Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

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Dougiestyle
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Dougiestyle »

yep good job!

I'm finishing up my bottom paint job, so I feel pretty well beat up rolling around under the boat. I got it off the front bunk last night and I'm headed out to put on the primer right now. Its a good thing.
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Starscream
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Starscream »

Tried out the new VC-17 bottom paint on the water yesterday.

There is a HUGE increase in low speed performance. Like about 500 RPM less for the same 7 knots speed as I was doing last year with the sandpaper hull.

Still 24mph top-speed, so hard to say that there's a difference there.

Oh, and with the new keel rope, I was putting the up-marker and down-marker on the new rope, and I guess the new knot got stuck the first time I pulled it up, so I put the UP marker in a location which was really "ALMOST UP". With ballast in at 20mph, I didn't notice anything. With ballast out when I hit 20MPH the boat rolled over on its side pretty shockingly. I was kind of ready for odd things to happen on this year's shakedown voyage, so may reaction was pretty fast. Trouble shooting the issue I found that there was another 4 inches of "UP" to mark. Don't power with the keel even partway down!!!!

Reinforces my opinion of the Lake Champlain fatal incident in which I am sure that the drunk captain initiated a full-power turn with the board down and ballast out, killing two young passengers.
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Highlander
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Highlander »

easiest way I found to paint ur bottom

Image


Ya Al have agood day now yaeh here :P

J 8)
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Newell
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Newell »

Enjoyed this thread. Have Fast Sunday off trailer on blocks doing bottom job. Still thinking of not using anti-foul, just re-coating with 1 step gelcoat and putting on Aurora VS 721 racing wax. That has gotten me through 5 or so seasons in the gunk. Total of 7 months a year. Never win many races but racing wax makes me smile. :)
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Newell
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Newell »

Enjoyed this thread. Have Fast Sunday off trailer on blocks doing bottom job. Still thinking of not using anti-foul, just re-coating with 1 step gelcoat and putting on Aurora VS 721 racing wax. That has gotten me through 5 or so seasons in the gunk. Total of 7 months a year. Never win many races but racing wax makes me smile. :)
Newell
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Starscream
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Starscream »

The VC-17 held up reasonably well over the first season in the water. It definitely had a positive effect on cruising fuel economy, but didn't seem to have any effect on the top end speed at 20kn.

It did not prevent a layer of freshwater slime from building up along the top 3 inches or so of the waterline. That's about the depth that the sunlight penetrates the water. The underside was very clean. The slime cleaned off very easily with the rough side of a dish-washing sponge, but some of the VC-17 also came off when scrubbing, and it will have to be recoated.

Overall, I'm happy with it. It does mean re-coating every year though, but the process is very easy.
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Starscream
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Starscream »

I just finished the re-coat of the entire bottom and rudders, but not the centerboard. That took up almost two full quarts of VC-17 for a single coat, but a lot of that went into wetting out the rollers. It was a two-stage process again, a lot of cleaning the remaining dried-on sludge, getting the boat up off the trailer, moving supports, etc. A lot of effort, but nowhere near the original sanding job.

They don't put xylene in VC-17 anymore so the quick-evaporation thing isn't a problem. It stays just fine in the tray, and takes a few extra seconds to dry.

That's a wrap on this thread!
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Inquisitor
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Inquisitor »

Starscream wrote: Fri Apr 09, 2021 4:51 pm I just finished the re-coat of the entire bottom and rudders, but not the centerboard. That took up almost two full quarts of VC-17 for a single coat, but a lot of that went into wetting out the rollers. It was a two-stage process again, a lot of cleaning the remaining dried-on sludge, getting the boat up off the trailer, moving supports, etc. A lot of effort, but nowhere near the original sanding job.

They don't put xylene in VC-17 anymore so the quick-evaporation thing isn't a problem. It stays just fine in the tray, and takes a few extra seconds to dry.

