How to restore and shine an Awlgrip painted hull

Skipper November 27, 2012 Ask The Skipper

Jim MacDougall asked:

I have a 1971 Pearson. It was repainted with Awlgrip about 10 years ago. The previous owner used a carnauba wax on this paint. I have a few chips to fix and paint and then I’d like to shine it all up. There is some fading along the sides and scuffing (From the fenders – they had those cloth covers on them) and a number of small scratches in the surface of the paint.

Is your product OK with Awlgrip?

What steps should I take and what products to get the best result?

Answer:

For your convenience, I’ve highlighted the hyperlinks. Click on the hyperlink to get more information about the selected product.

The manufacturer of Awlgrip tells their customers not to use carnauba wax on their paint as it can cause premature failure.

The products that we recommend for cleaning and protecting polyurethane paints like Awlgrip are Boat Clean Plus and Kwik Shine. They are both safe. In addition to providing a superior shine, Kwik Shine will also protect against UV and will remove light oxidation. If the oxidation is severe, you can try Boat Scrub on a damp sponge or damp Marine Power Mitt. If that doesn’t restore the shine you may have to repaint your boat.

It’s difficult to touch up Awlgrip as you can not feather in the new paint with the old. It’s a two part system that uses a catalyst to cure as opposed to air cure. You may have to wet sand or compound the touched up areas to try to blend them in but this is tricky as you don’t have a lot of thickness to work with. You must also be careful when working with these urethanes as the fumes are quite toxic. Most boat owners leave the repainting to professionals that have the proper equipment, training and experience. If you decide to do it yourself, read the manufacturers instructions very carefully and follow them to the letter.

Thanks for your question.

Captain Aurora
Richard Kittar