West System

[msbhammer]

Well, I'm hearing this weekend will be pretty warm. So I decided to do the repairs myself. Went to West Marine and they said I should use West System for my gouges in the hull. Hopefully this will do the trick. Anybody ever play with this stuff. I bought the pumps as well so it should be pretty idiot proof, so I dont screw it up.

[shicks007]

Hammer,

I used West System to do the repairs on my boat. However I used the 410 microlite. I think that using the 406 probably is a better way to go on the bottom(harder). With that said........That Cabosil filler is going to be a Mother to sand, watch and make sure you don't end up cutting down the surrounding gelcoat while trying to knock down the repair.

Your going to have to paint this stuff too. I hate to see you paint the bottom of that boat, but stick with your plan. Oh Yeah, your going to love the pumps!

Good luck,
Scott

[Geekie1]

Hammer,

The biggest problem with using epoxy is metering the correct proportions of resin and hardener, insufficient mixing and ambient air temperature. The pumps are OK, however you can't always count on them to meter the resin and hardener in exactly the correct proportions. Sometimes they burp because of an air bubble or pump defect causing a mismix. I use two 8 oz transparent plastic cups one inside the other to pump into. The outer cup I mark the correct levels of resin and hardener proportions, (2 parts or pumps of resin to 1 part or pump of hardener, or 3 parts or pumps of resin to 1 part or pump of hardener,) or whatever proportions the brand of epoxy calls for with a "Sharpie" pen. I mix small batches of resin & hardener in the inner cup using the marks on the outer cup to measure to. I use the pumps but if they deliver the wrong amounts, the mistake is immediately apparent. It doesn't happen often, but when it does I throw away the bad batches and don't try to correct by guessing.

Sufficient mixing of the resin and hardener should take about 2 minutes with a wooden stirrer and you should scrape down the mixture on the inside of the cup while mixing. The resin mixture will get hot in the cup. Smaller batches will get less hot than big batches. If you use a large styrofoam cup to mix, the cup will probably melt so use smaller clear plastic cups, not styrofoam. If it gets too hot, pour the mixture into a flat shallow plastic pan to slow down the curing. If it is really a hot day, (85 degrees and up) the mixture will probably get very hot. If the air temperature is below 70 degrees, the epoxy will be slower in kicking. When the epoxy has been mixed sufficiently, you can then mix in the cabosil, microballoons, or even sawdust to thicken the epoxy to about the consistency of creamy peanut butter. I throw away the inner mixing cup with each batch because if you mix a new batch in the previous cup the proportions will be off because of residual mix left behind. You may end up with epoxy that takes weeks to harden or hardens too quickly which will weaken the cured epoxy. The flat plastic pan I use is a smaller paint roller pan plastic insert. When the epoxy hardens the pan should be flexible enough to pop out the cured epoxy so you can use it again.

I hope this helps!!

Ed G.

[msbhammer]

Thanks for the scoop, you both sound like you know what your doing. So what time will you guys show up on Saturday to knock this job out !! : ) ;D
Plan on taping off the areas that need repair.
But once repaired, simply add some primer and paint touch up ??
Thinking of holding off on sanding the entire hull down.
Been told to dewax, sand, the put on a coat of interlux 200E wich is fine, but once that is done, what goes on next ?? there must be some sort of hull paint that can go on other then antifoul paint...right ?? ??? ??? ???

[Geekie1]

Hammer,

Some epoxy products will leave a slimey film on the surface when cured. The film is called "amine blush". Amine blush will need to be removed with detergent and water before applying additional epoxy, sanding or primer application. I'm not sure if West epoxy has this problem because I haven't used West in years. In recent years I have used Raka, US Composites, and I know that Raka epoxy does not get amine blush. Raka epoxy is about half the price of West per gallon. US Composites is even about 15 percent cheaper than Raka but it does blush. The fact that the blush comes off easily with soap and water makes using the cheaper epoxy a real buy. I clean the cured epoxy surface with soap and water no matter what epoxy I use.

Ed G.

[msbhammer]

Geek:
Yes, West System does "blush". Thanks for the heads up on making sure to wash with soap and water before second coating and priming.
Good news also is that AIRSLOT dropped off my trailer today that i bought from him and he looked at my boat. Other then the gouges that need filling, all the other "hundred little dings simply need gellcoat repair, no structual damage, just poor care from one of the last owners.

[Airslot]

Yeah guys, the intervention was successful. Hell, his boat looks better than mine minus a few dings and it's a year older. Dang shame that it has a few minor gouges in it cause the gel's really clean on that boat.

Airslot

[msbhammer]

Selling two gallons of antifoul paint since I was saved by Airslot ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Skools Out]

what brand and color. cost too?

[msbhammer]

Sorry School,
Never actually bought it, but almost made it to the counter with a gallon ;D ;D