A fiberglass canoe question

[heartofgold]

Before I begin, let me say, I am back from the depths of the black lagoon. It's good to be back.

I recently inherited an old fiberglass canoe--just what I need, another boat that needs work (please don't tell my wife). I can only guess it is 40 or so years old, as it came to our family used sometime in the mid 70s. It was damaged and repaired cheaply, but addequate enough to survive another 30 years of regular use.

I have removed all the old external repairs, repaired with biax and it is nice and fair; best of all, it no longer leaks. I am looking at options for repainting the hull. Obviously, I want a nice finish (I no longer have access to spray equipment), so I will roll and tip. But what paint should I use?

I need something which can be emersed in water for 8-10 hours at a time, several days in a row, as I am planning some multi-day trips. Does anyone know how 2-part or single part will hold up to this kind of use? Should I consider an enamel or Toplac?

I know, it's not the kind of boat we usually discuss, but at 40 years old and made of fiberglass and gelcoat, It's gotta be a classic. They hardly even make fiberglass canoes anymore; they're either ABS or kevlar.

[Hirilondë]

System 3 water born LPU. Read this for more info on the subject.

[Drew]

I will second the recommendation for System 3 WR-LPU. I used it on my deck and am very happy with the results, so far. And you cant beat the cost of the clean up solvent!

Drew

[heartofgold]

Thanks for the info. I had not really considered System Three. My question is how will will it put up with being in the water as described above.

[Rachel]

Welcome back, Heartofgold :)

[DaleH]

I need something which can be emersed in water for 8-10 hours at a time, several days in a row, as I am planning some multi-day trips. Does anyone know how 2-part or single part will hold up to this kind of use?

Per System 3's data for their WR-LPU, "Polyurethane paints, while giving excellent water resistance, are to be used above the waterline only. Constant immersion for months can cause blistering of the paint film."

They believe immersion up to 2-3 weeks at a time shouldn't be an issue, so it sounds like their product might be an option for you. If/as needed, you can email them yourself via support-08@systemthree.com .

Good luck!

[heartofgold]

Thanks for the replies. After what was posted, I studied the material and came across the same comment. Looks like this is what I am look for. And I like the Shaw Blue for the hull; in my opinion a near perfect color for a canoe.

I have a couple of questions for those who have used this product. It appears as if the primer comes in 2 parts and must be mixed. The primary material comes pre-mixed, but an optional crosslinking material is included. Water is the solvent, no other products are required. Did I get this right?

Lastly. I know several of you applied the clear to your brightwork several years ago. Now that it has been 3 years or so, how is that holding up? If well, how many coats did you apply, and are you still satisified with this as a wood finish product? Is any tie coat required before applying the clear or satin finish?

I would really like to consider this on the mahogany on my boat and other items (Adirondack chairs, new ash and Peruvian walnut gunnels on my canoe, just to name a few).

[Drew]

I have a couple of questions for those who have used this product. It appears as if the primer comes in 2 parts and must be mixed. The primary material comes pre-mixed, but an optional crosslinking material is included. Water is the solvent, no other products are required. Did I get this right?

That is correct. I used distilled water from the grocery store to thin and boatyard hose water to cleanup. One caution is that the resin for the primer eats plastic. I had a mixing cup disolve and roller covers have a time limit. There were no issues with the topcoat though.

Drew

[heartofgold]

Drew, I would call that relevant information. So what alternative would you consider for an epoxy pot? Would something like this be ok?

And what type of roller did you use? Foam? What alternatives are there to this?

And one more question about the primer. Does it have any filling qualities? This is an old canoe with lots of scratches on it. I have filled the larger ones, but I don't think it is practical to fill every little one.

[Drew]

I used a foam roller. I used the thin kind that are about 1" in diameter. It worked well, it would just get "floppy" and the foam would fall off after about 1/2 of a coat. On your canoe you could easily get a coat out of a roller. When it got floppy I just tossed it and got another.

The cups I had issues with were the clear "punch cups" from the Piggly Wiggly. I have used them for epoxy fillers in the past with no issues. I was using them to measure the straight resin and they would dissolve. They did not dissolve quickly but they were distorted, and useless for measuring, before time for the next coat. This was not that big of a deal and I would use them again.

Neither of these were big problems, they were easily compensated for. I liked the paint a lot.

Drew

[Idon84]

I just came back from a camping trip at the lake and had previously coated my oars with 3 coats of System 3 LPU as an endurance test before painting the boat with it. I used/abused the oars with little regard to the coating in rocky conditions. I poled the boat in & out each day and at one point used the oar as a walking stick. Not a bit of it came off and took the beating rather well. I'm quite happy and will use it on the boat at this point. I don't have much on the long term durability of the coating yet but it defiantly took the short term beating better than Interlux's Perfection. And it's SO easy to use!

[heartofgold]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words! Thanks. What color is that? Is that Shaw Blue? It looked as if Shaw Blue was much more grey than that....

[Idon84]

That is Shaw Blue. It's a little bit darker than I wanted but I'm getting use to it now.

[heartofgold]

Somehow I though it was. The color card I was looking at online had it as just a shade or so grayer than the back ground on your avatar, but about as dark. I just wasn't looking for something quite that bright. I do believe this is the paint I want to use, but I will have to consider another color. Maybe I will consider Mercer Green. That should go well with the ash trim.

[Oscar]

The color card I was looking at online......

Monitors, browsers, computer brand, scanners all have an effect on color reproduction. Online color charts are not reliable if small differences are important. I learned the hard way.

[Idon84]

Agreed. Always buy a small quantity first to be sure it's what you are going to want to use. That's the only way to know for sure.

Open this link in a new window (copy & paste) and compare the color on the card to the color of the oar above.

http://www.systemthree.com/members/lite ... r_Card.pdf

Much darker on the card. I must say too that I painted a 12" x 12" are on my stern and the color looks much darker than the oars (much more like the card). Must have something to do with the primer coat and the lighting. I just painted over the existing Interlux Largo Blue on the stern while I put 2 coats of primer on the oars.