To keep costs down, there is very little finish work done inside the storage locations in the Mac 26M (and probably other models). The fiberglass is rough, even sharp in many places. I can't imagine storing even PFDs in them as is - they'd end up impregnated with fiberglass splinters. What's the best way to clean up the storage areas (under seats, etc.) to make them more user friendly? Sand? Liners? What have you done? Thanks,
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Good question
Good question Nemo. My Mac was the same way but had been painted in the lazarette whicy helped. WHen I bought my ComPac 27 it had been painted inside the rough areas at the factory. A heavy grey enamel was used and is quite effective. A synthetic liner or carpet material would work well just laid in or partially glued at the edges I would think since the glass ends would likely stick it down pretty well. One could run a shop vac over the area to knock off the sharp and protruding ends. The floor and porch enamel would be pretty effective even if more than one coat were needed. It also waterproofs the topside of the hull. Steve
Good question Nemo. My Mac was the same way but had been painted in the lazarette whicy helped. WHen I bought my ComPac 27 it had been painted inside the rough areas at the factory. A heavy grey enamel was used and is quite effective. A synthetic liner or carpet material would work well just laid in or partially glued at the edges I would think since the glass ends would likely stick it down pretty well. One could run a shop vac over the area to knock off the sharp and protruding ends. The floor and porch enamel would be pretty effective even if more than one coat were needed. It also waterproofs the topside of the hull. Steve
Finish the bilge/laz
Is this glass sticky? if so, you'll want to seal it, with some epoxy or poly resin. I added some white pigment, and silica to thicken. then applied after a rough sanding. (vapors and dust can be a problem....) this sealed the bilges for me, and allowed me to sponge out the bilge when needed. Once sealed I use rubbermaid containers in varrious sizes for holding my stuff. look at macgregor-boats.com for ideas on storage.
Is this glass sticky? if so, you'll want to seal it, with some epoxy or poly resin. I added some white pigment, and silica to thicken. then applied after a rough sanding. (vapors and dust can be a problem....) this sealed the bilges for me, and allowed me to sponge out the bilge when needed. Once sealed I use rubbermaid containers in varrious sizes for holding my stuff. look at macgregor-boats.com for ideas on storage.
Can do epoxy coat
Thanks for the ideas! The glass isn't sticky, just rough and pokey. I hadn't thought of painting but just so happens that my folks who live nearby used to be in the biz of selling a product called "Epoxy-Coat", used to paint garage floors. It's a thick, waterproof paint, uses mineral spirits to clean up. They just donated a gallon (or whatever I need) to the cause. I'll give it a rough sanding and vaccuuming first as suggested. Thanks again,
Thanks for the ideas! The glass isn't sticky, just rough and pokey. I hadn't thought of painting but just so happens that my folks who live nearby used to be in the biz of selling a product called "Epoxy-Coat", used to paint garage floors. It's a thick, waterproof paint, uses mineral spirits to clean up. They just donated a gallon (or whatever I need) to the cause. I'll give it a rough sanding and vaccuuming first as suggested. Thanks again,
hmmmmm. test it first
epoxy normally needs acetone for cleanup. I'd test a small area first, let it dry then see if it comes off w/ gas/oil, etc. otherwise, sealing the glass is great, makes it so you can wipe it out w/ sponge....
epoxy normally needs acetone for cleanup. I'd test a small area first, let it dry then see if it comes off w/ gas/oil, etc. otherwise, sealing the glass is great, makes it so you can wipe it out w/ sponge....
Test-driving epoxy
Makes sense to test drive on a small sample. It's made specifically for garage floors so I'd be real surprized if it can't stand up to oil and gas - but definitely worth trying first. Thanks again for the ideas and help. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.
Makes sense to test drive on a small sample. It's made specifically for garage floors so I'd be real surprized if it can't stand up to oil and gas - but definitely worth trying first. Thanks again for the ideas and help. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.
You'd better let us know
You had better let us know how this comes out or we're coming to get you.
Steve
You had better let us know how this comes out or we're coming to get you.
