epoxy part A needs a good mixing
checking for a level tape line
first coat of epoxy barrier coat
one helper taking a break
After today, one would think that Wil and I are a couple of old and decrepit individuals. Today, we applied two coats of the epoxy barrier coat, and now we can hardly move our bodies.
We began the morning by taping off the waterline. Each side of each hull has one continuous piece of tape. From what we understand, if there is a break in the tape, the paint will travel up the crack to the gel coat. Once we were happy with the position of the tape line, Wil sanded any gel coat areas below the tape. I taped off the shafts, the depth sonar, grounding plates, and keel coolers. Then, the painting began.
After mixing the two-part epoxy, it had to sit for 15 minutes before it was ready for application. At 10:30 a.m. we began rolling on the first barrier coat. Due to the required, minimum two-hour wait between coats (based on air temperature), our original plan had allowed for us to have a short break before applying the second coat. However, it was 2:30 p.m. before we completed the first round of epoxy. No rest for the weary!
We had estimated that we would use 4 to 5 gallons of epoxy for all three coats. Today, we only applied the first two coats, and we used 6 gallons. Since the bottom had had a small case of “the pox”, and the remaining pits needed a good cover, the first coat took more epoxy than was expected. The second coat didn’t need as much. Hopefully, two more gallons will be enough for the third coat tomorrow. And hopefully, we will be able to get out of bed!
