Cleaning Awlgrip Woes

I recently had my 10" high blue gelcoat hull stripe painted with standard Awlgrip. The color was Flag Blue. The person who rolled/tipped the paint is an absolute master with 40 years experience. It looked great.

Until, a guy came along and ruined the job by using an aggressive cleaner to remove some adhesive residue left over from a 1/4 "tape stripe that was applied on the new paint then removed because it was not sticking well. The product he used is called Max Pro Citrus cleaner. Instead of carefully removing only the adhesive he wiped the entire stripe with broad strokes over the entire stripe which resulted in large areas of cloudy scratches.

The entire paint job had to be done over

Not much is known about the use of citrus cleaners on paint but I am researching it.

seasalt007 said:

I recently had my 10" high blue gelcoat hull stripe painted with standard Awlgrip. The color was Flag Blue. The person who rolled/tipped the paint is an absolute master with 40 years experience. It looked great.

Until, a guy came along and ruined the job by using an aggressive cleaner to remove some adhesive residue left over from a 1/4 "tape stripe that was applied on the new paint then removed because it was not sticking well. The product he used is called Max Pro Citrus cleaner. Instead of carefully removing only the adhesive he wiped the entire stripe with broad strokes over the entire stripe which resulted in large areas of cloudy scratches.

The entire paint job had to be done over

Not much is known about the use of citrus cleaners on paint but I am researching it.

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It is likely the result of what he was rubbing it with and not the citrus cleaner itself Awlgrip is pretty resistant to most chemicals but does not like abrasion so that is why they only recommend a sheepskin type of cleaning tool and not any types of 'brushes'. Perhaps he also tired bleaches or ammonia which are other agents that can cloud linear paints.

2 things about Awlgrip. One it takes months to reach final hardness. If you're going to tape over uncured Awlgrip, use professional painters tape.

Two, in spite of what people tell you, wax on Awlgrip (after it's fully cured) is your best friend. You won't be cleaning stuff off the Awlgrip, but off the wax. Usually nothing more than mild highly diluted boat soap is all that's required.

Ted

Avoid excessive rubbing with rags and brushes as it should not be necessary and reduces the ability of the coating to shed contaminants. Avoid the use of most waxes as they leave a film and require additional rubbing to maintain the finish.Consider the use of awlcare sealer if you want to coat the finish for extra grime shedding. Follow the awlcare instructions for use carefully and do not use a machine on the finish.
I have gone 4-5 seasons of use with little or no cleaning other than a good wash every now and then - at the 4-5 season interval the awlcare will help to keep the finish. If you have slat water spots try washing with water mixed with 1/4 vinegar before washing with a light awlcleaner.


Care and maintenance of awlgrip....
Tips for Maintaining Topcoats

I had to spot clean a small spot of grease left on my deck from the yard. I used a citrus based cleaner and tooth brush--no problems at all. I've also used Starbrite rust remover on a small rust spot from a small filing. Again, I was careful with the mechanical scrubbing and there was no damage to the paint.

I agree with OC Diver, I gently wax (not polish) my Awlgrip and don't buy the notion that one should never wax it.

Use Awlgrip products

O C Diver said:

2 things about Awlgrip. One it takes months to reach final hardness. If you're going to tape over uncured Awlgrip, use professional painters tape.

Two, in spite of what people tell you, wax on Awlgrip (after it's fully cured) is your best friend. You won't be cleaning stuff off the Awlgrip, but off the wax. Usually nothing more than mild highly diluted boat soap is all that's required.

Ted

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Awlgrip makes both a soap, called awlwash and a "was" called awlcare. I just painted my entire boat and would not use anything else.

A cut and paste from the Awlgrip guide posted above....
Do Not:

1. Do not use traditional waxes. General:
   
   Traditional waxes break down rapidly. The residue can cause the topcoat to appear yellow, plus it attracts dirt. This creates the need to maintain the wax, increasing overall maintenance. Traditional waxes which contain no abrasives probably do little harm to the coating, but offer no benefit

Two more pieces of the puzzle.

He said he was using an old T shirt.

And, through serendipity, I got this info after I called Weber Grill company over an warranty issue and they asked if I wanted to receive emails containing tips and recipes. I said sure. The very first email I got concerned cleaning a black or stainless gas grill. They said to not use a citrus based cleaner because it is too aggressive.

As to the waxing issue, I had the same stripe painted with Awlgrip on my last 42' Nordic Tug ten years ago. I saw the boat this last April and it looked brand new. No wax has ever touched it.

Gordon J said:

Awlgrip makes both a soap, called awlwash and a "was" called awlcare. I just painted my entire boat and would not use anything else.

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The top half of my boat has 15 year old Awlgrip. Tried the Awlcare and realized that it did a poor job compared to wax. Have been waxing it for 13 years. Tell me what you think of Awlcare after you've used it for 15 years.

smitty477 said:

A cut and paste from the Awlgrip guide posted above....
Do Not:

1. Do not use traditional waxes. General:
   
   Traditional waxes break down rapidly. The residue can cause the topcoat to appear yellow, plus it attracts dirt. This creates the need to maintain the wax, increasing overall maintenance. Traditional waxes which contain no abrasives probably do little harm to the coating, but offer no benefit

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Smoke and mirrors. No one uses traditional wax, at least not in the last 25 years. Most waxes used on boats are scientifically engineered products that don't contain abrasives, don't yellow with age, and hold up longer than Awlcare. In case you missed it, Awlgrip is trying to promote their own product by misleading you about their competition.

