Steve,
Good luck!
My last boat was painted and I swore that I would never own a painted boat again. Well that didn't work out and my E-29 has Awlgrip. Everyone said "it's not paint it's Awlgrip" The big problem with Awlgrip is there is no way to repair it. You can't buff it out and the touch up is just that at best, a touch up. So if it's real bad get out the wallet and re-finish it. I have the Midnight Blue Awlgrip so the small scratches show up and I live with them. When my racing buddies panic (because of my awesome course presence and scary sailing skills) and leave big scars on her, I fill them with Bondo, blend as best I can and paint with a matching top coat.
So I say again, I will never buy another painted boat! The problem is I love my E-29 so much that I’ll never buy another boat period. So I’m saving up for a paint job and looking for better racing buddies.
Mike T