Commander 147

[ebb]

Isn't this how it goes?
First, a barrier coat, just that: a very good, fairly thin 2 to 1 epoxy
--that you put on the hull after you think you completed all repairs.
It doesn't need pigment to do that job. It's a juicy seal coat for old polyester.
Imco it should be structural, not just a coating.
A laminating epoxy 'seal coat' would also fill the pores of brown fairing epoxy with the hull.

{When I did the bottom of A338 I added, I think, one coating of NSP120 PotableWater
EpoxyCoating ((WaterGard300 Solvent-FreeEpoxyPaint)) -- white epoxy, as an imitation
gel coat -- just in case bottom ever has to be sanded back in the future, the white appears
and says, enough now!} Bonus barrier coat is a 'tank' coating from epoxyproducts.com/

Next coat, if needed, are epoxy filler coats, called high build
because they have more calcium carbonate in them, which will be mostly sanded off.
This is a sanding prep coat, its only job. Its only job is to be backing for a mirror surface.
Before we rolled this white high build coat on, we used brown epoxy fairing compound
for major divits and hollows -- and endlessly faired the hull, deck or cabin before high build.

There are even more steps here to get Awlgrip ready, including a light color wash coat,
to see what was missed, and maybe one or more final high build patch coats and sanding...
if there still remain minor imperfections, pin holes, broken bubbles, fill them with white
3M painter's putty -- and with 320 or 400 rub 99% of it off.
None of this preceding stuff has to be any part of : The $$$ !@#$ Awlgrip Product System.

THEN the tie coat goes on, which IS part of the Awlgrip or LPU sequence. 'Their' epoxy coat.
It fills the pores of fillers and grabs the sanded surface. It's a very thin coating.
Can't touch the boat anymore, or get dew on it --until it's sprayed.

This would also work as prep for modern polyester gel coat. Using 'their' recommended
epoxy tie coat.

I'm no frikkin expert on this stuff -- expect to be countered -- that's what this is all about !

[Bisquit]

All valid techniques. I have used the IP 2000 instead of the Awl Grip High Build Primer. This way you can combine the barrier coat and the high build steps. It is cheaper, sands well and fills pin holes. You still have to compete all repairs and fair the surface before you apply the 2000. After you sand the 2000 if you still have any pin holes or swirl marks you can thicken the 2000 with Colloidal Silica (Gougeon 406) and apply with a spreader. You can't expect to fair with a finish. Here is a Santa Cruz 70 that is currently in our shop primed with 2000. In the second picture you can see a section that was filled with thickened 2000. The owner sent his boat manager to help sand the 2000 and he edged the DA and we had to redo the entire area he sanded with the thickend 2000.

[Commander 147]

Looks like we finally got a weather window for a couple of dry days to occur in a row. So today the first 3 coats of barrier coat went on. In the morning the final barrier coat and then the Copper coat will go on. She already has a significantly improved appearance just covering up the epoxy fairing work.

[Bisquit]

That is one beautiful boat.

[Commander 147]

That is one beautiful boat.

But first like Destiny she has to get really ugly looking before her beauty can emerge.


I'm thinking of adding a cove stripe something like this (except a color that matches the waterline stripe better). What do you think?

[Bisquit]

I'm not sure. The cove stripe looks great but the boat looks really nice without it too. It is a toss up.

[Commander 147]

I'm not sure. The cove stripe looks great but the boat looks really nice without it too. It is a toss up.

I just came back from checking on her. I think the cove stripe if I do it at all needs to be a pinstripe. Something subtle not so bold. Something more like this.