I have an old boat I've been fixing up, and I'm about ready to paint the bottom. I have sanded the old paint down to the original primer, and done some epoxy/glass repairs. I'm about ready to prime, and am wondering the best primer to use over both bare epoxy and sanded paint/primer? Also, will I be able to sand out imperfections, after I prime it, if I use a high-build epoxy primer with multiple coats, or do I need to do this before I prime? I'm not trying to make it look brand new, just good enough to impress you guys.... ;D Thanks
Flaco when I redid my gheenoe a few years ago I used interlux pre-kote(primer) and interlux brightside paint. It was easy to do with just a high density foam roller and looked pretty good. if you do a few coats of primer you'll be able to sand it down and smooth it out to a certain extent. The best thing about this paint is when I get a scratch all I have to do is clean the area with rubbing alcohol and touch it up with left over paint. and it blends just fine. There are 100 ways to kill a bird, and this is the one that worked for me, I'll be using the same paint when my boats finished being built.
Thanks firecat, but one of the descriptions I read online about pre-kote is: Compatibility/Substrates: Apply to clean, dry, properly prepared surfaces only. Do not apply over clear epoxy such as Epiglass Epoxy. I have 3 large repairs on the bottom that have been done in exactly that. I feel like I need to be a chemist to paint my boat.
why did you use clear epoxy? did you have some left over from making a surfboard or bar top? if you used regular epoxy resin, which may look clear but isn't, then you will be fine. on my gheenoe I had to make major repairs including rebuilding the keel and transom. 2 years later the paint is still holding up great. if you did use clear epoxy then you are in a tough situation and may have to sand it down with some 100 grit and do a gloss coat of regular/laminating epoxy to make it work since those types of resin are made for final finishes and not for painting.
Interlux Pre-Kote is a great primer for epoxy boats built with marine epoxy. One thing it likes is a fairly rough (maybe 120 open coat production grade paper) surface. Follow the directions carefully. The epoxy you mentioned is one I have never used. Check with the epoxy maker of the product you used and see what he says. Interlux is a good product for amateurs as it is more user friendly. Everyone that uses two part polys has a story to tell. Also look carefully on the can of reducer/thinner that you buy. If it says reclaimed on it then don't buy it. Look for virgin laquer thinner and denatured alchol or better yet use what is sold by the paint maker. It will cost more, but I have seen expensive paint jobs that failed because of cheap thinners. Best regards, Frank_S
I was confused. I am using regular epoxy laminating resin, not "clear" epoxy. Interlux it is... Thanks for the help.
10-4 good buddy, I just picked some up yesterday for my boat project. Word of advise on the primer, match the color as best you can. Use white primer on light colors and grey on dark. trying to save money I just bought grey when I did my gheenoe because I used the deep blue for the outside and it worked out great! but when I did the inside in white paint it took 2 coats of the paint just to hide the primer, then if I got a bad scratch inside (like from the cooler sliding around all day) it showed up real bad cause you saw the grey primer peeking through. If I had just bought the white for the inside it would have looked great even now. :
