I don't know the answer but personally am too risk adverse to go against manufacturer's recomendations.

For the inside of rudder cheeks and centerboard/dagger board cases, I think that an epoxy/graphite slurry is a better coating than paint.  It will be lower friction and won't scratch. 

It is hard to see in this picture, but I used epoxy/graphite in both those locations on my Goat and it has held up well.

Hmmm... you raise a good point there MarkN, something I hadn't even considered!

I can source graphite powder locally, avoid any additional shipping... wonder if hexagonal boron nitride (white ceramic powder called 'white graphite' by many, shorthand referred to as hBN, used as a high-temperature casting release agent and lubricant) might serve a similar function? I have some of that onna shelf now.... Thanks!!

hBN as epoxy additive test'll have to wait for another opportunity... remembered I had a can of graphite powder I'd sourced some 40 years ago, never to have been cracked open. Got a similar can of aluminum powder too might come in handy, maybe for "drill-fill-drill" operations where lubricity'd be of value?

Thanks again MarkN for the hint!!

I started painting my Peeler Skiff using Pre-Kote high-build primer and quickly abandoned it because og its propensity for sucking up moisture. The entire outside of the boat is Brightside directly on the sanded fill coat of epoxy resin. Last summer i stripped off the Brightside off everything below the waterline (because she now lives on a mooring) and painted the bottom with antifouling paint. After 5 years of saltwater use, the original outside finish (without primer) still looks new.

Cheers,

Dick

Thanks Dick! That's the kind of info I can work with!

I haven't been near enough to see (let alone touch) sea water since about 2007 so there's little chance my Waterlust will ever spend any time afloat in it while under my care.

Typically I'm all for following manufacturers' recommendations for coatings but at a bunch of $$ per quart for primer alone I'd rather spend the money on color over long-term performance. (Reading reports about just how bad the catalyst smells - and I buy carbon respirator filters by the dozen pair - I'm willing to take a pass thanks....)