That's a wrap on this thread!
Thank you for re-posting to your thread. It brought it up to the top and I went through you're whole ordeal. Simply incredible diligence and what gorgeous results! I know I couldn't do that... strength or patience. Like tom said...
Tomfoolery wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 7:56 am Phew! I feel tired and dirty just from reading this thread. :P

Looks real nice, though. Should be easy to recoat next year, too.
I guess I follow more of JimmyT's paradigm. Mine's never been in salt water for more than a week and didn't seem to catch anything with the stock gelcoat.
A couple of questions came up as I was reading:
  1. At what point is it recommended that I consider bottom coating... length of time kept in water, etc?
  2. For dings, gouges, and spider cracks in gelcoat, where do you get a matching gelcoat... do they make an "aged colored" white gelcoat?
  3. From JimmyT's post, I get the impression gelcoat is like Bondo consistency to smooth down, fair and polish? Is that right?
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Starscream
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Starscream »

Thanks for the kind words. I hope the thread can be useful for someone in the future.

The bottom of the boat was fairly gouged and pitted, but I didn't repair it with gelcoat. I just filled the divots with interprotect 2000E and built it up layer by layer. I'm a big fan of the 2000E; it's really good stuff and protects the fiberglass from moisture intrusion, and gives excellent scuff resistance against the occasional beaching or floating object. Even if I was just trailer-sailing I would still want the barrier coat. The surveyor who did my boat for the insurance company first pointed out that my boat already had the barrier coat (I had no idea), and said it was a very good sign. Zero moisture in the fiberglass and no blisters.

I haven't worked with gelcoat yet. There are a few topside dings that could use some, but I so far I have just mixed up white epoxy and lived with the color mismatch. It's hard to notice from any distance.
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by CaptKen »

I'm just about where you were this time of the year last year, except I only had to go through the antifouling paint. No interprotec on my boat. That being said, I was planning on going with just the antifouling paint, picked up some micron WA for a good price price from defender. Is the interprotec that important? The boat will be in the water for the season just off of Long Island Sound.

If I spend much more on the boat this year (it is my first real season, and there was quite a bit to do to get it ready, so the expenses are adding up) my wife may sour on this adventure before we actually get going. She has been more supportive than I thought she would be thus far. The fiberglass looks smooth and had minimal build up, no bubbling or defects I can readily see. There are a few minor gouges and I will be repairing them this weekend. Was really getting excited about getting the bottom done by next weekend and then moving onto the finishing touches inside.
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Starscream »

Hi Ken,

The primary function of a barrier coat is to protect the hull from water intrusion and blisters over the long term. It also gives some mechanical protection from scrapes and bumps from debris, beaches and trailering,

I'm planning to keep my X, if all goes well, for many years, so I think of it as protecting my investment.

I love my X and think it's a great boat, but I also accept that the Mac factory wasn't always known for top quality materials and workmanship. I see the barrier coat as a way of extending the problem-free service life of the hull. An insurance policy, so to speak.

I totally understand the spendy dilemma. I spend way too much each year on upgrades and maintenance, but on the other hand it's probably a lot less than I would spend on a "real" sailboat, or a powerboat for that matter. I think it's a really good idea to have the barrier coat, and you sure have a prime opportunity to get it done, but I also think having a supportive partner in this boating adventure is worth a million barrier coats.
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by CaptKen »

So, I gave in and completely stripped the rest of the bottom and ordered a couple gallons of interprotec. One came as a kit and the other came as a gallon with a quart of the epoxy taped to it. Was planning on doing 3 coats as the gel coat is in solid shape. I read that four coats was to repair blistering somewhere. For your results, did you use full gallons or the kit that is 3/4 gallon with epoxy included in thr box? If you used fill gallons I'm assuming I will need a third gallons. Also any tips for dropping the keel? I haven't attempted it yet, but I will be painting this weekend.
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by Starscream »

