[Lake Erie Monster]

Hey everyone,

I'm on the home stretch of a complete strip of my hull down to the gelcoat, and I thought I'd post a few pieces of information about paint coverage and surface area that I couldn't find anywhere before I started so that hopefully, the next time someone is googling around for info they might come across this. You guys have been really helpful at a few stages of this project, so if I can be helpful to someone else, that'd be great.

I've laid up the paint in relatively thin coats, going with a 1/4" nap for the interprotect 2000e and 6" foam rollers for the VC Offshore bottom paint. Although I initially attempted to roll and tip the first couple coats of interprotect I had no success whatsoever tipping it - it just clumped and streaked no matter which brush I used, so I pretty quickly ditched the brushes and just rolled out my lines as best I could. It's not perfect, but it really does look pretty good to me.

I used most of a gallon of interprotect per coat below the waterline, not including the 6 jackstand pads which will be moved after I finish the bottom paint. The Interluxe web site claims 216 sf per gallon when rolling, so 215sf is probably a good baseline number for the SA below the waterline - maybe add about 25 sf for the jackstand pads and another 15 sf for the rudder, which I haven't painted yet.

After the final coat, I waited 24 hours and knocked down high spots and gave it a quick scuff with 80 grit before applying bottom paint.

With the VC offshore, I used just over 1.5 Gallons for 2 coats, and the web site claims 270 sf/gallon, so this backs up the rough 215 sf estimate for the bottom on the Alberg 35. Again, I didn't bother tipping, as this stuff dries up so fast, but I rolled out my lines and it looks pretty smooth to me. They say you can wet sand this stuff with 400 grit after it has completely dried to get a really smooth finish, but at $290 a gallon, I think I'll just leave it all on the hull, thank you.

Like I said, there are probably only about 150 other Alberg 35 owners out there that this info might be useful for, but I figured I'd put it out there in case anyone is searching. I also found a really nice method for marking bootstrap lines which I'll put in another post once I snap some photos. If anyone has any questions about this project, feel free to reply to this post or send me a message.

 

[mbowser]

Well, this is timely. I just ordered 2 gallons of bottom paint as a guess for the coverage of my A35. I guess that should cover it for 2 coats. I'm interested in your method to strike the bootstripe, I may relocate mine slightly because it was not quite right and the boat appeared to 'squat' because the aft end of the bootstripe was a bit low.

 

[sulli]

I am doing the 2000e starting this weekend from what I read the last coat must not set before the bottom paint is applied. But you sanded yours before application was this on advice or is it just for the VC Offshore. I am using Micron Extra. My plan is 1 coat sat 2000e, 2nd coat sun am early, starboard side 2000e, then 30min-1 hour first coat Micron.Then same procedure on the port side, should keep me out of the direct sun.The last coat of Micron will be done shortly before launching,I still have to re-gel coat the hull and deck and reinstall stanchions and winches etc. I am glad its only 30 feet, 1976 Pearson P30. I hope the weather is good this weekend at Morgan Marina NJ

 

[Lake Erie Monster]

With the Micron Extra you should be painting your first coat I think 3-6 hours after the last coat of Interprotect, so that you can still do the thumbprint test. With any VC bottom paint, the Interprotect Spec Sheet specifically says on p. 5 to cure and sand - http://www.yachtpaint.com/LiteratureCentre/interprotect-tb-usa-eng.pdf.

I put one coat of Interprotect on in the evening, 4 more the next day, and then cured for 36 hours before my 80 grit sanding and the VC offshore. By the time I made it around the hull, the Interprotect was passing the thumbprint test and ready for the next pass.

Everyone (except Interlux, of course) told me that 5 coats is overkill (and they all think I'm nuts for carrying 2 coats up to the toe rails) but I'm at a marina in Cleveland, so while I'm really new at this and I trust the old guys on a lot of things, I plan to head for blue water for an extended cruise in a few years and when I'm spending a month heeled over to the rail in the middle of the pacific, I figure I'll be less worried about a glassy finish on the topsides I can't even see and more worried about osmosis working on the gelcoat. Call me crazy, but I spent a month and a half scraping and sanding 50 years of crap off the hull and patching the gelcoat - I don't want to do that part again.

 

[sulli]

I put a coat of 2000e on my rudder,maybe the temp and humidity made it set up quickly but I think it was thumb print ready in 40-45 min. I started at 20 min and at 5 min intervals after. The way I understand it (leave a print but not transfer paint to your thumb) correct?

 

[Lake Erie Monster]

Sulli - that's what I understand to be the thumbprint method, and that's what I've been using.

Mbowser - for the bootstripe, I took a flexible plastic ruler I got from RiteAid and an ultrafine permanent marker and drew straight lines onto the hull and marked the lines with measurements. However, when I came back to get all the points and draw the line back on so I could mask it off, I couldn't figure out how to get a straight line - any string or straightedge won't work if it's flush against the hull - it'll just dip below any two points it's on.

After a lot of consternation and an attempt with a laser level I got from Home Depot, I finally found that vinyl j channel for siding works great. Get three people and have them form the 10-12' piece of channel through the points and have a fourth person come across and draw the line back on. I've put a lot of effort into this job, so I didn't want to spoil it with a choppy boot stripe, and I'm really happy with the result.

 

[CorvetteGuy]

We did the interprotect last spring, 5 coats with the final coat curing for no more than an hour it passed the thumb print test and applied a coat of CPP plus. After a season upon haul out I pressure washed it and it looked as if I had just painted it again. great system.