I'm painting soon...
Hello Lee, I'm planning on repainting the bottom of my H23 in the next few weeks- Maybe even by the end of the month, if I'm lucky. I've been doing a bit of research on the process and materials involved, and here's my plan:-- First, since I have no idea what kind of paint is on the bottom of my boat currently, I'm planning on removing it- all the way down to the gel coat underneath. I'm planning on sanding with progressively smoother grades of sandpaper (start with 80 grit to get the really big chunks, then 120, then 180, then 200) until the hull is smooth. (Not sanding down keel just yet). -- I have a few nicks/scratches in the hull that need to be filled next. Planning on using either a surface filler compound or gel coat, depending on location.-- Grind paint off of keel. I have several pits and rust spots, and I need to fill these in (suggestions for materials?) and smooth out the surface of the keel.-- As soon as possible after smoothing out keel surfaces, apply primer to keel to seal out water and prevent rust.-- Paint keel with epoxy-based paint, again to seal out water. I think the magic number here was three coats of epoxy paint.-- Paint entire hull with a co-polymer paint (CSC Micron or VC-17). Use one coat of a contrasting color the first coat, then two or three coats of the color you really want. (This way, when the 'off' color starts to show through, you know it's time to repaint.)This is my plan, though it's not set in stone just yet. I'm interested to hear any other suggestions...--Jon BastienH23 '2 Sheets to the Wind'