It's one of those weeks where life is getting in the way of messing about in boats... but it's OK too because the boat needs some time to rest.
Last night I sanded down the second coat of filler (Interlux Primekote 404/414). There were still a few pretty noticeable gaps and indents and imperfections and such that the filler is just too thin to fill. So tonight I made a small batch of thickened epoxy and carefully filled in those last few spots. Tomorrow I'll sand those down and put on the third coat of filler.
Here's what it looks like tonight, ready for it's third coat tomorrow.
I wasn't too impressed with the first coat, but now that I can see two sanded coats it's obvious that the grain is being filled quite well. I have little doubt that the third coat will be sufficient, but if a fourth coat is needed then I'll do it.
Pretty nervous about the painting job coming up though... yikes. I've decided to use Klass Kote epoxy paint and to spray it on. I'm not too worried about mixing the two part paint, but am worried about cleaning the gun and how long I can wait between coats before the gun seizes up. Never done epoxy paint before.
Then I'm also a bit nervous about the taping job and my artistic talents! Lots to think about!
That's all to report on this T37 so far.
Smooth Seas!
Last night I sanded down the second coat of filler (Interlux Primekote 404/414). There were still a few pretty noticeable gaps and indents and imperfections and such that the filler is just too thin to fill. So tonight I made a small batch of thickened epoxy and carefully filled in those last few spots. Tomorrow I'll sand those down and put on the third coat of filler.
Here's what it looks like tonight, ready for it's third coat tomorrow.
I wasn't too impressed with the first coat, but now that I can see two sanded coats it's obvious that the grain is being filled quite well. I have little doubt that the third coat will be sufficient, but if a fourth coat is needed then I'll do it.
Pretty nervous about the painting job coming up though... yikes. I've decided to use Klass Kote epoxy paint and to spray it on. I'm not too worried about mixing the two part paint, but am worried about cleaning the gun and how long I can wait between coats before the gun seizes up. Never done epoxy paint before.
Then I'm also a bit nervous about the taping job and my artistic talents! Lots to think about!
That's all to report on this T37 so far.
Smooth Seas!
Hey Steve, Not sure if you are still following of posting o this blog but I am really learning tons. i just bought a T-37 but haven't started building yet. I was wondering if you had considered using Fiber Lay as both your filler and paint coat. I have seen it used to cover old wooden row boats and I even used it on the top of a shower stall in my house. Was a smelly job but now I can wash things down and not have to worry about rubbing the paint off. My name is Bob BTW
ReplyDeleteHi Bob! Thanks for reading the blog. I hope you're doing well on your build.
ReplyDeleteI'm not certain what you mean by fiber lay, but if you mean fiberglass then yes, I did consider it. I've used a layer of thin, 1.4 oz. glass on my Star 45 (see my linked blog from this one) and it worked well. However, the T37 is designed to not use it. I was doubtful at first, but after making the boat according to the instructions, I now see that a layer of fiberglass is not needed. It would only add weight to the hull. The additional strength that it would give is simply not needed. I've not heard of a T37 getting holed or breaking. Mine has been knocked down in big winds and pops right back up.
My final weight was just under 5 pounds (4.5 lb. minimum according to the rules so I'm just over that). Had I used fiberglass and the usual minimum of two coats of epoxy, I'm sure it would have been much heavier.
The only problem with the Interlux filler/primer is that it is terribly expensive. If you don't want to spend the money for such a small project, then consider simply using a coating of thinned epoxy to fill the grain. You'd thin it with a small amount of acetone, and then brush or roll it on. Let it dry completely (24 hours minimum) and then sand it down. See how much of the grain still comes through and repeat if needed. When satisfied then you can add a coat or two of paint and the grain should be fully hidden.
I'm glad I did the filler and my boat looks pretty good. The finish is smooth and there is no grain at all showing. I'd do it again, especially now that I still have a lot of filler left over.
On the Star 45 I again used the filler, this time over the fiberglass, but only because I had it sitting around. It's much easier to sand than hardened epoxy so I used it. Otherwise I would not have used that expensive of a product over epoxy/fiberglass.
Good luck!
Steve