I just painted my deck with Awlgrip. To be more precise: I have repaired all cracks, primed it 4(!) times and then (to save some time) gave the spraying job to my boat yard service department. WHAT A MISTAKE!  I did myself such a good and precise job and expected even better results from the boatyard "professionals".

They have ruined everything! They couldn't spray Awlgrip without paint runs, then they tried to fix these runs by sending them out, spot spraying and buffing. Result - huge flat and glossy spots. They couldn't even mask the nonskid properly - all rounded corners became - well, ...not rounded. I am so disappointed that I actually stopped restoring my boat - all inspiration just disappeared.  I was also stupid enough to ask them apply a barrier coating on the bottom. As a result of their sending all underwater part is "decorated" with little half moons and because they applied a heavy duty sealing (instead of masking) tape above the waterline and left it there for a few weeks, the tape came out only with the pieces of my previous year hull paining job.

I always used to do all the work on my boat myself. It used to take a very long time (I am such a erfectionist) but perfection was the result. These year I wanted to go sailing as soon as possible and decided to spend some money on a "professional" job...

Good Luck. You can do it (may be better then professionals)

This spring, I repainted the hull and deck of my Ensign (#1447, 1969) with Awl-Grip.  The results are excellent, and complements have abounded.  During the process, I learned many things that I think will make it easier the second time around, assuming I undertake the Triton project.  My Ensign did not require a huge amount of prep--there were a couple minor stress cracks in the hull and deck that I grooved out and filled, but otherwise it was standard pre-painting prep.  In summary, here are a few tips I learned that will make the job easier next time.

1.  If you have high standards, you will probably only be willing to accept your own work, even if that includes a few flaws and mistakes.  If you made them yourself, not only will you be more willing to accept them, but no one else will notice, unless they are a fellow perfectionist and fanatic.  Even they won't probably notice.

2.  Next time, I would thin out the Awl-Quik primer more than I did, which means a little more than recommended in the instructions.  The primer was very thick, and after application left brusk marks (even just tipping off) that had to be sanded smooth before applying the final coat.  This left the primer application a little thin in spots, which turned out to be a pain during the final finishing process.  If the primer were thinned more, I think it would have leveled better.

3.  Get lots of the reducer needed to thin both the primer and topcoats, so you can use as much as necessary without worrying.  I special ordered an amount based on manufacturer's mixture recommendations--it's expensive, after all, and I wanted to minimize cost--and ended up almost rationing it out as I finished the job.   You also need the reducer to pre-clean brushes and rollers before using (see # 5 below), and I would have liked to have had more available.

4.  If you can varnish well, you can get an excellent finish with Awl-Grip.  However, because of the high cost of the product, there will be more stress during the process as you try to get a perfect finish that reflects what you paid for the paint!  Mistakes in the finish coat can be corrected, of course, by sanding and recoating--the only way to correct a run or holiday, in my opinion, since you can't buff it out like gelcoat--but this is a pain and of course you want to get away with only two coats--cost and time.  I needed three color coats on the hull and cabin trunk, although the remainder of the deck needed only two.

5.  As recommended by the manufacturer, thoroughly pre-clean your brushes and roller covers.  I didn't have enough reducer available for the most thorough cleaning, and didn't have the time to wait for another special order, so the rollers would, at the beginning, leave small pieces of lint, etc. behind--annoying!  By the time I did the last coat, I learned to run the roller on a piece of clean scrap to allow it to self-rid of loosed particles, and this helped produce a better result.  The amount of lint left in the final finish is really only noticable by me and is not a problem.  I might try foam rollers next time, instead of the expensive Mohair rollers recommended by Awl-Grip.

6.  If the primer is thin or has been sanded through, as in my case, it will be difficult to cover with the finish coat.  I needed three topcoats--which I might do anyway again in the future, just to have a thicker coat--to cover some thin spots left by the sanding of the primer to rid it of brush marks.

7.  The topcoat is very prone to runs, especially around any hardware (remove it if at all possible) and, on the hull, at the hull/deck joint and rubrail.  I found that it is almost impossible to prevent runs at the rubrail.  For a short time after application, you can go back and carefully brush them out, but the material quickly kicks to a point that you can no longer do this.  Be prepared to accept a couple of small runs, at least in areas where they are unnoticable, like on the hull where I've mentioned.  In the water, you simply can't see them.  I had to sand and repaint the cabin trunk a third time after runs developed near the porthole, which I had been unable to remove.  The very weight of the paint may cause these after it has begun to kick,  so be as careful as possible.

8.  I painted the smooth areas of the deck with Awl-Grip, but used Interux Brightside polyurethane (1-part) on the nonskid.  I mixed in a can of Interlux flattening agent and some of the Interlux plastic nonskid additive, which I am very impressed with.  It leaves a grippy but smoothly finished surface, not like some of the gravel I have seen mixed with paint that looks like hell.  I used alot of the nonskid additive and it works very well underfoot, as well as looking attractive--maybe even better than the original basket-weave pattern.  I figured that it wasn't worth the money to use Awl-Grip on the deck surfaces, since they should not shine at all.  If I need to repaint the nonskid every couple of years it's no real problem, because painting nonskid is easy.  There is very minor wear evident after almost one season of use, but it has actually held up better than I expected.

