Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

Update, I have not been able to wet sand the graphite bottom yet, I tried in the rain but the lightning ran me inside…figures free water and the electric and no way to use it….more photos will be loaded soon…thanks Rob


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Is there a reason to sand the graphite? I recommend against it unless you have a bad run or drip.

I do have a few runs and many many bugs....next time i will leave the door closed and the light off when i am done, most of the bugs seem to be on the surface and i think a light sanding will take care of them...
Rob

That makes sense then. I thought maybe you were trying to polish the epoxy graphite it powders up.

I would not bother with the wet sanding, I would just hit it with 150 or 220 grit, then apply a last coat. Last coat can be lower % on the graphite so it will lay out better.

Thanks for the advice i will post some photos when i get it sanded and the last coat on....then the big flip so the real work will start...
Rob

I sanded mine wet because my paper kept gumming up. If there's no gumming, there's no reason to sand wet. It'll never be shinier than it is when it first goes down. As for the bugs, let's just say I'll never be alone in the boat For some reason, they LOVE the black epoxy.

-M

I have a small update, I sanded the graphite bottom and recoated it, used 22%graphite by volume. I knew that it would be hard but I did not think it would be as hard as it was holy cow. I started with 220 but was getting nowhere fast so I switched to 120…I think I had to use my ros for a decade just to scratch the surface with 120 but its done now. I will post some photos when it dries (hopefully bug free)…. If all goes well I plan to Flip Saturday…. Rob

Glad to see you started your thread. I plan on the graphite too. Thinking I'll hang the cheep plastic drop and use lots of bug spray.

A buddy told me to wet down the floor with water before painting to keep the dust off but I think he was mostly referring to spraying, but I don't think it would hurt either way.

That would be a good idea the bugs love the graphite epoxy. I put down my first coat took photos opened the garage door and went to bed in the morning it was covered, my wife asked me if I had stopped working on the boat and started a Venus fly trap experiment…. I found that sifting the graphite made it mix smoother the first batch I tried to mix it without sifting and I had to mix and mix then pick out some small clumps ….
Rob

nc_robbie wrote: I found that sifting the graphite made it mix smoother the first batch I tried to mix it without sifting and I had to mix and mix then pick out some small clumps

I'll keep that in mind. For the last month or so I've been fairing. bottom is good except for a few minor pits and grooves to fill. Trying really hard to get the sheer fair and smooth for primer. Then glue on strake and Graphite!!!