Painting Epoxy

[JohnDory]

Hi guys,
I am getting ready to paint the outside hull of my fiberglassed-with-epoxy plywood skiff. I purchased Interlux's sinlge part linear polyurethane for the job. My question is has anyone used this paint over their epoxy/glass job before? Did you use primer? And how did the job turn out? I am also considering painting the inside without encapsulating with epoxy The boat is doug fir marine ply. Is just painting the inside a good idea or should I coat with goop first.
Thanks for any ideas.

[Scott Rosen]

Just a silly little question, John: why did you buy the paint first and then ask us if it will work?

Anyway, I think you're in luck. You should have no problems if you scrub the blush off the epoxy, rough it up and apply the interlux undercoater as a primer.

[Venchka]

Originally posted by JohnDory:
I am also considering painting the inside without encapsulating with epoxy Good idea. That's where you put the C.P.E.S. first. On the bare wood. Let it cure 24-48 hours then prime and paint over the C.P.E.S.

One more word: Kirby's.

Good luck!

[Steve Miller]

I have used the Interlux Brightsides one part poly paint. While it is not a linear poly it is good paint. The linear poly is two part and toxic if you do not use the right fresh air supply respirator.

I would use their primer. I like the Interlux Barrier Kote Epoxy Primer. It is two part, requires a nasty smelling solvent to thin but it really, really tough stuff. It is good below the water line too. The standard primers are too soft for my tastes. Be sure to use a good chemical respirator for the primer. On the bottom of my daysailer I used 3 coats of the Barrier Kote primer applied wet on the "dry to the touch" previous coat since the stuff has a 5 hour pot life once mixed.

Since your plywood is fir I would coat with epoxy prior to painting. The fir will soak it up like a sponge and you might get less checking in the veneer. Three coats of epoxy sanded smooth then coated again, prep sanded, barrier kote primed and then painted will give you a nice smooth surface you can be proud of.

If you want a work boat finish and don't mind the checking in the fir then just paint the boat with standard oil based primer, and use oil based 1 part poly porch and floor paint. Glidden has lots of color and is available at Home Depot for less than $20 per gallon.

[Bruce Hooke]

With douglas fir plywood, if you don't want the plywood to check, you generally need to coat it with epoxy AND glass cloth. If you don't mind the checking then I would probably use something less glossy than LP paint so that the paint is at least not highlighting every imprefection...

[JohnDory]

Thanks guys,
I probably will give the inside a few coats of epoxy. I am just worried about the wood being too smothered and the old "rot from the inside out issue" if moisture is allowed to penetrate the encapsulation. Is it normal to glass the inside of a hull over frames and the like? By the way, I purchased the Interlux paint on sale cheap last weekend $22/quart. That is why I bought then inquired. ;)

[Bruce Hooke]

IMOOP the whole thing about rotting from the inside out as a result of too much encapsulation is mostly talk with not much in the way of real examples. So, if it were me I would not be too worried about that.

Unfortunately, the best time to coat the interior parts with epoxy is before they go into the boat. Sanding epoxy around all the parts once they are in place is a royal pain -- I know because I made that mistake once :D . Trying to cover frames and other parts with glass cloth is even worse -- you just can't readily wrap cloth over frames and other internal structures. The best way to cover plywood with glass cloth in this situation is to do it before the plywood is put on the boat.

Now, since you can't take advantage of most of that advice until you build your next boat, here is what I would do in your situation. I would probably go ahead and CPES the interior and then paint with marine enamal, knowing that it will check but accepting that as part of the way of things when you use relatively :D low-cost materials like douglas fir plywood. When all is said and done most people won't even notice...

[JohnDory]

Yes Bruce I think I am guilty of falling victim to the "talk" of the encapsulation hazards with nothing substantial to back it up. I just want this boat to last for me as a fishin' boat but yet still feel the pride of cruisin around in something that I can call "part of me". Thanks for the reccomendations and I will take them to heart when I build another boat. I actually have one in mind but I have to move out of this little apartment first. My landlord would kill me if I started another project. :D