So West System Epoxy Resin Can Be Used As A Complete Substitute For Gelcoat ?

[albergsailor]

IM PISSED and in need of some solid advice. Well minerat i did just as you said and went ahead with the interprotect after sanding fair that last resin coat/407. Well boy o boy she is much fairer than even imagined, i figured the low spots would stick out like a soar thumb with the white interprotect, but no it looks great SO leave it to interprotect to screw things up.

For a Quality(Smooth) finish Interprotect needs to be sprayed or at least thinned if using a roller, correct? After getting used to it i achieved BETTER results rolling interprotect on but rolling is just not the way to go. I suppose it doesnt matter if your sanding it, but its just funny cuz interprotect directions say to go ahead with antifoul when the primer is just barely dry, in other words apply topcoat without sanding,UNBELIEVABLE. So i only did half the boat and chemicaly bonded 2 coats, that took 1 whole gallon. The primer will be sanded down 2morrow. I was using a mole hair roller. IM sure the CHINESE weak roller that was bending didnt help much. It just came out too clumpy, So i guess im looking for the experts to chime in and say YEP for a professionally quality finish spraying is the way to go, West resin went on like a charm compared to this crap, sorry for the long post was hoping to have boat done 2nite so yea bu hu,im running a google search on the topic now

[minaret]

2000e should not be sprayed or thinned. Mix, induct, and apply with a 1/4" candy striper. It will melt many other roller covers. What nap was your roller cover? Did you lay it off? You should end up with a very fine even stipple. Follow the instructions on the can, coat the whole boat at once and make sure to catch the bonding window for antifouling. It's easy.

[encore]

If it ended up "lumpy" I'm wondering if you did a good job wiping it down with 202 after you sanded it (with a cloth rag not paper towel so you don't get lint. Make sure for the 20 minute induction period that you put it in the shade. If you are working in high heat in the sun you may have to thin it just a bit.

You can also use the West foam rollers for putting it on.

Did you use a drill mixer so some such so that the resin part was completely smooth before mixing the two together?

[albergsailor]

Whats a 1/4 inch candy stripper?

i used the 3/8 nap mole hair roller west marine recommended, HAIR!, I really got upset when noticed i could easily pull that hair right off. I did consider trying to use a west foam roller but forgot to try. Im wondering if its possible i was putting rolling it on too thick. I was trying to cover all of the laminate on the first stroke. Also i did forget about the induction time on my first pass. This stuff is not simple to apply, If you miss a spot and try and go over it to touch it up the roller pulls up on the primer and makes it look terrible so u have to touch up spots with a very wet roller. Honestly though i blame the roller.(not as in me lol). Its as if there is too much hardener and not enough thinner in this stuff, which might be a good thing for someone that half ass sanded blistered gelcoat and needs a super duper thick primer. I was worried i would get a response from you guys implying that rolling was the correct method. I sure in hell am not going to roll this stuff on again. Those rough spots surely have air in them as well as making for a horrible finish. No thank you im spraying the primer and the top coat. Now i know why all the boats have that shitty finish that looks like a wall in the house the handyman painted, they were rolled. Thanks for the replys i do appreciate it im not trying to sound like an idiot im just pretty upset still, ill keep ya updated, oh yea and the lumps arent from surface condition, that was powerwasherd and scrubbed with simple green(24 hours earlier), then wax and grease remover wasnt a lick of dust on my finger when wiped across it, for someone with screwed to hell gelcoat the interprotect probably looks beautiful but im not impressed. and i couldnt find my drill mixer so i sat there for 5 minutes stirring up every little bit of solid in the base, so that was ok.

[minaret]

You are probably applying much too thick with the nap roller. Reducing and spraying is a real nightmare, you need a full enclosure, an airless rig, and a full face with peelies. Much faster and easier to roll, with a couple of extra coats, and then sand it out. Of course since bottom paint goes on pretty similar to 2000, you will have to sand it after application as well. Unless you spray it with an airless too, which is not even legal in some places because you are atomizing a pesticide. Your expectations are not realistic for the average user if you expect a perfectly smooth bottom. That is a race bottom, you will only gain a fraction of a knot at vast expense. Unless you are a serious racer it's money wasted. How about some pics so we know what we're talking about?

