bottom finish?

[hardcrab]

:crossfing i am refinishing the deck and hull of my 18' 2+3 using awl-grip. this boat will be trailered and/or kept on a lift, it may be left in the water for several days occasionally. i am looking for suggestions for a durable [white] bottom finish. i've considered re-gelcoating it, but am looking for an easier proceedure. i haven't heard of anything that WON'T blister below the waterline............

[gcarter]

A pigmented epoxy will NOT blister below the waterline.
I have done a number of blister jobs on large boats, and you always end up with epoxy as a top coat. Of course, most large boats are kept in the water and also are bottom painted.
I am going to re-gel my bottom this winter. It has some nasty scratches on it. I'm not trying to get any shine on it, in fact I've read a longetudinal sanding job will reduce running friction (boundry layer).
IMHO, if the gel is badly damaged, patch, fill, re-gel (spray-it's very easy), and then epoxy, I promise it'll never blister.
System Three has a number of products you can pigment
http://www.systemthree.com/index_2.asp.
No epoxy will stand up to direct sunlight, but most bottoms aren't in direct sun light.
The last boat I did a blister job on was a 33' sailboat kept in Crystal River, FL . After 12 years, there still aren't any blisters on the hull. Initially, there were probably 3-6 per square inch, or hundreds of thousands on the entire bottom. :smash:

[MOP]

I have run onto several boat with a white epoxy blister coating, I am not sure of the manufacturer but you local suppiler should be able to help you out.

Phil

[GEOO]

Hardcrab,
Here's a link to a tread on my bottom paint and info.


http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=34933


So far it's holding up pretty good. :wink:

[hardcrab]

thanks for the good input guys,,, i've spent the summer doing major surgery on my '66... [deck recore, intense hull R&R, new floor, new floor hatch, engine hatch R&R, new gas tank, ect.],,,,,,,,,,,, can this boat still be considered a classic??............. anyway, i'll post pics by spring :cards:

[kjly63]

:yes: I used Awlgrip for the top and bottom. Still looks great after 1 season.........its also kept on a lift; which is probably what you'll have to do.
Awlgrip is not an east product to use........I found out the hard way that the epoxy hardener was no good :banghead:
After 5 days we were able to sand out all of the runs......picked up new hardener and 2nd try got better results. :yes:

Kenny

[MOP]

Using paints on the bottom is OK if you will be trailering, I have not seen any as of yet that do not blister if left in the water to long. If you are going to trailer I would use a hard Epoxy two part paint for abrasion resistance plus it will survive staying wet for long periods without blistering.

Phil