Gelcoat Versus Awlgrip versus Easypoxy - showdown.

[KenB]

Hi folks.

I now have 2 (two) seacraft projects on stands and blocks, and instead of sanding, faring, or replacing decks/transoms, I would rather spend my time posting about painting the hulls (i.e. the last step). I know there are several great threads covering the benefits of all three approaches, but I would like to get all the relevant information into one thread. Someone did this a while ago with "twins on a 23", where most of the relevant info needed for repowering a 23 was concentrated in one mega-thread.

To be specific (and please correct me if I am wrong) here are the 3 scenarios:
1) Gelcoat - by this I mean buying Gelcoat from jamestown distributors and DIY. remove bottom paint. repair dings, gouges, etc with poly/glass. Quikfair. roll on Gelcoat. Sand. Roll on again. Sand.
2) Awlgrip - by this I mean professionally sprayed paint. Pros sand blast bottom. DIY repair dings, gouges, etc with poly/glass. Quikfair. DIY Primer and sand. Pros shoot paint.
3) Easypoxy - by this I mean roll and tip epoxy paint. remove bottom paint. repair dings, gouges, etc with poly/glass. Quikfair. high build primer. Sand. Roll and tip. Sand?

There are 3 things I would like to compare: cost versus quality of finish versus time I spend doing stuff.

Cost (Total WAGs - wild ass guesses):
1) Gelcoat: seacraft23 - $500,seacraft23 - $500,
2) Awlgrip: seacraft23 - $6000,seacraft20 - $5000,
3) Easypoxy seacraft23 - $1500,seacraft20 - $1000,

Quality
1) Gelcoat: new boat.
2) Awlgrip: better than a new boat.
3) Easypoxy seacraft23 - new boat... from 25 feet.

Time
1) Gelcoat: 2 paint/sand cycles
2) Awlgrip: 1 paint/sand cycles
3) Easypoxy: 3 paint/sand cycles


OTHER QUESTIONS:
- below waterline versus above waterline (i.e. hull versus decks, console, etc.) I am leaning towards gelcoat on hull and easypoxy above decks on the 20, since that hull is in serious need of TLC.
- below decks? I have heard some folks slapping on a coat epoxy primer. Overkill?
- how much does the current state of the boat matter? My 23 had solid gelcoat... I may just do a few repairs and try to color match the gelcoat. The 20 is a mess. Both structural stuff

IF THERE IS A THREAD THAT ANSWERS THIS, PLEASE LINK AND POINT ME TOWARDS IT!!!