Cheap, easy, covering for lead keel?

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Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
This morning I am going to check out my recently soda blasted bottom and lead keel. I have read a few articles with way too much time and money expended to cover the lead. In summary they suggest a primer, then epoxy, then more expoxy fairing, then a barrier-coat. All before the anti-fouling.

Is it possible to get a lasting finish with a simple primer? If I do find some voids needing fairing can I put West System over that primer?

I guess when I barrier-coated the bottom in 1999 I should have done the keel. :doh:
 
seadaddler

seadaddler

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Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Too much work

Sounds like a lot of work to me for you,when I had a lead keel I just used bottom paint each season up in NY when after being on the hard for winter and come spring just painted with my normal same bottom paint that I used on the hull each spring before splashing.
Now my 2007 H-36 with iron keel I just used same bottom paint as on the hull here in Florida and every time I dive to check and clean prop all is looking good,but I think I am due for a bottom job this year after noticing barnicales collecting on the bottom and fins of the keel so far this year.
Nick
 
Allan12210

Allan12210

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Jan 22, 2008
1,654
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
Ed,

You could use some Marine Tex filler on the really deep divots and then a couple of coats of Interlux 3000 High Build Epoxy primer. After that cures, put on your bottom paint. Do you have access to the very bottom of the keel? Our yard will do either an overnight hang or a weekend hang in the Travellift for no extra charge. They have to park the machine somewhere while they are gone. That will give you the time to get to the entire keel and make the barrier one piece.

Allan
 
kloudie1

kloudie1

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Nov 6, 2006
9,892
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Ed, lead is kinda inert and so a normal primer followed by bottom paint is fine.. After the soda blast, ya have to wash it and I would check PH after ya finished (wet a couple of dots on the keel and check with litmus paper.. should be close to neutral before putting on primer.. The epoxy and stuff is fine for iron keels but not really necessary on lead.
 
Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Thanks guys, primer it is. I was in WM this morning to pick up my anti-fouling, gonna' try Hydracoat. Page 42 of the Intelux booklet says I-2000E for lead. So I bought a quart, covers 60 sq ft. Will need more.
 
Seattle Scott

Seattle Scott

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May 6, 2004
916
Hunter 37C Seattle
Ed I had all the fairing crap/patches etc sanded off the lead part of the keel. Then did just a 4 inch wide horizontal fairing at the keel/stub jiont. I went with the interprotect 2000 stuff you are going to use, as recommended by the yard. the other advice I got was to get the lead shinny bright and then put on first coat of the 2000 right away. Also there is something about putting on the first coat of bottom paint before the last coat of 200 is fully cured, makes the bottom paint "stick" better. I haven't had the boat hauled since I did the job, so don't know how everything is holding up/together.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Ed Schenck said:
Thanks guys, primer it is. I was in WM this morning to pick up my anti-fouling, gonna' try Hydracoat. Page 42 of the Intelux booklet says I-2000E for lead. So I bought a quart, covers 60 sq ft. Will need more.
Click to expand
That would be my suggestion, IP2KE. Mars Keel and H. Broomfield both barrier coat all lead keels before they leave the factory. Creates a better surface for paint to adhere to without your keel looking like it has skin cancer in a few years.

Doing lead right requires some patience.



1- Get the metal to a bright clean non-oxidized finish

2- As soon as possible, after getting the lead "bright", apply the first coat of IP2KE thinned about 15%. Reduce with Interlux 2316N to thin it..

3- Apply the next three coats of IP2KE at full strength to get to the proper dry film thickness

4- Hot coat your first layer of bottom paint over the IP2KE when it is thumb-print dry (leaves a print but does not come off on your thumb) this is anywhere from 15 minutes to 40 minutes depending upon temp.


I can't recall if you can "hot coat" water based paints over a barrier coat or not. My memory bank is saying no...:confused: If not, then a first base layer of a solvent based copolymer ablative would work fine to which you could overcoat with the Hydrocoat.
 
Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
It is going to be a challenge given my four hour work time. The soda blasting did a nice job and the keel is much better than I expected. The paint was so bad that I thought I had big voids. Instead just a few scars. Some look like they might have been filled previously. It would have been before 1998 when I bought the boat.

If I understand the Interlux literature I should fair AFTER the first coat of IP2KE. Hopefully I can do one coat and fair the same day. But it will take two more days to finish. And I do know that I have to treat the last dry coat before adding a new coat.
 

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jibes138

jibes138

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Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Whomever said lead is inert should reconsider this position. Lead forms an oxide on the surface that paint will not stick to very weel. The recommended process is sand or otherwise abrade the surface to expose raw lead. Immediately apply a coat of WEST system (or other brand) epoxy to seal it from the atmosphere. Let it cure but add another coat before completely cured. Then add a couple coats of barrier coat for the paint adhesion benefit. Then paint it. I did this to my keel and it has been very nice ever since. Wear a good respirator when sanding lead, it is highly toxic and causes brain damage.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Ed Schenck said:
And I do know that I have to treat the last dry coat before adding a new coat.
Click to expand
Huh....?:confused: With IP2KE the open time for barrier coat to barrier coat application, with no sanding, blush removal or any other prep work is as long as 6 months. This is why soooo many boat yards love it so much and why it is the #1 product used for barrier coating. It has left other epoxy brands in the dust in this regard. Even as far out as 6 months you still get a primary bond, not a secondary bond, with no elbow grease.

There is no other epoxy product on the market that I know of that has a 6 month open time for a primary chemical bond between coats with no sanding or de-blushing necessary. The literature used to say 2 weeks but Interlux did some extensive testing and discovered that they can get a 6 month open time for IP2KE to IP2KE even at temps as high as 95 degrees. It's simply great stuff if for no other reason than the ease of installation and loooong open times...

The open time that is not very long is IP2KE to bottom paint and this is still "thumbprint" dry and often requires two people to finish the hull, one rolling IP2KE,and one rolling the first coat of paint about 15-20 minutes behind or "thumbprint"....

Doing this same job with West System for example the open time is measured in hours and, as quoted by tech support to me, this is usually under 6 hours of open time for a chemical bond. If you go beyond 6 hours then you need to wash the blush and then sand the entire hull, but you still are creating a secondary bond not a primary bond like you get with IP2KE.
 
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