Ready for Primer

Hello all - 

The hull of my NE Dory is ready for primer and I'll be applying 2 coats. My questions are; 1. how much primer will I need for the job ? and 2. what's the dry time between coats ? Sounds like I need to plan to get a finish coat of paint on the surface as soon as the second coat of primer is dry and sanded.

Thanks !


1 reply:

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RE: Ready for Primer

Sawfish,

The question is a bit like "How much does a hen weigh?"  The answer is, "It depends?"

It is always a good idea to take the time to read the articles that CLC has taken the time to write and publish.  There are a whole bunch of them at http://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/finishing-tips.

As to how much primer will you need.  You may not need any at all.  A properly clean and sanded epoxy surface holds paint or varnisg wery well and does not need a primer for a strong bond.  On my boat, my epoxy surface was not as smooth and unblemished as I would have wished, so I used Interlux PreKote high-build primer for cosmetic reasons.  High-build primer is designed to fill imperfections and you sand most of it off.  You apply and sand untill you have filled all the imperfections you wish to hide.  How much you need depends on how smooth your hull started out and how smooth you want it to be.

The downside of PreKote is that it contains talc (to fill imperfections).  It creates clouds of dust when sanded, and talc sucks up moisture from the air like a thirsty camel at an oasis.  You need to worry about every coat of PreKote absorbing water so you need to apply it in dry weather.  Otherwise, paint may not stick to it.  You also need to get it covered with paint before any damp air can get to it.  Unless you live in Arizona, watch your weather reports and get the job done as quickly as you can.

Regards,

Dick

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