SteveRIGHT!
WOULDNT WANT LITLLE BITS OF PAINT LIFTING OFF ON EVERYTHING IT TOUCHES.... VERY HARD TO UNDO... LET US KNOW, WE ALL WANT SOME.... LOL.
WOULDNT WANT LITLLE BITS OF PAINT LIFTING OFF ON EVERYTHING IT TOUCHES.... VERY HARD TO UNDO... LET US KNOW, WE ALL WANT SOME.... LOL.
I'll let you know
I don't know how much paint it will take, but will let you know when I'm done. The cost of the paint? Free, for me. It was left over from the biz. I'll check into what it was going for and try to give more details on it if it works out well enough to recommend. I'll be doing the test paint tonight. And yes, I'll let everyone know how it works out.
I don't know how much paint it will take, but will let you know when I'm done. The cost of the paint? Free, for me.
It was left over from the biz. I'll check into what it was going for and try to give more details on it if it works out well enough to recommend. I'll be doing the test paint tonight. And yes, I'll let everyone know how it works out.Rough glass
This is the fiberglass mat that has been impregnated with resin. Should look like woven material. On exterior this mat is normally covered with fiberglass cloth before gelcoat is applied. Actually the process is done in reverse - gelcoat, cloth, mat, whatever variety of glass is used. I don't think Mac uses chopped glass. If the edge of some of the mat is exposed in the storage area, this would cause the rough edges. Get rid of the rough edge by sanding. This glass will normally only start breaking down if exposed to a lot of sunlight. If you want to seal, any two part paint should do great. In my x I only sanded couple of sharp edges and left the "rough" glass as is. I have had no problems with anything stored on it.
This is the fiberglass mat that has been impregnated with resin. Should look like woven material. On exterior this mat is normally covered with fiberglass cloth before gelcoat is applied. Actually the process is done in reverse - gelcoat, cloth, mat, whatever variety of glass is used. I don't think Mac uses chopped glass. If the edge of some of the mat is exposed in the storage area, this would cause the rough edges. Get rid of the rough edge by sanding. This glass will normally only start breaking down if exposed to a lot of sunlight. If you want to seal, any two part paint should do great. In my x I only sanded couple of sharp edges and left the "rough" glass as is. I have had no problems with anything stored on it.
So far so good
Billy W is right on the description of the rough fiberglass mat. There are a few spots where the edge of the mat cloth is sticking up, hard as a rock and very sharp. For a test drive of the epoxy paint I chose the storage under the aft dinette seat. I didn't realize it at the time but that was the roughest of the bunch. I hammered flat one particularly dangerously rough spot, and then used Bondo over it to smooth it out, or at least make it safe. Paint went on nice - I learned not to put it on too thick as it takes a day to dry and slowly runs down off the vertical sides and can pool in the low spots. I put one of those oil-filled electric radiator heaters in the boat to speed the process (the boat's garaged too). Anyway, it dried well enough after 24 hours to the touch that I was convinced this will be much better than the raw fiberglass, so last night I painted the first coat in *all* the other storage locations from bow to stern. I'm snapping some before/after pictures that I will post on a website when it's done. Will let you know. One side benefit of doing this is I got to know the boat a lot better (I've only had it 2 weeks). I've seen most every nook and cranny. So far, so good..
Billy W is right on the description of the rough fiberglass mat. There are a few spots where the edge of the mat cloth is sticking up, hard as a rock and very sharp. For a test drive of the epoxy paint I chose the storage under the aft dinette seat. I didn't realize it at the time but that was the roughest of the bunch. I hammered flat one particularly dangerously rough spot, and then used Bondo over it to smooth it out, or at least make it safe. Paint went on nice - I learned not to put it on too thick as it takes a day to dry and slowly runs down off the vertical sides and can pool in the low spots. I put one of those oil-filled electric radiator heaters in the boat to speed the process (the boat's garaged too). Anyway, it dried well enough after 24 hours to the touch that I was convinced this will be much better than the raw fiberglass, so last night I painted the first coat in *all* the other storage locations from bow to stern. I'm snapping some before/after pictures that I will post on a website when it's done. Will let you know. One side benefit of doing this is I got to know the boat a lot better (I've only had it 2 weeks). I've seen most every nook and cranny. So far, so good..
