The Plytanic 2.0 - FS17 Build

[silentneko]

An other day, an other disappointment.

I actually took time off of work to try and move this damn boat along. I sanded down the primer, which let me know my fairing job was worse then I thought. I ended up burning through some spots. No big deal I thought, but more on that later.

I blew out the garage live 5 times a day for the past few. No matter how much I blew out there was always more. I decided to try and set up a ghetto negative pressure ventilation system. Using 2 box fans and a small air filter. It worked very well for the fumes as there were barely any and the bugs, but the dust was still around.

20200612_083501 , on Flickr

So I'm using this EMC Quantum paint. I've read all these reviews and watched videos..... It seemed like a great product for what I am doing. They say it is for DIY guys, but I really don't believe that. I mixed it as directed, and applied as suggested. This stuff is so thin that it's near impossible for me to avoid drips and sags, and they don't flow out as expected. It's also so thin that it barely covers anything.
I originally saw this stuff on ShipshapeTV. They did a color change with it, no primer or anything, just scuff and apply a few coats with a roller, done, looks perfect. So I figured if they can do a color change then a little burn through on the primer should be no issue. Wrong again.
This is after the second coat.

20200612_155603 , on Flickr

Now the majority of the dark spots you see were not burned completely through they were still milky with a thin coat of primer over them. Even the areas that had perfect primer on them are still very uneven as far as the color goes. They suggest 2-3 coats, but I'm think I'll need 4 at a minimum. The interlux I used before would cover these areas on almost the first coat and had a smoother appearance IMO. I also went out and bought the more expensive wooster foam rollers thinking they would hold up. Well they started falling apart half way through the hull side leading to a mess I can't fix unless I want to wet sand later. problem is this stuff is so thin I'm not sure I trust it will hold up to a good cut and buff. I don't know what to do now, I can't really go back, but requiring so many coats of paint I might need to buy more. I don't want to spend another $200+ on this stuff. Why didn't I just use rustoleum again, lol!

This all seems par for the course on this build. It seems every time I deviate from my norm and try to upgrade to more expensive products I greatly regret it.

[Jaysen]

I used emc with success. I chose to use LESS brushing reducer to get thicker coats. That helped with the flow and reduced my temptation to lay on coats too heavy.

Cape Man follows the can but used 5+ coats. It goes on thin. For guys like me (and maybe you) we try to cover so over apply thin paint.

The emc is worth it. Give it another try.

[narfi]

I figured if they can do a color change then a little burn through on the primer should be no issue. Wrong again.
This is after the second coat.

I learned this lesson when building Landon's canoe. I had just a couple of spots sanded through the primer cleaning it up, and I figured with bright red I would have no problem painting over it without priming again..... I was able to do it, but took several coats and a lot of headache and heartburn. When I get to it on the FS17 I wont start spraying color until I am happy with the primer.

[silentneko]

I'm going to try switching from a foam roller to a 1/4" nap and see if it helps any. I'll also cut down the reducer to half. Looking over it right now I'm not sure how to proceed. It has so many waves, dust, and drips that it really needs to be sanded, but if I do that I won't have enough paint to finish it and will have to buy more.

With so much reducer you would think it would lay down well, but it hasn't. That was the biggest complaint by the boat works today guy, the orange peel remaining.

I'll have to make sure the primer on the interior is intact. Even if it's not super smooth. I really don't care what it looks like anymore, I just need it on the water! It's been over a year since our last good trip and I don't have my other boat anymore.

[silentneko]

Well, it kind of went from bad to worse. I got some 1/4" nap rollers and reduced the reducer to .5 parts instead of 1. The results were the work time was reduced. It did go on thicker, but it did not flow out well at all, and I ended up with a lot of air bubbles towards the end. The good news is the air bubbles were all on the deck edge I was painting so it will be easier to sand then the hull sides. Bad news is I really need to sand everything back down smooth and apply a few more coats.

