Re: Perfection or launch

Posted by Laszlo on Aug 8, 2004

Jim,

I've got a boat that's starting its 3rd year without varnish (though it has been re-epoxied once). You'll be fine for a week or 2.

Lloyd,

Yes. Epoxy takes time to come to a full cure and the amount of time depends on local conditions, including the daily weather - one reason it's sort of silly to set up a deadline. A couple of cold foggy days will completely blow it away.

In general, you want to wait until the epoxy's cured enough that it won't generate anymore amines, then start the final surface prep. In a Florida summer that's been reported to be an afternoon in the summer sun, while in Fungus Corner (Pacific NW), it can take months.

So in the meantime, enjoy the boat naked. It'll give you a chance to try it out, make adjustments, add/remove hardware and bits of wood, etc. without worrying about scratching the paint or varnish. Once the extended sea trials are over, then do the final finiah.

Laszlo

In Response to: Re: Perfection or launch by jim nelson on Aug 6, 2004

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