9.  Awl-Grip is expensive, but it is second to none in initial and long-term results.  I do think it will end up being a 10 or more-year paint job.  After a season, there is no deterioration of the Awl-Gripped portions of my boat, and the depth of shine is unbelievable.  No oxidation or chalking at all.  It's easy to clean, once you get over your initial fear of touching your new paint job, certain that you will ruin it.  (You do get over that.)

10.  if you're not going for the perfectly restored "plastic classic" look, it's probably not worth it to use Awl-Grip.  It's too expensive to use in any application without using the proper preparations and desiring the perfect final result.  If you just want to clean up the boat and update its look, and don't mind repainting every couple of years, I imagine a lesser paint would suffice.  Personally, I was going for a perfect restoration of my Ensign, which is what I acheived--and for 1/4 or less the cost of having it done "professionally", which doesn't guarantee results any better than are achievable by you.  Assuming I buy the Triton, which I expect, my goal will, again, be a perfectly restored boat, or as close as possible.

I just finished having my boat painted (sprayed).  The guy used Sherwin Williams JET-GLO which he said was much easier to touch up than AwlGrip.  I've seen the boats he has touched up... buffing or wet sanding with 320 and the shine is still there.  Haven't started on it yet myself.... there are a few runs and bugs I gotta get out.

Esprit's topside was taken down and painted in 93 with Interlux 2 part (Interthain? been a long time).  Off White decks and Lt. Blue gunnels.  I must admit that the job held up well until 1988.  By 95, I had to polish it each season.  The job may have lasted longer.  The main failures appear to be areas that may have had bad prep.  I will use it again.

One part poly "IS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR THE SAME STUFF" as two part.  One part is closer to an oil paint in the way it makes its bond.  Its binder dries and the solids are little pieces of plastic floating in the binder.  It will not have the longevity of a reactive coating that forms a homogeneous film.

Prior to poly paint it was good old oil paint.  3 years if applied well.  Main advantage is the ability to touch it up and is easier to remove for the next paint.

Esprit was originally beige decks and lt blue hull.  That is the way she is going back.  Most of the hulls either had beige or green decks originally. The 93 white deck job is the last white decks Esprit will know.

I just did mine with 3 coats of Interlux one part Brightside.  Bristol Beige on the non-skid, and off-white on the rest.  Looks great, better than new!!  Now we'll see how long it holds up!

We spent many days on surface preparation such as sanding all surfaces, filling cracks etc, solvent wiping surface, and two coats of primer.  A single coat of Interlux Brightside one part epoxy was rolled on then tipped which really flowed well.  We sanded and solvent wiped then rolled the non skid areas with their poly beads without tipping.  Then the second coat on the remaining areas with a roller (where possible) followed by tipping.  We had fairly good weather ( low humidity and in the 70's) so can't say how higher temps may impact the paint, bet it does.  Sorry to read that all this effort will only last 5 years.

As for spraying two part isocyanate paint, this has GREAT risk of causing asthma and reactive airways which is not nice.  Some folks go on to develop very severe sensitivity to very small amounts of this stuff (and maybe other like compounds).  I work in an occupational  health clinic and get to see the results of this sort of exposures.   Best not to spray, and don't get it on your skin since it appears this is another possible way some of the above effects can take place.  So have fun!

I only painted the topsides this year.  Next spring when we haul it, we'll do the hull.  I used Hatteras off-white for the cabin trunk, sides of the cockpit well, etc. and the Bristol Beige for all the non-skid areas.  After 36 years there were only a few minor nicks, dings and stress cracks, so was relatively easy to fill these in.  I used the best quality badger brushes I could find.  The first two coats of beige went on straight out of the can, and for the third coat, I mixed in the non-skid stuff that Interlux sells.  It worked very well.  I painted in June, and we have had a very cool summer here, so I don't think the temp was ever over 70.  The paint behaved very well, and I didn't have to use any thinners, etc.  Between coats I sanded with #200 grit wet and there are only a few places you can see any brush marks, and then only if you're looking for them.  The project took two full weekends, plus evenings after work sanding, etc.  Hopefully I'll get 4 or 5 years out of it.  Total cost of the whole deal (not including my high-priced labor) was only $325.

I painted Head over Heels cabin with Brightside over the original gel coat.  It took two coats of primer and one coat of bright white...I used a "hide all the flaws white".  That job lasted about 5 years.  The surfaced gradually thinned out and I could see through to the primer.  I recently gave it a second sanding and two coats of the same stuff, and it looks great after a couple of years.  Soon, I will paint the nonskid.  I plan to use the same paint...probably off white-ish.

