[C320-list] Sticky White Paint in C320 Lockers

[Chris Burti]

Another "PRICLESS" is having the founder/CEO of one of the most
successful and oldest yacht builders handling customer service...

Simon,
Frank Butler has a well earned reputation for having little tolerance
with dealers that don't provide good customer service. I recommend you
give him a call if they are ignoring you.

On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 12:46 AM, David Swanson <kswanson123 at comcast.net> wrote:
> Everyone,
>
> Thanks for the info on the "Sticky White Paint" problem.  I appreciate all of your collective experience and ideas!
>
> FYI, I cc'd my original "Sticky White Paint" inquiry email to the CYA yard manager in Ventura where we bought our boat.  Yesterday, I received an email from Frank Butler on how to fix the "sticky lockers."
>
> Apparently, consistent with other C320 owner's experiences, the white paint is poorly cured gelcoat (as others have said).  Frank Butler said to wipe the affected area with acetone to remove the poorly cured gelcoat and recoat the area with new gelcoat.  I am going to try this next week when our boat is in the boatyard.  Frank said that Catalina will send me some gelcoat to facilitate my "repair."
>
> If this doesn't work, I might try the "cedar patterned" contact paper.
>
> Thanks everyone for your information and help.  As they say in the television ad:
>
> - Buying a fantastically designed, loaded, newer model Catalina 320 MK II Sailboat, $112,000.
> - Belonging to the C320 International Owners Association and receiving the Mainsheet magazine, $24.
> - Having access to a network of other helpful C320 Owners to determine if my boat problems are isolated cases and what others have done to solve these problems, PRICELESS.
>
> Best $24 bucks (actually $112, 024) I ever spent.
>
> Thanks again for your help!
>
> Dave
>
> David Swanson
> S/V Emily Ann
> 2007 C320 MK II, No. 1107
> Mukilteo, WA
>
>
> On Aug 24, 2010, at 5:24 AM, John Frost wrote:
>
>> We have had this exact problem on all 3 Catalina's the we have owned (1985
>> 25', 1995 270 and 2007 320) We have found that a simple fix is to line the
>> lockers with shelf liner contact paper from Target or Wal-Mart. Hold the
>> paper in place and trace the outline with a pencil. Then peel off the
>> backing and stick it up. If you are not happy, peel it up and re stick it. I
>> used clear on one and it looked nice, but this time I used a cedar pattern
>> and it looks great. Not only does it remove the sticky problem, but it also
>> smoothes out the fiberglass so cloth doesn't stick. The expensive boats
>> solve this with a liner, but that is the kind of shortcut that Catalina
>> takes to give us so much boat for the money.
>>
>> Happy Sailing!
>>
>> John
>> 2007 C320MKII
>> Hull 1118
>> Guntersville, AL
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
>> [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Chris Burti
>> Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 3:15 PM
>> To: C320-List at catalina320.com
>> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Sticky White Paint in C320 Lockers
>>
>> Sorry about the lack of detail but here is my experience with the
>> issue. The lack of detail results from the fix taking place while I
>> was traveling.
>>
>> Frank Butler, founder and CEO of Catalina Yachts found out that I had
>> the problem and contacted me directly. Since I didn't have a dealer in
>> the traditional sense, he had the material supplier ship the material
>> to the yard of my choice and they applied it inside the problem
>> lockers while I was gone.
>>
>> My sense of the problem in talking with both parties was that Frank
>> felt the gel coat supplier's material  was at fault, the supplier
>> thought it was an application issue but was trying to make a major
>> customer happy. Both were trying to make me happy...which they did.
>> Frank even called to follow up and find out if I was satisfied.
>>
>> Either way, the fix was mostly successful, but not completely. There
>> are still a few uncured areas that will stick to stuff in hot weather.
>> I don't know if the new material was a one or two part, but it was
>> simply applied over the old. I don't know if there was problem with
>> the material or the application, but the following summer, when it got
>> good and hot, the stuff started sticking again in a couple of places
>> in the hanging locker and the port salon lockers. Frank's follow up
>> call was when the weather was still cool and the gel coat felt cured
>> to the touch. It still does, but it will stick when it gets hot.
>>
>> Gel coat cures best in an anaerobic environment and my guess is that
>> the simplest cure would be painting over it with a one part
>> polyurethane paint. So far, I have been too lazy and simply used
>> plastic to protect stuff stuck in the lockers, so I can't say for sure
>> if paint will fix the problem. I can tell you that there is no way
>> that I would apply a solvent to the uncured gelcoat to try to remove
>> it as that would be a never ending mess.
>>
>> One other possible solution that could be tried in a localized test
>> patch would be to wipe a two inch circle in a problem area with MEK,
>> cover with a 12" square of polyetheylene plastic sheet. Let it set for
>> a couple of days and see if it cures. Just guessing, haven't tried it.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Chris Burti Farmville, NC
>>
>>
>
> David Swanson
> kswanson123 at comcast.net
>
>
>
>



-- 
Chris Burti Farmville, NC