1. We know it is done right and have the satisfaction of spending very little cash to make a tremendous difference.
2. We have heard two things repeatedly... "It looks like a professional job" and "In the time its taken our contractor do to xxx, these kids have done their entire boat." It seems we've made some good impressions.
1-2 more coats on the hull will finish the job. YEAH! The bottom paint will go on easily, so no worries there. Maybe it's the Awl-Grip talking (powerful stuff, those of you who have worked with it can attest...) all's well in our world except for the lack of movement and the lack of natural sounds (ie water against the hull, open wind...) But we can't complain. Let's leave it at that. | 