Re: Explain to me the difference between top and bottom paints.
Mark,<br /><br />Let me make this very very strong suggestion to you at the outset. Whichever paint you decide on, and I would certainly recommend the Awl Grip, make sure you follow their instructions to the letter and go ahead and commit yourself to their "system" to do the entire job. Don't substitute primers, or thinners, or catalysts, or anything else. I even went so far as to use Awl Grip tack rags before the final coat. I would say the same thing no matter which producer's product you end up with. I would also remind you that no coat of paint can ever be any better than the surface underlieing it, so prep work is everything.<br /><br />By the way, on the use of that barrier coat for a painted bottom. A gallon of it will put a couple of coats on any three boats that are trailered, easily. They only sell it in the kits and its enough to do several bottoms, so give that some thought. Also, when I was thinking about trying this stuff I went ahead and called Awl Grips tech line and simply asked if it was suitable for the purpose. The fellow I talked to told my quite honestly that the company did not develop the paint for that purpose and could not recommend it for that purpose (and I told him it was on a roller trailered boat), but that in fact they were aware of many many cases where it had been used that way and they were not aware of any failure of the paint in that application. In other words, they couldn't guarantee it but they knew a lot of folks were doing it and it was working just fine.<br /><br />As it is I let the top coat run way down below the waterline while we were painting because I really didn't know exactly where the water line was. The boat has spent 23.6 hours in the water with the new paint so some of that paint has been submerged for that long - but not all at once. This was over the course of 4 day trips, two in a local lake and two ocean trips. I only know because we put a new engine on the boat too and it has a new hourmeter. We are just like you, mostly day trips with an occasional couple of days in the water. In the fall we usually rent a house on the water, with a dock, for a week and the boat stays in the water then too of course, but that is the longest continous stretch it would be wet. I think the Barrier Coat paint is the answer.<br /><br />Heck, why didn't I think of this before. You want to split the gallon I have here? I can look and see how much I paid for it and split it with you. Right now its unopened, both the paint and the catalyst. Take a look at the Awl Grip application manual (available on line) and see what you think.<br /><br />Thom