CaptKen wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 1:55 pm So, I gave in and completely stripped the rest of the bottom and ordered a couple gallons of interprotec. One came as a kit and the other came as a gallon with a quart of the epoxy taped to it. Was planning on doing 3 coats as the gel coat is in solid shape. I read that four coats was to repair blistering somewhere. For your results, did you use full gallons or the kit that is 3/4 gallon with epoxy included in thr box? If you used fill gallons I'm assuming I will need a third gallons. Also any tips for dropping the keel? I haven't attempted it yet, but I will be painting this weekend.
I used the ones that, when the base and catalyst were combined, gave exactly 1 gallon. The large can is only about 2/3 full, and you dump the small can into it, mix, and don't forget to let it sit after mixing for the specified time before using it.

Any leftovers do great in the bilge.

With regards to dropping the board, have a read here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27058&hilit=centerboard
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by OverEasy »

Hi Starscream!

You did an excellent job with your full bottom job.👍
We’re really impressed! :o :)

While there is no way we could do the work ourselves (back issues) we just had Over Easy hauled out to get the hull bottom redone.
For those that aren’t familiar with what marine growth can build up to I added a couple of photos of what just 3 months in the brackish salt.water can do down here in Beaufort, SC:

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We were fortunate that somewhere back in time one of the POs of Over Easy had applied a coating of ablative black bottom paint.
To the best of our knowledge this ablative was put on more than a decade (or two) ago.
Over Easy to the best of our knowledge didn’t spend much time in salt water our in a slip except for possibly several week long and weekend trips. So she spent most of her time on trailer.

The ablative bottom paint was there but you could tell some areas had worn down from the trailer load/unload cycles.
That said, I have to be honest and say the marine growth came off relatively easily with light scraping and wet-sand-blasting in the boat yard. This was mainly due to the remaining underlying ablative paint came right off! :o :o

There was apparently no or insufficient surface preparation sanding or etching and no primer coats of interprotect.
Good thing / Bad thing.
What it does mean is additional prep work before re-coating we had hoped to skip.

Here’s some pictures of the cleaned hull:

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The cleaning also uncovered some flawed (prior to us) repair spots (small) on the hull and swing keel.
Nothing major and only in about six locations.
The yard can take care of them all in about a half day or so.
We will be going back out to the yard to drop out the swing keel on Monday when it is out of the sling and on the stands.
It looks like at some time in the past there was a hard contact at the line where the swing keel protrudes past the hull bottom.
Again, nothing major, just easier to fix as a separate item.

We are going to have the yard prime with several layers of their premium inter-protect primer and premium ablative.
The paint increase in cost for both up graded paints is about $200 but should be worth it as most of the bottom paint cost is in the labor.

Given the marine growth seen with just 3 months the upgrade in paints at this time seem to make sense.
The ablative should last us about two years down here with a couple good gentle cleaning cleanings in the slip. (Yes, more expense, but those interim cleanings will limit the marine growth accumulations.)

We learned something in preparing to have our bottom done that may be of interest to those in salt or brackish water environments.
Hard coatings are as good or better than ablative IF you don’t take your boat in/out of the water and store your boat on a trailer.
Apparently the hard coatings ‘die’ when exposed to air for any length of time.
Abalative coatings are designed to gradually wear away taking the marine growth off with it.

The wet sand blasting did a good job cleaning as well as scuffing te surface.

🏆🎖We can really appreciate all the hard work you accomplished Star Scream!🎖🏆
🏵It is an incredible amount of work to have done from the bottom on a trailer.🏵

:? :o There is no way that we could have done what you accomplished without having my back surgeon killing me for ruining his hard work! :o :?

We’ll post what material the yard here uses for primer interprotect and ablative paints.
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Re: Inteprotect VC-17 Bottom Paint Questions

Post by pitchpolehobie »

That's for posting such an in depth look and analysis. Definitively something all of the saltwater sailors need to consider.
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