This fall when the boat (1983 Hunter 27) was hauled and the bottom was pressure washed, much of the bottom paint came off the keel down to bare lead. I have since removed the rest of the paint and almost allof the old fairing compound. The keel has some pitting and marks from its 23 years of use. There are several thngs I need to know: 1. What is the best way to get the new bottom paint to adhere to the lead (what sort of priming)? 2.Should the keel be faired on the bare lead, or primed first? 3. What should I use to fair the keel? Thanks for the help in advance! Chuck Fort
How to recoat lead keel
- Thread starter Chuck970
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Multi-step process
If you want a nice efficient surface, FWIW my suggestions are: 1. Sand the keel lightly to remove any high spurs 2. Make a batch of West System (or smiliar product) and paint on the keel. 3. Mix up a batch of West System w/ filler and a broad knife, ie plastic drywall knife, spread the mixture on the entire keel to fill the pits, gouges, and low spots. 4. Repeat step 3 as necessary 5. Sand the keel smooth. 6. With along straight edge verify you have a "flat" keel from top to bottom, if you have a low spot, go back to step 2 and 3 and fill the low spot. 7. Fair the keel back into the hull. 8. Paint a coat of Interlux Vinyl Luster on the keel 9. Paint 6 coats on Interlux 2000e Interprotect on the keel. 10. Lightly sand the 2000e to smooth out. 11. Apply you bottom anti fouling paint. This is the process we used and have had good results. The first year, we took "shortcuts" and skipped the vinyl Luster and did not build up the 2000e to the recommended thickness. At the end of the season, the 2000e and VC-17 were worn off the the keel and colonies of Zebra Mussels claimed squaters right on the lower half of the keel. It seems like a lot of work, but it is really only a couple of days. After going methodically through the process, the VC-17 remained on the keel and no Zebra Mussels.
If you want a nice efficient surface, FWIW my suggestions are: 1. Sand the keel lightly to remove any high spurs 2. Make a batch of West System (or smiliar product) and paint on the keel. 3. Mix up a batch of West System w/ filler and a broad knife, ie plastic drywall knife, spread the mixture on the entire keel to fill the pits, gouges, and low spots. 4. Repeat step 3 as necessary 5. Sand the keel smooth. 6. With along straight edge verify you have a "flat" keel from top to bottom, if you have a low spot, go back to step 2 and 3 and fill the low spot. 7. Fair the keel back into the hull. 8. Paint a coat of Interlux Vinyl Luster on the keel 9. Paint 6 coats on Interlux 2000e Interprotect on the keel. 10. Lightly sand the 2000e to smooth out. 11. Apply you bottom anti fouling paint. This is the process we used and have had good results. The first year, we took "shortcuts" and skipped the vinyl Luster and did not build up the 2000e to the recommended thickness. At the end of the season, the 2000e and VC-17 were worn off the the keel and colonies of Zebra Mussels claimed squaters right on the lower half of the keel. It seems like a lot of work, but it is really only a couple of days. After going methodically through the process, the VC-17 remained on the keel and no Zebra Mussels.
I had a similar problem with my lead keel last year. I lost some paint in a few places & had allergatoring on the rest. Spoke with lots of folks & reviewed numerous articles for repair techniques. I learned that once the lead surface is exposed to the air, it oxidizes quickly & bottom paint will not adhere to it well. The concensus was to apply West Systems epoxy within 1 hour of sanding the keel. I made light use of a grinder. I applied the epoxy with a scraper blade & foam brush. I then used a wire brush to brush the wet epoxy on the lead. Once this 1st coat was dry, I faired out the keel with additional epoxy applications as needed. When the fairing was done, I used 2 coats of interlux Interprotect 2000E. Once that was dry, I applied the bottom paint. After one season, all looked fine. Marc
the primer is the key
use a good epoxy primer after surface prep (dont skimp on the primer)then paint it
use a good epoxy primer after surface prep (dont skimp on the primer)then paint it
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