Keel finish

[JimTschet]

Last spring I sand blasted and barrier coated (with epoxy) my steel keel on my Hunter 40. I then put Pettit Unepoxy bottom paint on the keel. When I took the boat out last fall, much of the bottom paint had flaked off the keel. A few small spots of rust show but the keel looks fairly clean. What is the best way to apply Pettit Unepoxy bottom paint to a newly epoxied steel keel (fresh water)?

[Gene T]

I would think you need to remove the blush on the epoxy and then use a suitable primer prior to applying any bottom paint.

Gene

[scottyt]

blush is only a problem with some epoxys, i dont think it is with barrier coat. but you do need to do a "hot" coat.

what this means is you need to apply the bottom paint when the epoxy is just barely tacky. you might get away with just a sanding, but a better idea is a coat of either epoxy or barrier coat then once it cures enough to take a finger print but not stick to the finger give a quick coat of bottom paint. this allows a slight chemical bond from paint to epoxy

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by JimTschet

Last spring I sand blasted and barrier coated (with epoxy) my steel keel on my Hunter 40. I then put Pettit Unepoxy bottom paint on the keel. When I took the boat out last fall, much of the bottom paint had flaked off the keel. A few small spots of rust show but the keel looks fairly clean. What is the best way to apply Pettit Unepoxy bottom paint to a newly epoxied steel keel (fresh water)?

You shouldn't need a primer on epoxy, but I'd let Pettit speak for themselves at (800) 221-4466. That your paint came off implies you do need to do something different. If you put more than two-three coats of paint on, don't. A thick layer of paint is the classic cause of flaking.

If you don't want more rust again next season, you need to take down any rust spots to white metal and start the epoxy over again.
(800) 221-4466
(800) 221-4466
(800) 221-4466

[JimTschet]

Thanks for the reply. My plan is to strip and re-epoxy the rust spots. I have contacted Pettit and am awaiting a reply.

[Freesail99]

Not sure of the brand of epoxy you used last time but I used Mas flag epoxy on my boat and the same paint as you and had no problems.