I HAVE A 1973 27E WHICH I BOUGHT LAST JULY,I PULLED HER OVER THE WINTER AND HAVE JUST SCRAPED THE ABLATIVE ANTIFOULING BOTTOM PAINT OFF THE HULL.THE PAINT WAS COMING OFF IN PLACES.THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF BLISTERS.DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THEY USED VINYLESTERS?I AM BEING TOLD I SHOULD PUT A BARRIER COAT ON FIRST BEFOR THE ANTI-FOULING,IS THIS NECESSARY,THE BARRIER COAT PAINT SEEMS VERY EXPENSIVE BASED ON THE RECOMENDED COATS.DOES ANYONE HAVE A GUESS AT HOW MANY GALLONS OFINTERLUX 2000E THIS WOULD TAKE.I AM GETTING READY TO LIGHTLY SAND FIRST WITH 80 GRIT.SHOULD I WIPE HER HULL DOWN WITH SOME TYPE OF SOLVENT FIRST?IS THIS BARRIER COAT NECESSARY?
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Barrier Coat
Carrol- No you don't "have" to put a barrier coat on your E27 if you have no blisters. I was in the exact same place you were in. I had a 73 Ericson with no blisters, I scraped her down to the gelcoat two weeks ago. I put 3 coats of Interlux 2000 barrier coat on. I did this truly for one reason only and that was more for a primer, that would fill in the imperfections/scratches on the bottom. I did this with one and a half gallons of 2000 on a 25'. If their saying you need it for re-sale, thats bull. Yes, you might devolope blisters in the future, but most likely not. I would reccomend barrier coating your rudder. It just seems that there are issues with them and damn they are expensive to replace. In 73' they used polyester resins. Four gallons should be the right amount to get 5-6 coats on her. Mineral Spirits sure seems to remove the last bits of paint well, but Wipe down with Interlux 202 before you sand AND before you paint. Lots of rags!!! Carrol, granted this is just my opinion. I would tell you to continue using an ablative paint. If you ever do decide in the future to do this, pressure wash it off right after the boat has come out of the water. Good Sailing Rob Hessenius
Carrol- No you don't "have" to put a barrier coat on your E27 if you have no blisters. I was in the exact same place you were in. I had a 73 Ericson with no blisters, I scraped her down to the gelcoat two weeks ago. I put 3 coats of Interlux 2000 barrier coat on. I did this truly for one reason only and that was more for a primer, that would fill in the imperfections/scratches on the bottom. I did this with one and a half gallons of 2000 on a 25'. If their saying you need it for re-sale, thats bull. Yes, you might devolope blisters in the future, but most likely not. I would reccomend barrier coating your rudder. It just seems that there are issues with them and damn they are expensive to replace. In 73' they used polyester resins. Four gallons should be the right amount to get 5-6 coats on her. Mineral Spirits sure seems to remove the last bits of paint well, but Wipe down with Interlux 202 before you sand AND before you paint. Lots of rags!!! Carrol, granted this is just my opinion. I would tell you to continue using an ablative paint. If you ever do decide in the future to do this, pressure wash it off right after the boat has come out of the water. Good Sailing Rob Hessenius
"The Pox"
..is what blisters are often called because they look just like them.Given the age of your boat and the fact no blisters are present I'd skip the Barrier Coat and slap on some good ablative bottom paint then...go sailing.GENERALLY if you have no history of blisters you dont have to worry about them and if you haul your boat annually or so you'll catch them early on..then hit it with Barrier Coat..till then,it's not an issue and MOST LIKELY the Boat Yard is just looking for some quick cash off of you.As for the Rudder..the NORMAL area of water ingress is via the Rudder Stock ( the metal rod that runs outta the boat down into the rudder)..it moves back and forth on the stock due to stress loading and in gets the water which saturates the core and ruins the rudder.In most cases this process takes decades to complete and become bad enough to warrant replacing the rudder..my point is;your wasting time and money coating the outside of the rudder with anything but paint.If thats your concern you must CUT away around the rudder stock..dry it all out and back fill with epoxy..very costly..and probly not needed if no damage is evident.Use a good Ablative antiFouling paint,get several coats on and get yourself out on the water enjoying that Hunk Of Fiberglass and Canvas..thats what its for..not to be a Money pit.And if you really wanna find out how smart the Yard Guy is..ask him what Micro-Organism is responsible for "The Pox"...answer is;none..it was the use of cheap resin in the industry to save money..but,if he asks..tell him you read somewhere its a Micro-Organism..he'll spend days trying to figure that one out. Fair Winds >>> David
..is what blisters are often called because they look just like them.Given the age of your boat and the fact no blisters are present I'd skip the Barrier Coat and slap on some good ablative bottom paint then...go sailing.GENERALLY if you have no history of blisters you dont have to worry about them and if you haul your boat annually or so you'll catch them early on..then hit it with Barrier Coat..till then,it's not an issue and MOST LIKELY the Boat Yard is just looking for some quick cash off of you.As for the Rudder..the NORMAL area of water ingress is via the Rudder Stock ( the metal rod that runs outta the boat down into the rudder)..it moves back and forth on the stock due to stress loading and in gets the water which saturates the core and ruins the rudder.In most cases this process takes decades to complete and become bad enough to warrant replacing the rudder..my point is;your wasting time and money coating the outside of the rudder with anything but paint.If thats your concern you must CUT away around the rudder stock..dry it all out and back fill with epoxy..very costly..and probly not needed if no damage is evident.Use a good Ablative antiFouling paint,get several coats on and get yourself out on the water enjoying that Hunk Of Fiberglass and Canvas..thats what its for..not to be a Money pit.And if you really wanna find out how smart the Yard Guy is..ask him what Micro-Organism is responsible for "The Pox"...answer is;none..it was the use of cheap resin in the industry to save money..but,if he asks..tell him you read somewhere its a Micro-Organism..he'll spend days trying to figure that one out. Fair Winds >>> David
Depends...