[Ironhorse74]

Minaret do you mix 2000e with a power mixer on a drill?

[encore]

The two components mix together pretty easily but first you need to thoroughly mix the base or resin part and a drill mixer works good for this. Sometimes you run into a batch that takes a good bit of mixing even with a drill. It should be very smooth.

[Ironhorse74]

Will shaking at the Chandlery substitute for the mixing?

[lancelot9898]

If you have questions about the application of Interlux products go to www.yachtpaintforum.com where I've gotten some good responses to my questions about blister repair that I'll be doing soon.

[albergsailor]

West system - YouTube

ill do one better ill post a link to a utube video of it that i took today before priming. Too bad i dont have a vid of the primer ill take one 2morrow. I did all that work in like 2 weeks. But about the primer it does have a learning curve i suppose i may just take ur advice, So where locally do i find one of these rollers ur talkin about, I cannot let myself use Mohair thats surely had hundreds of strands come off in the paint.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse74

Minaret do you mix 2000e with a power mixer on a drill?

Yes, I use a Jiffy Mixer. The base can separate out a lot.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse74

Will shaking at the Chandlery substitute for the mixing?

Shaking will introduce a lot of little air bubbles into the mix. You'd think they'd come out while it's inducting but they don't really, you can see it while you roll. I don't shake much of anything, except bottom paint. And we have a shaker in the shop. A Jiffy Mixer only costs a few bucks, and you can chuck it in to any drill motor.

[albergsailor]

Need advice on sealing off a thru hull thats under the waterline. It was for very old tranducer no longer in use. The hole is about the size of a quarter. Im guessing one would just glass it in with about 6 in by 6in of fiberglass, then fill from inside with epoxy/short hair, then another piece of matt or cloth on the inside? just a guess but yea i gotta take care of this b4 launch so any help is greatly appreciated. Also im sealing it off because i dont think ill need it for my new depth guage tranducer. Since arent all the new ones all mounted inside the boat(not going thruu hull?). I shudnt need a hole that big for the knot guage sensor either correct?, since i need one of those also. Seems silly to put a thru hull fitting on there if ill never use it but hey maybe thats safer/easier approach? thanks for all the help i already paid for docking and missed half the season already since im in lake erie so i need all the help i can get, i kno im a dummy

did ya see the video of the prepped resin i posted a link to it in above post? I decided to just roll on the 2000, ur absolutly right to much of a hassle to spray in the yard with boats all around. Unfortunatly it rained this morning so if it doesnt rain 2morro which it is supposed to then i can continue then, i need another gallon on 2000 though to regain the window for the side i started i know

[minaret]

Yer on the right track. A thru hull that small is no big deal, hot glue a scrap of Formica or anything else that fits with some packing tape over the faying surface to the inside of the hole. Then fill with Duraglass or equivalent, back grind and glass the exterior. Then remove the scab on the inside and grind and glass it as well. A 6" diameter circle is more than big enough for the exterior grind. Glass high and grind/sand fair on the exterior to minimize the amount of fairing you will have to do on the repair with 407. Many transducers will read through the hull, but I have heard it is less accurate. There are many posts here on that subject by those more knowledgeable than I. Sorry I didn't watch the vid because I'm presently out cruising and don't want to spend the money on the bandwidth, I'm bad enough as it is!

[CharlieCobra]

Originally Posted by minaret

I can't tell you how many people I have told that to in the yard over the years as they sanded away day in and day out with 80 grit on a DA. They always look at me like I'm crazy and don't know what I'm talking about...
Surprised you didn't spray the VC for a race boat. No stipple? What kind of rollers?

No stipple or orange peel at all. We used some special black foam rollers that our local SW carries for another yacht building company. Fabulous.