TOPIC: Su-Preme Spitfire paint costs..yikes!

So, I've picked up a 1960 14' Spitfire, dremeled, gouged, scraped, filled and sanded FOREVER, am ready to prime and paint...top and bottom, 2 coats each primer and finish, $913.00 !! wow, I'll never tell her. However, as an ambitious amateur, I need to know, too much?

Have you looked at iboats marine paint? awlgrip isnt that expensive, I use interlux brightside,7 years and I had to buff the top this year,red is a hard color to keep red, even gelcoat fades in red. My G3 cost me about 125.00 2 qts of primer and 2 of the red,some special 333 brushing ajent and some 216 thinner. all in all under 200.00

Oh ya and I used a 4" foam roller.....no spray gun....over spray. looks incredible

I'm calculating a total surface area of 160 square feet, to be coated with 2 coats of Awl-Grip 545 epoxy primer, then 2 coats of Awl-Grip color, with the appropriate mixes of reducers and converters.I'm hoping that the application data supplied by Awl-Grip is way too generous,(think shampoo...lather, rinse, repeat...use as much stuff as you can), even though it isn't necessary, and that I can get by with 20 - 40 % less product than they recommend. I'll know more after the first coat of primer. Doing it all for $200 would be sweet!