[C320-list] Peeling Bottom Paint

[Allan S. Field]

This, to me, is quite distressing.  Gerry Douglas has told me that these
boats are vinylester layup rubrail to rubrail thus will not blister (except
for a run in the 300-400's, but that's another sad story for another day).
Based on his input, I leave Sea Shadow in the water year round, taking her
out every 2 years to add ablative bottom paint to whatever is already there.
I am copying Gerry on this in the hope he will respond to the list as many
of us may need to re-think things.

Allan S. Field
Sea Shadow - #808
Columbia, MD

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Charles
Greenwell
Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 10:38 AM
To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Peeling Bottom Paint

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Here is what I found and how I
repaired.

I sanded out the patch areas around the strut and shaft alley opening.
After 3 days with heat lamps the moister meter reads 0. I then applied
Interlux Watertight epoxy filler, feathering it with the gel coat. I
will sand these areas tonight and apply Interlux 2000E barrier paint.
When I am ready to apply the bottom paint, I will apply a second coat of
barrier paint.

In talking with the factory, apparently when the strut and shaft alley
are installed they mask off a square area around them on the hull, then
fill and gel coat the area feathering in the strut and shaft alley. It
is this area that blistered not the hull itself.  Some of the blisters
were as big as silver dollars with so many smaller (1/4 in) ones it did
not make sense to repair them, it was easier just to sand the whole are
down and start anew.

The wet area aft of the keel is a little more problematic.  I sanded the
gel coat away in a 10x24 area exposing the wet area. After 3 days with
heat lamps, the area still reads a little moister, about 1/10 of the
initial reading on the meter.  This area appears to be the edge of where
the keel was faired to the hull. Once the meter reads 0 I will apply new
gel coat and barrier paint.

My boat is 10 years old.  Based on this experience, I would suggest that
everyone with older boats take a close look at the shaft alley and strut
areas when they haul out the next time. Prior to soda blasting, I did
not know that there was a problem, these areas looked OK to the naked
eye. Just food for thought.

Randy
Le Bijou
Hull 719