Everyone has a favorite due to either experience or what someone told them was the best. I don't really think there is a nickels worth of difference in any of them as far as application in the real world. All the name brand stuff is durable, but the market leaders are expensive. Awlgrip is good paint, it has been marketed heavily to all the yards, and its' main selling point is the quick drying time, which is important to production. I don't think that Awlgrip is the best paint. Awlgrip will give adequate service (10 years). I think their product is overpriced. With that said, use what you are familiar with, and feel comfortable applying, painting a boat is a big job. I painted a Lincoln town car I had (in black, no less) with industrial enamel ($35 a gallon) and I dare anyone to look at it and tell me it is not done with Dupont or PPG overpriced paint. The original clear coat peeled off at 3 years, I got a $7000 quote from the body shop, so I decided to do it myself. The autopaint store wanted $600 for the materials, and they sell the different components for the base coat, clear paint system in unequal containers, so you always have some materials left over, this pissed me off, so I just bought 2 gallons of hi-gloss industrial enamel and put hardner in it. I was going to clear coat it but it was so shiny, that I couldn't bring myself to shoot the clear on it. I sold the car 5 years ago, and it still looks fantastic. I couldn't resist taking it over to the body shop and showing it off, It took me and a friend 3 days to strip the moldings, prep and paint it. I painted a buddy's truck with polyurethane, 2 gallons cost $240, came out slick as glass. Base coat clear paint system was invented to benefit the insurance industry and the car dealers, so they only have to pay for painting the repair, not the whole car. There is a lot of money spent on marketing boat paint, don't believe the hype. Look at the conditions required for application of the paint system, temperature, humidity, hazardous fumes, etc, and select one that meets your painting needs, then look at price. The pros will use what they are familiar with because they cannot afford surprises, using the same brand will usually provide consistent results, so they are reluctant to try anything new. Awlgrip was pushed heavily years ago and made some market penetration when awlgrip offered quicker turn times than the competitors, so you will see a lot of awlgrip being pushed, because this is what they know. However Awlgrip prices have not come down with increased sales, but instead has gone up steadily. You will also pay high retail prices to get it yourself, since they protect their dealer network very well. Dupont is just as guilty as the rest of them. I like Ameron paints since I can talk to their engineers, and they supply the shipping industry. Their prices reflect the volume they do, typically 1/3 the price of what is pushed at the recreational market and you can easily obtain real world service records of paint performance in some very harsh environments. You can buy it from most industrial suppliers, instead of a "retail" vendor. If you need a gallon just buy it where ever, but if you are going to do a whole boat then the price should reflect a bulk buy.