I'm to far in to stop, but don't have enough to finish out the interior. Meaning I'll have to waste some more money. This is now going to be a $1000+ paint job I'm ultimately not happy with. I could have prepped it and had it shot with auto paint for less. Lesson learned.

[joe2700]

Well, it kind of went from bad to worse. I got some 1/4" nap rollers and reduced the reducer to .5 parts instead of 1. The results were the work time was reduced. It did go on thicker, but it did not flow out well at all, and I ended up with a lot of air bubbles towards the end. The good news is the air bubbles were all on the deck edge I was painting so it will be easier to sand then the hull sides. Bad news is I really need to sand everything back down smooth and apply a few more coats.

I'm to far in to stop, but don't have enough to finish out the interior. Meaning I'll have to waste some more money. This is now going to be a $1000+ paint job I'm ultimately not happy with. I could have prepped it and had it shot with auto paint for less. Lesson learned.

Sorry you're having those issues. I think it highlights how important it is to do some test panels when painting. Make sure your process, environment, and materials all working well before committing.

I used some bilge paint without testing and put it on too thick so the top cured trapping solvent underneath. It was soft for months and really hard to sand because it was still gummy.

I was helping paint a friends boat with a person who has painted multi million dollar racing yachts before. Using the same awlgrip process they always used we wiped down with awlprep then shot the first dusting layer of paint. Looked a tiny bit off. Did the second layer and could tell the paint was beading. There was contamination somehow. We had to wipe the paint off the whole boat before it cured. Then did it again using fresh rags and different solvent. Worked fine the second time, and we still aren't sure what was contaminated the first time. Shooting a test panel we prepped the same way would have saved a lot of time.

In your case I'd do some testing of the ratio of thinner you like and making sure that your rollers hold up to that without dissolving before you put more paint on the hull. I'm sure you don't want to take more time at this point but layer you have to sand off will take a lot longer than a test.

[silentneko]

Live and learn. I thought about testing it out, but it was a bit cost prohibitive to me. I think I have several things working against me.

First, unfamiliarity with the product. On my past few projects I've used products from interlux, rustoleum, petit, and totalboat. All of these were very forgiving and user friendly. I don't think the quantum is really a DIY kinda paint, it has a sharp learning curve and its to thin to be tipped so any mistakes you do your stuck with after 45 seconds. I think it would do well if you could spray it.

Next, I'm working against the Florida summer. It says this paint can be used in anything under 95 degrees, and I have the high temp reducer too. I think anything over 85 with moderate humidity is a killer for most paints.

Finally, this ties into the other 2, reducer flash. The further I went the worse it got. I think the reducer evaporated quickly in the heat, and reducing it on the 3rd coat made it worse.

Going forward I'll mix smaller amounts, keeping it covered in the mixing cup, and add small amounts to the pan as I go. Maybe add some reducer towards the end. I'm going to swing by Sherwin Williams and see about getting some good mohair rollers too.
As for now I tried to sand a spot and its still to soft, I'll let it sit till Monday and start sanding with 220, then 320. Not looking forward to it, but it's my only path forward right?

[cape man]

The other path - the one I took - is to accept we are not professional painters and move on. I ended up with similar results and said screw it. Dare you to tell me my boat is ugly!

[silentneko]

I am fully accepting that I am not a pro doing this in a paint booth. I fully expect a good 20/20 job (looks good from 20 ft away, or going 20mph). What I have now is less then that, to the point I don't think it will give the glass under it much protection. I have made some peace with what happened, and I'm moving forward. I plan to do just one coat per day, only in the morning. I'll have to abrade the paint after each coat, but I think a scotch brite pad will work ok.

[joe2700]

Yea final paint is tough. Every other part of the build you can fix imperfections by sanding, but not the top coat it has to go on right the first time or you do it again. It's the only part of my build I plan to pay someone else to do. I know I'd pay more in equipment and materials to learn to do it myself and probably still not equal a pro. That's for spray though, I do see that some people get impressive results rolling, I'm sure you will get a result you're happy with in the end.