Ditto Paul and Bruce's comments. Interlux, a Dutch company I think, seems to dominate the serious boat paint market.

Like all finishing prep is 90% of the job. Clean the entire surface with a wax and silicone remover or appropriate solvent to remove an remaining mold release or waxes. If the hull has been painted, paint must be completely removed with chemical strippers and/or sanding.

Abrade the gelcoat surface with sandpaper. There should be no glossy areas. Fill any scratches or no structural dings with epoxy filler. Sand gelcoat as instructed by your paint vendor. Mask any areas you don't want painted with electrician's tape.

Take the prepped hul into your clean room ;-). Roll & tip or spray the paint of your choice. Here's a thread from the J/24 forum that may help with your choices and weed through the Interlux PR.

Hey All
I'm getting ready to paint the hull. All the prep work and repairs are finally done!!!! I've decided on using Awl-Grip, and I will be rolling/brushing it on. I was wondering if anyone has done this in the past and what methods would you reccomend and what if any kind of trouble did you run into.
Any Do's and Dont's would be greatly appreicated
Thanks!!
Dan Webb
USA 1925

Dan,
I did it last year. The paint is hard to use. The trick is to spread it as thin as possible. If it is too thick the whole thing will sag and run. You need to use multiple, super thin coats. Use a high quality roller, roll it on, and leave it alone. You don't need a brush.
Ron Medlin
USA 1829 "Bash"

I am going to use Awl-Grip and use the roll and tip method. But... Where do I find a quality roller and brush to use? What kind do I need? I'm assuming a short nap foam roller but not sure where to find them...
USA 1925

West Marine has 1/8" nap foam roller with a phenolic core. They are solvent resistant and perfect for this application. Natural Badger brushes are the best brush possible for tipping and West Marine also carrys them.

On your deck my recommendation would be to use a two part LP paint, Interlux, Awlgrip, Sterling, etc. with some flattening agent added to reduce the shine, and the glare. After the first coat, spread by hand some course anti-skid grit, then spray or role a second coat. Maybe some boatyard guys will comment here.
Scott Ebrite
HOOLIGAN, US1595

Use Interlux Brightside. It is cheaper and almost goof proof. I have tried brushing Awl Grip several times and met with disaster every time. I used Awlgrip on my deck a year ago. The paint is hard as nails. The two most important things are a clean prep job and make sure the paint does not get wet until it sets up. (paint in the morning or cover the painted area with a tarp)

I used single part Brightside on my topsides and was quite disapointed. I dries quite fast, but takes a LONG time to get hard. I initially tried to touch up some areas and when dry for a few days tried to buff out the overspray with polishing compound. It just got real dull and looked awfull. So I called Interlux. According to Interlux, Brightside cannot be buffed with polishing compound. So I sprayed the entire topsides. It took two months to get hard enough for a fingernail to not leave a mark. I don't have a lot of experience with this, but based on what I went thru...

I have used the brightside as well. It is a whole lot easier to use. But the finish does not have near the quality of the 2 part paints. It is nice to see your reflection in a paint that you rolled on. It can be done. Brightside will not look as good, and will scratch a lot easier.
Ron Medllin
USA 1829 "Bash"

Interlux Brightside is indeed easy to use. As with all painting the finish reflects how much work you put into preparation. After sanding down fill in dings etc. then undercoat. You will then find all the dings you missed first time. Sand, fill and undercoat again. Sand and put on 2 or 3 topcoats using roll & tip method. Leave for a week or so and polish - you'll be pleased with the results and even better the money you saved on a spray job can go into sails. You also won't get too bent out of shape with the odd scratch!
Good luck, Pete

We tried the rolling and tipping method at first. The tipping was NOT the way to go. If you use a quality short knap roller and roll it on thin, it is best to roll and leave it alone. It dries hard and smooth. Tipping left brush marks all over the boat.
Ron
USA 1829 "Bash"

I was using a really tight (smooth) foam roller...because I had them. I figured it wouldn't matter much with rolling non-skid. WRONG! I've got so many roller lines and the paint went on way to thin, not very good coverage of non-skid addative either.