Moisture Barrier Coats and Rudder re-build - WAS Vangs, Mast Plates Web page

JBlumhorst@aol.com
Sat, 16 Jan 1999 12:40:01 EST


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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In a message dated 1/16/99 8:31:20 AM Pacific Standard Time,
TiffanyD@phibred.com writes:

> Also, I am stripping the hull and deck of my Glen-L14. I was going to
> re-varnish her using a 50/50 varnish/thinner for the first coat, 70/30 v/t
> for the second coat and then 2 100% varnish coats (as per a past Wooden
Boat
> article). I am now considering a couple epoxy coats. The inside is
> varnished and in good shape for the most part due to being stored inside
> winters and covered summers. I have not contacted West or the G brothers,
> just wondered if the group has any experience with refinishing with Epoxy
vs
> building from scratch and problems that can ensue with the former. She
will
> be for sale later this summer, tilt trailer and all, if any one is
> interested. Built professionally in Minneapolis around 1985 and gently
> sailed since.
>
> Doug Tiffany
> WWP-19 #1067 "BonnieLEA"
> Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN area
>

Hi Doug,

I've never refinished a wooden boat, only fiberglass ones. I know many
wooden boats and kayaks use epoxy coatings.

Check out the West System/Gougeon Bros. Technical booklets for info on
refinishing hull using epoxy barrier coatings. They are excellently written
and free for the asking. From what I understand, epoxy is one of the best
moisture barrier coats you can put on a fiberglass boat. There's a chart in
_Gelcoat Blisters: Diagnosis, Repair & Prevention_ that purports to prove
West System epoxy is far superior to common epoxy resin, polyester resin, one
and two part polyurethan paint, etc. You should get a copy of the booklet for
your own education and make your decision.

I used West Epoxy Resin as the barrier coating for refinishing my rudder. I
have the kickup rudder, so to reinforce it for sailing in SF Bay's legendary
heavy air, I put on a layer of glass where the whole lower rudder pivots on
one bolt with only 2 inches of wood around it. I faired all the dents and
dings with West Epoxy thickened with #406 Colloidal Silica. I'm halfway
though finishing the top half of the rudder off with about 5-6 coats of Armada
marine wood finish. The bottom half of the rudder I'm doing with white spray
epoxy paint from the hardware store. I also put 1/8" aluminum reinforcing
plates over the fiberglass rudder plates because they had stress crackes in
them. Rather than replacing them, Jerry suggested reinforcing them with metal
plates. (Thanks for your help on this, Jerry!)

One important tip: epoxy leaves a layer of water soluble stuff call the
"amine blush" as it cures. Before you put anything over the barrier layer of
epoxy, you must wash this off using water - not acetone or mineral spirits
like you do for most varnishes to remove waxy residuals. If you don't rinse
the amine blush off, your varnish will not cure, and you will have to remove a
gooey, sticky mess and reapply your varnish. Don't ask me how I know this
<grin>

Fresh Breezes,
Judy B.

Judith Blumhorst, DC
HMS18-P19 Fleet Captain, Potter's Yachters
WWP-#266 "RedWing"
SF Bay, CA