Epoxy with pigment instead of gelcoat

[SteveSadler]

I have used epoxy on teak and varnished it before with good results. It still needs to be revarnished every year but the epoxy is still sound. By itself epoxy only last a year in the tropics so needs protection. There was a uv additive for epoxy, ground aluminum! Don't know how effective it is as we painted over it.

[pbmaise]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Epoxy deteriorates under UV exposure. Mine started breaking down within a year of coating the cap rails and is all gone after 8 years. If the colorant doesn't give UV shielding, it won't last very long at all.

BASF is one of two chemical manufacturers that make an additive for epoxy to inhibit UV.

[Ken Fry]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Beware that epoxy degrades in sunlight. The pigment may help some. How much I'm unsure.

The pigment can help quite a lot. Many epoxy paints (effectively pigmented epoxies) are durable in sunlight.

Aluminum powder also works well.

TiO2 is good.

Several coats of a good spar varnish (with UV resistance) will protect epoxy pretty well. I like to think that the epoxy toughens the wood surface (partly because it has a long time to soak in while is cures) in a way that is hard to match with varnish alone. But in boat use, the varnish needs to be maintained to continue to protect the epoxy underneath.

For additional surface toughness and abrasion resistance, 6 oz fiberglass cloth can be made invisible over wood. Varnish/maintenance still needed.

Painting over epoxy is always the best and easiest UV protection.