Ted

My Mainship hull is painted w Awlcraft. I started using Awlcare and it seems to work fine.
1st year I had it didn't know what the finish was nor recommended care and started using NuFinish... which is a polymer.
Application and removal is EZ w a microfiber pad/ towel.
Helped a buddy do his stripe and we used Awlcraft and he decided to add the Awlcraft clear as the final finish. This seems like an ideal combo and wonder why it wouldn't be better than Awlgrip?
Awlcraft can be buffed if necessary and the ability to clear coat seems like it would be a better choice?
Any insights on Awlgrip vs Awlcraft ?

Bacchus said:

...Any insights on Awlgrip vs Awlcraft ?

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Hobo had Awlgrip for 10 years and now has had Awlcraft 2000 for 5 years. The Awlcraft is not as hard as the Awlgrip but I can repair it and as you mentioned it can be buffed out as needed although that does remove thickness. I have not been able to roll and tip Awlcraft. It's a 2 part acrylic urethane, which is quick drying vs Awlgrip which is a 2 part polyurethane and slower drying. For repairs I've used a Preval Sprayer.

Either one is about equal IMHO when you balance things out. We went with Awlcraft because that was what the best painter in the area at the time was using.

https://preval.com/

Larry

Agree I did some small repair w an air brush and primed w a Preval to prep for my buddy that sprayed my Awlcraft in the a larger hull repair I did.
Great to have talented friends...he helped me and I helped him w his stripe same wkend. He's also a diesel truck mechanic and my go to re engine... I do his canvas work.

I wish all TF members were local as I'm sure there would be lots of bartering between complimentary talented and knowledgable folks.

O C Diver said:

The top half of my boat has 15 year old Awlgrip. Tried the Awlcare and realized that it did a poor job compared to wax. Have been waxing it for 13 years. Tell me what you think of Awlcare after you've used it for 15 years.



Smoke and mirrors. No one uses traditional wax, at least not in the last 25 years. Most waxes used on boats are scientifically engineered products that don't contain abrasives, don't yellow with age, and hold up longer than Awlcare. In case you missed it, Awlgrip is trying to promote their own product by misleading you about their competition.

Ted

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Ted - many of the most popular boat waxes have wax products in them.
Your assessment that a company as large as Akzo do not understand their own products but would purposely mislead their customers is quite a hoot.
With the cost of the actual coating and the small cost of a pint of awlcare sealant which covered the entire length of my 50' hull I am sure they do not satisfy their profits with that line.
While it has been quite some time since shooting linear paints including awlgrip I can assure you that they do not take well to a covering which attracts contaminants and demand a dose or abrasion upon every use.

People awlgrip surfaces to get the enhanced finish and lack of wax requirements that this coating affords - why add cost and work to that finish?

It would be interesting what other manufacturers handbooks and guides you find to be smoke and mirrors - perhaps your engine manuals, your vehicles manuals and other source materials from the manufacturers.

I also use Gel coat labs sealant for non awlgrip coatings - not really much difference in costs but not a wax either.

Gordon J said:

Awlgrip makes both a soap, called awlwash and a "was" called awlcare. I just painted my entire boat and would not use anything else.

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This is accurate up to Awlcare being a wax. It is a sealer. In honor of Ted's arrival in February, Moonstruck is out of the water in the boat yard having Awlcare applied to her black hull sides. Bring it on, Ted.

Bacchus said:

..Helped a buddy do his stripe and we used Awlcraft and he decided to add the Awlcraft clear as the final finish...

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Don: Was the clear added because of the stripe being a darker color?

Or use Alexseal, the durability of Awlgrip with the repairability of Awlcraft.

smitty477 said:

Ted - many of the most popular boat waxes have wax products in them.
Your assessment that a company as large as Akzo do not understand their own products but would purposely mislead their customers is quite a hoot.
With the cost of the actual coating and the small cost of a pint of awlcare sealant which covered the entire length of my 50' hull I am sure they do not satisfy their profits with that line.
While it has been quite some time since shooting linear paints including awlgrip I can assure you that they do not take well to a covering which attracts contaminants and demand a dose or abrasion upon every use.

People awlgrip surfaces to get the enhanced finish and lack of wax requirements that this coating affords - why add cost and work to that finish?

It would be interesting what other manufacturers handbooks and guides you find to be smoke and mirrors - perhaps your engine manuals, your vehicles manuals and other source materials from the manufacturers.

I also use Gel coat labs sealant for non awlgrip coatings - not really much difference in costs but not a wax either.

Click to expand...

Twist my words all you want.

Awlgrips implies that ALL boat waxs contain traditional wax, which is untrue. I assume you are willing to concede that point. Also it's inaccurate to imply that all boat waxes contain abrasives and yellow over time.

With regard to price, I don't care what Awlcare costs. I care how long it holds up. My charter boat gets washed 60 to 80 times a summer. After each trip in the ocean you need to remove the salt. The Alwcare was gone before the end of the summer. Simply, my experience was better with wax.

Ted

Larry M said:

Don: Was the clear added because of the stripe being a darker color?

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It was a burgandy but felt it would provide more protection kind of like auto clear coat.

I have wondered about doing clear on my gelcoat hardtop to eliminate chaulking but haven't investigated that. The primer for both Awlgrip and Awlcraft is the same and it an epoxy. I do believe they offer a clear primer.

Just "waxed" my year old coat of green Awlcraft with the Awlcare polymer liquid. Easy to use, wipe on with "cotton" rag, let haze up and wipe off with a "cotton" cloth. Looks great and will do it again in another year. Not sure why they specify cotton but thats what I used.

For those wanting to take care of their awgrip finish the link below is to a company (not awlgrip) that makes a living selling 'waxes' and other products for that use. They have many guides and articles on how to best approach various finishes on cars/trucks/RV's and marine applications and are a good source of all finish products as well. Here is their take on care of Awlgrip....




https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/boat-marine-craft-detailing/100843-awlcare-awlgrip.html