Glen-L.com

Hey, hoping for a reality check here. I primed and painted the outside hull with system three primer and topcoat with no problems. Recently, I applied the primer to the interior of the boat (previously sanded the epoxy finish). It didn't seem to really dry well and was kind of tacky/chalky to the touch, so I let it dry for three days. It has been very hot and humid in the 90s. Now tonight I went to sand the primer and wipe off the dust, but when I went to wipe off the dust with a damp sponge, the primer actually dissolved and with a few gentle strokes I was down to bare epoxy again. I abandoned sanding and just applied my first top coat. Within about 5 minutes, it dried and crackled kind of like a turtle shell.

Anyone experienced this before????? I was kind of planning on just applying additional coats and hoping I can fill in the cracks (they are bumpy to the touch). I just can't reconcile why the outer hull went so well and the inner hull went so differently. The only difference I can point to is the temperature and humidity.

Thanks,

is your topcoat the LPU?
what does plain water do if put on the surface?
my experience with the LPU is that if water beads on the surface, the water based paint will not apply/adhere properly.
-Billy

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Billy's Belle Isle website

Yes, the LPU. Water didn't seem to bead on the surface. However, if I rub my finger all the topcoat and primer comes off and down to bare epoxy again. At $100 per gallon, this is a little disenchanting. I am supposed to be on the water in two weeks. Again, I can't figure out why the outer surface worked perfectly with the same primer/topcoat combination and then this?

I hate to think of sanding the entire interior back to epoxy and starting over. However, if I can't figure out WHY this happened, I won't know how to avoid it in the future. I'll call system 3 support tomorrow and see if I can get a clue...

i did have a quart that was shipped to me in the winter that was apparently left in the cold and froze leaving me with curdled paint in the top of the can... i strained it and tried to use it and had similar results to what you are describing. (they replaced it) so i do know the LPU is very fussy on how it is handled and applied, so am sure many other things can come into play also. please let us know what you find out from system three

_________________
(insert witty phrase here)
Billy's Belle Isle website

Here is a picture of the "cracking" that I am talking about...

if the humidity is very high in your area like it is in mine right now the chances are good that there was too much moister in the air to let the primer cure well enough to be top coated. the solvents in the top coat went through the primer and poped it loose causing every thing to wrinkle up you need to wipe all of it off and start over or its just going to peel off anyway I know thats not what you wanted to here but its probably the best thng to do (thats what i would do if it was me but i also havent seen your boat just going on what your post said)

thanks for the picture ...not exactly the problem i had with the frozen stuff
i wonder if there was surface contamination or blush left on the epoxy surface where you applied the primer. usually that primer dries so well minutes after you apply it that it can be sanded back within an hour. sounds like you had those results on the topsides application.
i would do some test swatches with the LPU and primer on a different surface to see if sets up ok...
-Billy

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(insert witty phrase here)
Billy's Belle Isle website

I assume you are using the crosslinker?? Also make sure you are not putting on heavy coats and are allowing each coat to fully cure. Thin coats is best with this stuff and let it thoroughly dry. Also make sure the epoxy is clean and has been sanded to 80- 120 grit.

Roberta

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Roberta
Built Zip "Oliver IV" and Super Spartan "Jimmy 70"

I posted a different issue involving the topside, which was only related to the epoxy and not the primer or paint (that resolved itself when I took the forum members advice to just wait). With this issue, the inside was epoxied with some fresh stuff I bought and it cured perfectly, then washed down to get rid of any blush, then sanded with 120 grit, then washed down again. So, I think the epoxy was properly prepped. The problem seemed to stem from the primer itself - it just would dry (or cure?). I could actually wash all the primer off after three days with a wet sponge - that shouldn't happen right?

Previous posted thinks high humidity and temps was the culprit. Since I can't point to anything else, that is my best guess right now. If the primer can't be applied in high humidity then where I live that rules out about five months out of the year for me to apply the primer - unless I air condition my garage first... Got a call in to system3 so hopefully I will hear back from them today - hopefully others could avoid this problem in the future. For now, the plan is to go to Lowes and buy sanding disks by the gross - good thing I gave myself an extra two weeks to finish in case anything went wrong! This is gonna be fun, although I suspect I'm not the first person that has ever had to sand everything away and start over.

Son of a gunderson - and god fric(*@!&#(&#n !*(&@#!@^#!*(7!!!!!! You are correct maam - I am a collosal idiot!!! For whatever reason, I mixed the primer with crosslinker on the outside but forgot on the inside - my little can is hiding on the back of my workbench out of sight. While, now I can sand away the weekend content in the knowledge that I am a moron. Thanks BTW!!!

I know the yatch primer has the big can of hardener and the smaller can of the primer and the WR-LPU has the small bottle of liquid you squirt in to crosslink the paint so it hardens. You can use the WR-LPU without the crosslinker, but the paint won't be as durable. The Primer needs both parts to work properly.

Roberta

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Roberta
Built Zip "Oliver IV" and Super Spartan "Jimmy 70"

Yes, I only used the larger can of hardener.

OOPS!!!

Roberta

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Roberta
Built Zip "Oliver IV" and Super Spartan "Jimmy 70"

I feel your pain. I was in an epoxy marathon and around the 4th or 5th coat around 10-11 PM thought I finally laid out a real smooth coat. Trouble was when I got back to the mixing bench there was the syringe full of Part B! Lots of explicatives as I cleaned off Part A off nearly half the boat. Sometimes I think we get too soon old and too late smart.

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This is my first, last and only boat build.

http://www.gdzipbuild.blogspot.com

Good, I'm happy to know I'm not alone!!!! Although I will say that the cleanup for this type of mess was relatively easy. Last night, with two people we got everything (1 layer of topcoat, and 3 layers of hardener sans resin) off in about two hours. It actually required no sanding, just a few buckets of water, a big sponge and a couple of paint scrapers. With water applied and let to soak for a few minutes, everything came off like butter. If I didn't start over it would be fun to see the inside of my boat during the first rain. Back to the first coat of primer tomorrow - I predict that this time I will NOT FORGET to add Part B to Part A!