Re: primer

Posted by Chuck on Nov 17, 2005

Rod:

I just finished doing exactly what you are preparing to do on my Chesapeake 17. First I put the first coat of varnish on the deck to protect it in case any primer or hull paint somehow got on it. If so I could then resand it out in that area if necessary without having to sand down into the glass/epoxy. Then I used 3m Fineline Tape to mask off the deck where I was going to varnish and painted two coats of Pettit Easypoxy primer (White) on my hull. I then wetsanded it with 220 grit followed by 320 grit. A lot of the primer comes back off in the process but a lot of the minor indentations, scratches, etc. get filled by the primer. Once done I noticed a few places that still needed filler so I filled those with epoxy and West System 410 microlight filler, let it harden and wetsanded smooth. After doing this I thoroughly rinsed the hull and let it airdry completely. I then used a clean soft cloth dampened with lacquer thinner to wipe down the entire hull surface and remove any remaining finger prints, sanding residue, or other contaminents which might spoil the paint job. I then applied the first coat of Pettit Easypoxy with the roller /brush technique and wetsanded that again first with 220 and then with 320 grit. The second coat went on beautifully after that! As of today I have the second coat of deck varnish applied and will be wetsanding that and applying a 3rd coat tonight or tomorrow. It looks beautiful! It takes extra time but the wet sanding goes quickly and you don't have to deal with the dust and dust mask in doing it either which is nice. Good luck.

Chuck

Chesapeake, VA

In Response to: primer by Rod H. on Nov 16, 2005

Replies:

• Re: primer by Rod H on Nov 21, 2005