PK78 first photo, how to post pic?

[bredstein]

The primer was no good and never set up right

Hi Rick, I am sorry to hear about your depressing primer, but could you share a secret - what primer did you use? And how did you prepare the surface? I am almost at the point of priming - just another couple of days fairing - so your advice would be very very helpful!

[Rick]

Hi Rick, I am sorry to hear about your depressing primer, but could you share a secret - what primer did you use? And how did you prepare the surface? I am almost at the point of priming - just another couple of days fairing - so your advice would be very very helpful!

My problem is that I bought the primer (Interlux) way before I needed it. It ended up sitting in my unheated garage through a Washington winter. I've been told since then that Interlux paint and primer should be used fresh and NEVER allowed to get below freezing.

As for prep, I sanded the epoxy layer over the glass with 60-grit disks and finished with either 80- or 100-grit disks (I don't remember which). The high build primer was great at covering the sanding scratches. There is no reason to sand down to 150 or 220 if you are using high-build primer. The finish paint layer sits on the primer, so I would sand that down to 150, or as many different grits as you have the patience for. I suppose you could go down to 600 or even the auto-body grits, but I figure it's a boat and not a $50,000 custom hot rod, so I'll probably give up at 220.

My number one advice: if the primer doesn't mix up completely -- no lumps or other non-consistent textures -- don't apply it. Consult an expert if the primer doesn't mix right, you might have a problem. Now, I would know that the primer was no good since it had weird colors and had lumps that I could not get to blend in no matter how much I mashed them. If the product isn't right, it's not going to work.

This time, I'm using System Three, from our friends at Bateau.