As it seems with many of the projects I take on, there’s a lot of work just in researching this. I talked to a rep from the West System folks. He suggested examining the laminate to see how much water penetration I have. If it is bad, he recommended removing the gelcoat and replacing it with West System epoxy. He is sending a brochure that explains the process of repairing a blistered hull. As I understand it, the process involves sanding off the gelcoat in a few small areas to expose the laminate. You can then tell the condition of the laminate using methods that will be described in their guide. From there, you can either apply a barrier coat directly over the existing gelcoat or remove the gelcoat and replace it.

I talked to a company that makes soda-blasting machines. These are used to strip off bottom paint and blisters. They have a number of approved contractors who have purchased their equipment, but they don’t do the work directly. A contractor will come directly to your site and tent the boat. They strip the bottom paint off and remove all residue. When they come across a blister, they blast it out and feather the gelcoat around the blemish. This leaves the gelcoat intact. He doesn’t recommend this equipment for stripping the gelcoat off. He believes that I probably don’t have to strip off the gelcoat. I could probably get by if I just stripped the paint, repaired the blisters, and applied a barrier coat. Since he isn’t selling me anything directly, I take his suggestion with a little more weight.

http://www.sodablastsystems.com/

I have one quote from a local soda-blaster contractor, $2400. It is a two day job. They can schedule me in about 3 weeks from now. I’m waiting for a second quote before I commit.

I talked to a company that distributes epoxy. They not only sell to the marine market, but they also sell products for all kinds of industrial and construction applications. They have a product that is suitable for use as a barrier coat, waterguard 300. Its and epoxy coating that is formulated for underwater applications. 3 gallons of the stuff at $285 would be enough to provide one coat. The stuff is temperature sensitive, It must be applied when temperatures are 60 to 80deg. It just rolls on with a good quality roller, so application should take about 3 hours for one coat. A second coat could be applied the following day. The final coat should be buffed with a sander before the application of bottom paint. They also sell products that are designed to be used as fillers and primers.

http://www.epoxyproducts.com/marine.html

At this point, I’m planning to first follow the directions provided by West to determine the extent of damage. Since I don’t have significant blistering, I expect that I’ll find the laminate in good shape. I may buy or rent a moisture meter if necessary. Assuming that my suspicions are correct, I’ll have the soda-blast folks come down and strip the bottom paint and blow out any blisters. I’ll then let the boat sit for the winter to dry out. This spring, I plan to repair any blisters or other damage exposed by the cleaning process. I’ll then apply one or two coats of waterguard, then two coats of ablative paint. I expect the total cost to run be about $3000 if I apply one coat, $3300 if I apply two coats.

—
Rich Carter
BlackSheep

Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum