I have an older Grady in the Classic Grady color. My way better half likes the Ocean Mist color to the point she's ready to get a new boat. Does anyone have any experience with painting their hull to one of the new colors that Grady offers? I'm not springing for a new boat just for the color, but I'd consider a paint job if feasible. Thanks!
New Grady Paint Color
- Thread starter SaltyBorgy
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Ekea
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Is your boat currently painted - or gelcoat? "Classic" color would be white - which is not paint.
I've done some small boats and used EasyPoxy - but something larger and where you want it to be extra good, you'll probably want a 2-part like AwlGrip. I haven't personally used this - but something along those lines is what you're looking for. But, that's not to say that Easypoxy wouldn't work - it is easier to touch up down the road.
As with anything, prep prep prep.
I've done some small boats and used EasyPoxy - but something larger and where you want it to be extra good, you'll probably want a 2-part like AwlGrip. I haven't personally used this - but something along those lines is what you're looking for. But, that's not to say that Easypoxy wouldn't work - it is easier to touch up down the road.
As with anything, prep prep prep.
The rest of us are like "your wife wants a new boat and it's the husband saying no"? I just wept a little, my wife gets upset if I buy the expensive kind of boat soap.
Happy wife, happy life. She always gets whatever feature she wants. She puts pretty place mats on the boat and sometimes brings flowers. She can't say what kind of engines I have and I could repower and she would not notice. Never asks how much. I will "enjoy" flowers and place mats so I can keep buying boats.
Hookup1
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I painted my 268 Islander myself a few years ago. AwlGrip AwlCraft 2000 sprayed. Looks like new boat. I highly recommend it.
Painting the hull is easy. You are painting from the rub rail to the waterline. The hard part was removing factory striping and decals. Boat had a vinyl name on it previously. The gelcoat under the vinyl is "new" and raised a little bit. it has to be sanded out flat with the surrounding gelcoat or it will print thru. I also pulled all the above waterline thru hulls and replaced with GemLux stainless.
I refinished the hardtop and electronics box. "Car hood" smooth finish underside of hardtop. Old aluminum tower removed, sandblasted, etch primed and painted. Console "bubble" painted as well. AwlCraft 2000 "Brightside White - Revisited". I like to call it "Faded Grady White".
Picking the color was another difficult project. Gelcoat colors don't translate to paint colors. AwlGrip doesn't have a HomeDepot type of color tool. Their MixIt program they have online allows you to look at a lot of colors on your computer. Not easy when they have dozens of blues to choose from. Can't buy samples either. I worked with AwlGrip's rep and eventually got the right blue - on the second quart of paint I ordered.
If you have a GW hull color you like it worth a call to GW Customer Service. It's possible that GW painted certain colors. They also might know the AwlGrip MixIt color.
Google AI: Yes, Grady-White paints the hulls on certain models. While their classic signature looks and many colored options rely on standard Gelcoat (Standard) finishes, the factory frequently applies premium two-part marine paint—such as Awlcraft—over the gelcoat for their premium colored hull sides.
The factory offers specific hull colors like Celestial Blue, Coastal Fog, Ocean Mist, Sage Gray, and the classic cream Hull Colors - Grady-White. Depending on the year and the specific model, these vibrant hues are applied at the factory as painted finishes rather than solid gelcoat to reduce long-term fading.
Painting the hull is easy. You are painting from the rub rail to the waterline. The hard part was removing factory striping and decals. Boat had a vinyl name on it previously. The gelcoat under the vinyl is "new" and raised a little bit. it has to be sanded out flat with the surrounding gelcoat or it will print thru. I also pulled all the above waterline thru hulls and replaced with GemLux stainless.
I refinished the hardtop and electronics box. "Car hood" smooth finish underside of hardtop. Old aluminum tower removed, sandblasted, etch primed and painted. Console "bubble" painted as well. AwlCraft 2000 "Brightside White - Revisited". I like to call it "Faded Grady White".
Picking the color was another difficult project. Gelcoat colors don't translate to paint colors. AwlGrip doesn't have a HomeDepot type of color tool. Their MixIt program they have online allows you to look at a lot of colors on your computer. Not easy when they have dozens of blues to choose from. Can't buy samples either. I worked with AwlGrip's rep and eventually got the right blue - on the second quart of paint I ordered.
If you have a GW hull color you like it worth a call to GW Customer Service. It's possible that GW painted certain colors. They also might know the AwlGrip MixIt color.
Google AI: Yes, Grady-White paints the hulls on certain models. While their classic signature looks and many colored options rely on standard Gelcoat (Standard) finishes, the factory frequently applies premium two-part marine paint—such as Awlcraft—over the gelcoat for their premium colored hull sides.
The factory offers specific hull colors like Celestial Blue, Coastal Fog, Ocean Mist, Sage Gray, and the classic cream Hull Colors - Grady-White. Depending on the year and the specific model, these vibrant hues are applied at the factory as painted finishes rather than solid gelcoat to reduce long-term fading.
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