If the boat is out of the water and if you are the one doing the labor, I'd say do it. Any time you can do more to seal the hull against water osmosis it is a good idea to do so, within reason. I speak as one who asked whether I needed a barrier coat and paint on a nice clean gelcoat and was told "no," only to find out two years later the hull was riddled with hundreds of blisters. The boat was not an Ericson, and was an '83, but it was kept in the water for about 8 months a year. I did the onorous job of cutting out, filling, sealing the blisters, followed by Interlux barrier coating and a final layer of CopperPoxy. The materials were relatively expensive, even ten years ago, but nowhere close to what a full bottom job would have been. One factor is how long you leave your boat in the water between haul-outs, another is whether Ericson changed their polyester formula during that era (I suspect they did, as the petroleum crisis took place in late '74 - early '75.) My '76 Ericson developed blisters before I bought it, as I learned from talking with the broker who sold it to the owner before me (a full bottom job was done before that.) It has a bump or two now, but I am monitoring them and will take care of that next winter. Boats don't sink because of blisters, but once they start you wish you had prevented them as the cure is much more extensive than the cost of prevention. Bottom line is that if your boat has been in the water for long periods, and has not developed blisters by now, it is probably OK. But if you can do the job now and the boat is out of the water, you have just purchased cheap insurance against future problems. Also, look into a product made by Enerchron called V50. It is an industrial coating (like thick paint) that is impervious to just about anything (including Helium) and I suspect it will find increased use as a moisture barrier on hulls in the near future. I have used it on rudders and centerboards with excellent results.
If the boat is out of the water and if you are the one doing the labor, I'd say do it. Any time you can do more to seal the hull against water osmosis it is a good idea to do so, within reason. I speak as one who asked whether I needed a barrier coat and paint on a nice clean gelcoat and was told "no," only to find out two years later the hull was riddled with hundreds of blisters. The boat was not an Ericson, and was an '83, but it was kept in the water for about 8 months a year. I did the onorous job of cutting out, filling, sealing the blisters, followed by Interlux barrier coating and a final layer of CopperPoxy. The materials were relatively expensive, even ten years ago, but nowhere close to what a full bottom job would have been. One factor is how long you leave your boat in the water between haul-outs, another is whether Ericson changed their polyester formula during that era (I suspect they did, as the petroleum crisis took place in late '74 - early '75.) My '76 Ericson developed blisters before I bought it, as I learned from talking with the broker who sold it to the owner before me (a full bottom job was done before that.) It has a bump or two now, but I am monitoring them and will take care of that next winter. Boats don't sink because of blisters, but once they start you wish you had prevented them as the cure is much more extensive than the cost of prevention. Bottom line is that if your boat has been in the water for long periods, and has not developed blisters by now, it is probably OK. But if you can do the job now and the boat is out of the water, you have just purchased cheap insurance against future problems. Also, look into a product made by Enerchron called V50. It is an industrial coating (like thick paint) that is impervious to just about anything (including Helium) and I suspect it will find increased use as a moisture barrier on hulls in the near future. I have used it on rudders and centerboards with excellent results.
Barrier Coats are Necessary
The barrier coat is your 20 year protectin against blistering. It also gives you another layer between the gelcoat and the open water. Important if you moor or slip your boat. Use the Interlux 2000. It is Interlux's most recent improvement. You will need 2 colors. Its expensive but when spreading the cost over 20 years, it is not expensive to protect your hull. Go to Interlux or Johnson Marine websites for formulas for measurig how much you need.There is advice on thes sites on which bottom coat to use. Don't foget the face mask.Good luck.
The barrier coat is your 20 year protectin against blistering. It also gives you another layer between the gelcoat and the open water. Important if you moor or slip your boat. Use the Interlux 2000. It is Interlux's most recent improvement. You will need 2 colors. Its expensive but when spreading the cost over 20 years, it is not expensive to protect your hull. Go to Interlux or Johnson Marine websites for formulas for measurig how much you need.There is advice on thes sites on which bottom coat to use. Don't foget the face mask.Good luck.
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