Can Imron be partially sanded and repainted?

[Crimea Cruiser]

I am working on refitting a Bristol 39' with black Imron on it. Having never worked with Imron before, my question is can I sand down the Imron and leave a slight base coat of the original Imron without going down to bare gelcoat, then repaint on top of it? I would like to repaint dark blue. What types of paints would be compatible to a Imron base. Truthfully I can not afford a full Awlgrip, Awlcraft or Imron professional job at this time, but would like something fresh on hull to cover years of neglect and scratches and abrasions until I can afford to get a professional job done.

[roverhi]

Would think that the Imron would be a good base for a new paint job if it's adhering well. Think you'd need to put a coat or two of Awlgrip primer on though. With all the scratches and dings on the boat, doubt you'd be able to get a good smooth base without using a LPU compatible primer.

[capngeo]

Take a razor blade and cut some crosshatching into a sample area, soak it with lacquer thinner for a few minutes with a rag, dry, then try to lift with some masking tape. If the paint doesn't lift it is well applied and is suitable as a base coat.

If it passes the adherence test, I would sand with 220, repair/fill any gross deformations, and coat same with Awl-Grip 545, then paint as you want. FWIW, two guys can roll and tip Awl-grip into a "ten foot" paint job (from more than 10 feet you can't tell it from a professional spray-booth job)... That said, dark colors are the most unforgiving to inadequate prep/fairing/sanding underneath! YMMV!

[model 10]

Don't screw up your boats paint job by putting some cheap paint over Imron. Sand away to fix your problems but put something good on it. You don't have to buy Awlgrip or some other overpriced paint but you need to put a 2 part paint on your boat. If you shop carefully, you will be able to buy a good 2 part Poly for about 1/2 the price of Awlgrip and still end up with a sound paint job. If you insist on using a single part paint, Imron will be a wonderfull base coat but a waste of everything the last painter did.
As to Polyurethane, it's all about the solids, as in how much they have. The more they have the better it lays down. Pretty much.

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by Guy

Don't screw up your boats paint job by putting some cheap paint over Imron. Sand away to fix your problems but put something good on it. You don't have to buy Awlgrip or some other overpriced paint but you need to put a 2 part paint on your boat. If you shop carefully, you will be able to buy a good 2 part Poly for about 1/2 the price of Awlgrip and still end up with a sound paint job. If you insist on using a single part paint, Imron will be a wonderfull base coat but a waste of everything the last painter did.
As to Polyurethane, it's all about the solids, as in how much they have. The more they have the better it lays down. Pretty much.

Reading the OP, I think he had an issue with the cost of application, not the product

[toddedger]

Being a professional applicator I can answer yes. Sand with 400, but your nicks and dings must be filled fist. Then you will need to spot prime to fill the perocity of the filler and sanding scratches from sanding the filler. Imron doesn't have brushing reducer although I have seen it done with Awlgrip brushing reducer. I would roll and brush Awlgrip or equivalent. Get an awlgrip application guide, it explains the paint adhesion test and has all the product information.