One more - quantity of paint used
Forgot to mention, the first coat used about 2/3 of a gallon - the rough mat really takes a lot of paint. I think the 2nd coat will take less. Will report back on that. I found out the paint goes for about $40/gal. It's called Epoxy Coat II. I'm not endorsing the product yet, we'll see how it works out first.
Forgot to mention, the first coat used about 2/3 of a gallon - the rough mat really takes a lot of paint. I think the 2nd coat will take less. Will report back on that. I found out the paint goes for about $40/gal. It's called Epoxy Coat II. I'm not endorsing the product yet, we'll see how it works out first.
On sale?
I noticed in todays paper here in Indiana, Menards has this product on sale for 32 bucks/ gallon. I would leave out the vinyl chips in my opinion. I also believe the exterior porch and floor enamel will work almost as well for less money. Drying time will be longer though and I'm sure two coats would still be preferable. Nice work, keep going, it's gonna be nice. Steve
I noticed in todays paper here in Indiana, Menards has this product on sale for 32 bucks/ gallon. I would leave out the vinyl chips in my opinion. I also believe the exterior porch and floor enamel will work almost as well for less money. Drying time will be longer though and I'm sure two coats would still be preferable. Nice work, keep going, it's gonna be nice. Steve
24 hrs test?
I hope you're right Nemo. I think you should have waited a little longer and tried to rub off the paint. (moving around a wood block, rub with gas, and oil, & maybe suntan lotion. (or just let water sit on the paint for a week) My concern is the paint will start to rub off or lift over time... geting little pits of paint on everyting. before eveyone rushes out and does this, be sure it doesn't lift off. should the paint not stick, you'll be faced with a real mess. I cant imagine how you'd get the rest of the paint off, and then re-seal if it doesnt seal completely the first time... AND if you need to re-glass anything (like add a bilge pump platform) you'll have to sand off the paint. I'd still go with epoxy or poly f-glass resin and silica. I know fiberglass sticks to fiberglass. Would you check back in 3-6 months and lets us know how it stands up over time? I really hope you are right and it works out.
I hope you're right Nemo. I think you should have waited a little longer and tried to rub off the paint. (moving around a wood block, rub with gas, and oil, & maybe suntan lotion. (or just let water sit on the paint for a week) My concern is the paint will start to rub off or lift over time... geting little pits of paint on everyting. before eveyone rushes out and does this, be sure it doesn't lift off. should the paint not stick, you'll be faced with a real mess. I cant imagine how you'd get the rest of the paint off, and then re-seal if it doesnt seal completely the first time... AND if you need to re-glass anything (like add a bilge pump platform) you'll have to sand off the paint. I'd still go with epoxy or poly f-glass resin and silica. I know fiberglass sticks to fiberglass. Would you check back in 3-6 months and lets us know how it stands up over time? I really hope you are right and it works out.
Yep - I'm commited all right
MrBill is right that no one else should try this based on early results. Perhaps I'm a risk taker but I really like how this has turned out so far, so no regrets yet even if MrBill scared me silly. ;-) The paint I used is Epoxy based and is made for industrial use on floor surfaces - I'm fairly certain it's tough. Claim is it's waterproof, etc.. But that said, I hope I haven't screwed up. We'll see and I will post results every so often. I have a picture to post with this and I'll give it a shot.. not quite sure how to attach it.. It shows the aft dinette storage before paint, after 1 coat and after 2 coats. Notice how shiny the paint it? And, it's very dry to the touch at this point. A nice surface - I like it and hope I still do in 1 year, 2 years..
