plywood boat sealer ?

[3/4]

got a bare 22'plywood boat all ready to be sealed and painted. now my question is how to seal it?i was going to use epoxy to seal it with a plastic squeegee to work it in and smooth it out,but epoxy has such a short pot life i feel ill spend more time mixing than sealing, then sand and primer and paint,or should i go with cpes(clear penetrating epoxy sealer)from james town dis.it has a longer pot life and they clam its a primer also(at twice the price of epoxy) but it well save me from buying primer. i never used the cpes to seal before, not trying to go cheep,just want to do it right the 1st time. any help would well appreciated thanks

 

[thebridge]

I have a 20ft George Williams skiff. All I do is use a pump sprayer and use 1/2 boiler Linseed Oil and 1/2 thinner....every year.

 

[Blitzen]

I use the cpes on all the teak work I do. It is a huge time saver and will seal the wood nicely. It will also work as your bonding agent for your primer to the wood due to the long cure window. The trick with the stuff is to saturate the wood until it will no longer absorb any more epoxy and then let it cure so you can sand it smooth then over coat before the cure window closes.
The same can be done with West System too, you just have to thin it out.

 

[Badlatitude]

I vote seal her with resin and glass her up. You would be amazed how much stronger she will get.

 

[3/4]

I use the cpes on all the teak work I do. It is a huge time saver and will seal the wood nicely. It will also work as your bonding agent for your primer to the wood due to the long cure window. The trick with the stuff is to saturate the wood until it will no longer absorb any more epoxy and then let it cure so you can sand it smooth then over coat before the cure window closes.
The same can be done with West System too, you just have to thin it out.

so if i use the cpes it does NOT need to be primed? just paint with pettit ez poxy paint before it is fully cured ? i dont think im good enough to epoxy and glass it up inside and out with out looking like a hack job, was thinking of just using epoxy to seal it though. linseed oil ? can it be paint over ?

 

[El Mar]

My opinion??

Just paint it. Its a plywood boat.

I have built many plywood boats with my students.

Best thing is oil based paint thinned on the first coat and build up from there. Its a wood boat and its going to move no matter what you do. Keep up on the maintenance and paint it every year and it will last a long time.

Epoxy and fiberglass actually shortens the life of the wood and adds extra weight.

 

[Blitzen]

I would still prime it. Let the primer and epoxy cure together for a strong bond to the wood. Then put your finish coats on the cured primer.

 

[nickyp]

easypoxy and other single part paints and will not dry if applied over epoxy that is still curing. once the epoxy is completely cured, then wash the glossy greasy film (called amine blush off with water, and a scouring pad. once dry it will be easier to sand.
there are many options that will work depending on the level and durability finish.
a less durable option could be to use a 2 part epoxy primer/barrier coat on the bare ply. it will be easier to sand, and any paint can be applied over it.

 

[nickyp]

forgot to point out that two part primer over the epoxy will indeed stick and is best, as blitzen suggested

 

[El Mar]

Problem with using epoxy over plywood is checking.

Once the moisture content of the wood changes, and it will the wood expands and contracts. this causes the wood to move and the epoxy does not, hence checking and your finish starts to fail.

Only way to keep that under control is add cloth to the equation, then you have to be sure to seal the entire plywood boat, almost impossible plus you add extra weight and cost. Been there done that, not worth it. If you want a fiberglass boat best thing to do is pop a boat out of a mold and avoid the plywood all together.

Many ways to do it, but in my opinion, paint it and go boating. After all, its a plywood boat, not a mahogany chris craft or garwood, etc.

What type of plywood is the boat made of?? That changes the discussion too.

 

[Badlatitude]

Mine got T boned by a run about and didnt fail. It actually floated the other boat to shore. Hows paint over plywood hold up?

 

[El Mar]

Hows paint over plywood hold up?

Needs to be redone every year or every other year basically.

 

[3/4]

the plywood is ac exterior grade plywood 3/4''. cpes says that it moves with wood and seals open pours in wood . never heard of checking, but sounds about right, would it still check if it is epoxy sealed inside and outside ? and if checking does happen will a new coat of paint fill the cracks ? im asking a lot of questions cause i dont want to paint every year ,but would like to get the a couple seasons in before redoing again.

 

[Badlatitude]

the plywood is ac exterior grade plywood 3/4''. cpes says that it moves with wood and seals open pours in wood . never heard of checking, but sounds about right, would it still check if it is epoxy sealed inside and outside ? and if checking does happen will a new coat of paint fill the cracks ? im asking a lot of questions cause i dont want to paint every year ,but would like to get the a couple seasons in before redoing again.

Oh my rig is marine ply and was built stitch and glue. I dont know How skimming out AC would work with epoxy.... The C side can be pretty gnarley

 

[3/4]

the wood has some deep grains and devits,knot marks that need to fill. i was thinking of using marine bondo to fill and sand.still liking the cpes idea for the 1st seal,epoxy is half the price,but this checking got me scared.

 

[El Mar]

The wood is going to check no matter what.

I'll try and take some pics of my oyster scow in the next few days.

Don't be scared of it, it's a wood boat.

 

[Badlatitude]

Here are some pics of my XF20 being rigged then being hit. The other photos were lost in an old computer. 20ft long 8ft beam

 

[3/4]

im leaning hard towards soaking it with cpes cold formula inside and outside,bottom, then a pettit 2 part epoxy primer inside and outside,bottom , pettit ez epoxy paint for the outsides and rails, and a bilge paint for the inside,hard bottom paint for the bottom being its staying on a trailer. dont know if its over kill or pissing away good money ???

 

[3/4]

wow is that striper on top of your boat ? did you push him into land or floated over to land ? hope all were ok(you and boat).

 

[El Mar]

Bad - Yours looks like it was made out of Okume then coated with cloth and epoxy, yes?