I painted Maltese Falcon in 1993.  I did the topsides and non-skid areas with light gray Interlux two-part polyurethane, and the cabin top and remainder of the decks with white one part to polyurethane.  In retrospect, I wished that I had used two part polyurethane for all.  The one part
polyurethane is pretty good stuff, easier to work with, and much easier for touch-ups.  However, it is not nearly so durable as the two-part stuff.

The topsides still look real good now that the new owner has waxed and polished them.  I used double the recommended amount of non-skid additive on the decks and it has held up very well.  I re-did cockpit sole in 1997.  I used a roller on all of the non-skid area, hoping it would add to the roughness.  It did.

May I offer a few suggestions?

1.  Try to avoid mixing up a large batch and leaving it in the Sunshine on a hot day!  I foolishly did this, and ended up pouring a cup of of acetone into it to cool it off.  It worked, but it was a bit tense watching the acetone boil away.

2.  The theoretical pot life is eight hours.  This can be extended by keeping it cool.  When I had some leftover that I wished to use the next day, I would take it home and put it in the freezer to retard the chemical reaction.  It worked for me.

3.  When painting a vertical surface, such as topsides and cabin sides, you will likely get better results if you brush it out vertically.  I rolled out with one hand and brushed with the other.  While I got good results, it would have been more fun if I had some help.

4.  Be cautious of professionals.  Some are better than others.  The job I did, while not perfect, drew a lot more admirers than a "professional" paint (hose) job done a hundred feet away.  Ultimately, no one is likely to care about the results more than you do.  That is why you own a cool boat and they don't!

5.  Some thought might be given to color.  The light gray sections of the deck were substantially hotter than the white.  This might not mean much on Lake Superior, but could be important to those of us who live close to or south of the Mason Dixon line.

I used Interthane Plus over what I believed to be Imron (another hi-tech paint)on the top-sides with no trouble.  However, on the decks, where I slopped it into the Briteside polyurethane, it acted as a super paint remover.

The simplest way to discover what will happen is to obtain some of the thinner for the new paint and brush or rub it onto the old paint.  If the old paint comes off, you have a decision to make.  If the old paint is in bad shape and trying to come off on its own, you may wish to remove it.  If it's in good shape, and don't feel like removing it, you could use an epoxy based primer. Interlux sells primer is for this purpose. Or, you could select the more compatible paint.

Good luck, and go for it; I think that of all boat maintenance projects, re-painting and varnishing have delievered the greatest gratification per hour and gallon of blood, sweat, toil and tears.

We painted our Triton 4 years ago with 2 part intralux--hull and deck.    It looked very good for a year or so then declined to "good."    Today it  looks somewhere between o.k. and good.    It's approaching  the "not remarkable" either way stage.

We brushed it on.  Two coats.  I'm sure you read the directions and know that if  you spray it on it is genuinely deadly (killingly so) stuff and requires a fancy fresh air suppllied (or some such term) mask.  If rolled/brushed, it's safer.  We did the deck in a hatteras off-white (over time it's become a bit too yellow I think) and the hull in a dark blue.  The hull isn't very shiny any more but still is fine.  The deck is mainly non-skid anyway so the lack of shine isn't a problem.  And there's enough contrast between the
non-skid and the  other areas so it looks good.

We hoped for the "older boat in good shape" look and are satisfied.  We were not looking for (nor do we like) the "pristine restored plastic" look.

We did another boat another time and it "kicked" too late in the day and the evening dew got on it and it had to be repainted.   So paint early. But, of course, not so early you haven't escpaed the morning moisture either!

I did a lot of reading before we did the boat 4 years ago.  Supposedly the one-part lasts 5 years and the 2-part 10.  I think the 10 years may be exaggerated.  At least if you want it to look good..

My wife and I just re-painted our Triton using Interlux Interthane Plus (off-white).  I put on the paint with a foam (west systems) roller and Mary follwed using a Pad brush with thousands of little hairs (don't know the name of it. but it is sold in most paint stores).  The pad brush is lightly run over the paint to smooth out any bubbles.

The trick with using the 2-part paint is:
A) thinning correctly (it should be as thin as possible without running (if it is not thinned enough it will sag). Keep the paint thinned throughout the job by adding more (use a squeeze bottle like a honey tube for ease)  Keep the paint covered when not in use..the thinner will evaporate very fast!!
B) the temperature should be about 60 - 70 (do not paint in the bright sun. The paint will dry VERY fast and you cannot go back.  We found that working quickly is the best way. We can do a coat in little over an hour.
C) under no circumstances, paint when there will be moisture in the air.  If you do, the paint will not gloss evenly.

We sanded and primed before painting. The more prep you do, the better the job will come out.  While not perfect (there are a few sags and runs)  it looks great.  I will probably polish and wax next year (I think it takes months to complely cure).  I had a medium-dark blue hull and we needed 3 coats to cover (we used 4).  Sand between each coat (this will also enable you to get better as you do more coats).  Good luck