MrBill is right that no one else should try this based on early results. Perhaps I'm a risk taker but I really like how this has turned out so far, so no regrets yet even if MrBill scared me silly. ;-) The paint I used is Epoxy based and is made for industrial use on floor surfaces - I'm fairly certain it's tough. Claim is it's waterproof, etc.. But that said, I hope I haven't screwed up. We'll see and I will post results every so often. I have a picture to post with this and I'll give it a shot.. not quite sure how to attach it.. It shows the aft dinette storage before paint, after 1 coat and after 2 coats. Notice how shiny the paint it? And, it's very dry to the touch at this point. A nice surface - I like it and hope I still do in 1 year, 2 years..
It's the small things
If you ever want to sell that boat, I want to buy it. If you go to such lengths for storage areas, I can imagine that you take perfect care of your entire boat. Not a criticism, but a compliment. I wish I could get that energised. You said epoxy based paint. Was it two part? Cause epoxy needs a catalyst to really set up and adhere. As I said in my earlier post, I just sanded where there were rough edges of the mat exposed so as not to tear anything on it. I don't think there would ever be a problem with the glass breaking down. I've stored pfd's, sheets, towells, ttc. in thoe unfinished bins for almost 5 years now and have had no fiber contamination that I am aware of. Good luck and good sailing.
If you ever want to sell that boat, I want to buy it. If you go to such lengths for storage areas, I can imagine that you take perfect care of your entire boat. Not a criticism, but a compliment. I wish I could get that energised. You said epoxy based paint. Was it two part? Cause epoxy needs a catalyst to really set up and adhere. As I said in my earlier post, I just sanded where there were rough edges of the mat exposed so as not to tear anything on it. I don't think there would ever be a problem with the glass breaking down. I've stored pfd's, sheets, towells, ttc. in thoe unfinished bins for almost 5 years now and have had no fiber contamination that I am aware of. Good luck and good sailing.
That would be "one part"
Thanks for the encouragement Billy. I looked close at the paint and see that I had typos in my previous posts. The product is called "Poxy Coat II - One Part Epoxy Coating". (No wonder why I couldn't find it Googling before..) So can it be Epoxy if it's a "one part" product? I don't know but this stuff is definitely heavy-duty. There's a good website that describes it at http://www.poxycoat.com/ Note: this is not a product endorsement. It does claim to be good on fiberglass boats. Maybe I messed up, but it's done now and this is what I used. Time will tell. Regarding selling the boat, I've only had it 16 days and it's my first boat (besides ones my Dad owned while I was a kid), so it might be a wait Billy but I'll keep you in mind. ;-). I do still have a list of things to do, but have got several things done including mounting of Depthfinder, GPS, battery meter, etc.. If interested, I've posted a few pictures on our website including pictures of the painted storage units.. I've had the boat in the water twice now and am convinced this will be great for the fam.
Thanks for the encouragement Billy. I looked close at the paint and see that I had typos in my previous posts. The product is called "Poxy Coat II - One Part Epoxy Coating". (No wonder why I couldn't find it Googling before..) So can it be Epoxy if it's a "one part" product? I don't know but this stuff is definitely heavy-duty. There's a good website that describes it at http://www.poxycoat.com/ Note: this is not a product endorsement. It does claim to be good on fiberglass boats. Maybe I messed up, but it's done now and this is what I used. Time will tell. Regarding selling the boat, I've only had it 16 days and it's my first boat (besides ones my Dad owned while I was a kid), so it might be a wait Billy but I'll keep you in mind. ;-). I do still have a list of things to do, but have got several things done including mounting of Depthfinder, GPS, battery meter, etc.. If interested, I've posted a few pictures on our website including pictures of the painted storage units.. I've had the boat in the water twice now and am convinced this will be great for the fam.
one part epoxy
yes there are one and two part epoxy paints. the one part are a little less durable, but much easier to apply. Again, I hope Nemo is right, and it works out.... but I still suggest waiting a little longer for the results. (before you try this at home...) Pls, let us know at the end of season.
yes there are one and two part epoxy paints. the one part are a little less durable, but much easier to apply. Again, I hope Nemo is right, and it works out.... but I still suggest waiting a little longer for the results. (before you try this at home...) Pls, let us know at the end of season.
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