Plastic Classic Forum

Have agreed to buy a challenger 35 in Florida. A PROJECT !

Please , if you think you can help, reply with your possible technique to fix...

Herewith the problem :-http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m70/ ... ?start=all

The bottom was peeled and barrier coted in '94 - been sitting in fresh water last 4 years.

I plan to haul out next month, scrape and sand the "rubbish" off and leave in storage for 9 weeks.
Then prep the surface, and primer and barrier coat - with 3 coats ablative bottom paint next...
and splash ...

PROBLEM - never done this before - so what primer coating ? what barrier coating and what ablative...

ALL HELP APPRECIATED :<)

The key to a successful barrier coating on a boat that has blisters or has had them in the past is to ensure that the hull is 100% dry. I suspect that the previous peel/repair job may not have effectively allowed the hull to dry properly first.

If you are able to dry the hull properly and wish to reapply barrier coating, then use one manufacturer's system from start to finish. There are a few choices out there. There's no primer, per se, but most barrier coat systems use what is essentially regular epoxy as a first coat, followed by an epoxy-based second component that you apply to a certain thickness or number of coats.

As to ablative paint choice...well, if you know where you are going to use and moor the boat, the best thing is to check with locals as to what they use and what works. Bottom paint choices are quite regional, as fouling problems are widely varied.

Hah!
"Vger"!
Got to be an old Star Trek movie #1 reference!

Ok thanx for input so far - Have now cleaned and minutely inspected...

The barrier coat peeled looking as if the primer to the original repair and barrier coat has been the problem. Possibly done in damp conditions.
Anyway - the bottom has been cleaned revealing approx 3 - 4 hundred "patches" - some just the size of a dime , and some 2 ft round.
In addition , the filler used looks like an automative body filler which sticks very well in some places and has peeled elsewhere.
I am really not fussed about the ultimate smooth surface - if it looks like an old ladies inner thigh, I dont mind - but need it to not peel off the bottom paint too quickly...
I have accepted that without a full peel , I cannot hope to have a long term fix - but , as the boat was cheap and I still need to fit new rigging (its original, 33 years old) and the boat will probably be sold in 2 to 3 years, I still need a cost effective plan.

so - my understanding so far is its best to use a single manufacturer process from glass to bottom paint , and West system is reccomended for fixing the blister.

Will post more pics when I manage to get them off my cel/camera.

kris

if it looks like an old ladies inner thigh, I dont mind

Snicker ....


What I meant to say was Good luck - Get her usable and then out on the water in the spring and enjoy her.