Bottom job strategy

[catfish26]

I know I've crossed the line asking about 'strategy' and 'bottom job' in the same line,....maybe if I was younger it would make good sense... Okay, back to the point. I recently bought a 2005 Capri 18 that has Catalina's factory Blister Guard on it. The boat is warrantied against blisters until 2010. Here's my plan, I want to 'lightly' sand the bottom and put an epoxy barrier coat(s) followed by epoxy antifouling paint (one of the zinc formulas to minimize toxicity to the environment). I do not have specific brands picked out.
Does this sound reasonable? Or should I just paint on top of the Blister Guard?
The boat has no paint on it as of yet having lived its short life being trailered. I have a slip for it in Clearlake Texas where it will sit for at least 9 months per year. I may drag it to Louisiana in the dead of winter (such as it is) to permit adjustments to the boat. One must fiddle with a sailboat to attain peace and harmony...or is it just pieces and poverty?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Catfish

[jjns]

I cannot advise you on best practices for your particular bottom prep but strictly from a warranty stand point, I would stick with manufacturers recommendations until such time that the warranty expires.
Warranties are generally written by lawyers and the wording is VERY specific.
If however the warranty is not of a concern to you, and you will not be making a claim regardless of what happens, then do as you please.

[catfish26]

JJNS,
Yes its not the warranty that concerns me as 2010 is staring me in the face. Its whether or not to trust the factory barrier coat as good enough. I don't know what chemistry they use.. is it just epoxy that would benefit from new layers despite just a mechanical bond to the factory coating, or.. is this Blister Guard something that should stand the test of time without my 'assistance'(emphasis on the first 3 letters)? in which case I should move on to the antifouling paint...

Thanks for your answer (hope this clarified my question),
catfish

[jjns]

Good question.
Hopefully someone with more experience will weight in soon.
Am not familiar with Blister Gaurd.
Time for the catalina experts to respond.

[39512]

Blister Guard is vinylester resin used in the layup process to prevent water absorption. It is not a barrier coat per se. Vinylester is modified epoxy resin and has better preventitive properties than polyester resin and is less expensive than epoxy resin.

If you need antifouling, use an epoxy barrier coat which acts as a tie coat between the vinylester and the bottom paint. It also enhances the absorption protection should you scratch through the bottom paint.

[celenoglu]

1. Boats generally do not develope osmosis damage in thefirst five yars of their life. Therefore a manufacturer can easily warrant the first five years.
2. Whatever covers the boat, it allows water to pass to the hull sooner or later. Some barriers are better than the others and osmosis damage will be seen very late.

Under these conditions applying a new coat to the boat should be done:

1. The humidty readings of the hull are low enough.
2. The body should be dried with all the gel coat strippeed off and epoxy apllied later.

If the humidity is high applying a protective coat might cause early blisters due to the already available water in the body. Make sure that the humidity of the body is low. That is: It is dry and apply the protection to the available protection gel coat or whatever is on. If the body is "wet" inside do not apply anything. It is better and easier to repair after the damge starts to occur. You should take off the old protective layer, wash the boat with hot water, let it dry and apply the protective coating.