epxoy, uv and pigment

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Anonymous (not verified)
epxoy, uv and pigment
I have removed the main cross beam from my Tiki 26 in order to strip the paint and varnish and assess its condition. It turns out that its in great condition, so in a way its been a waste of time, but i will at least feel more confident having done this. Its taking ages to strip, much longer than i thought (as usual) and a i'm nearly ready to epoxy coat it. I know that epoxy needs protecting from UV and is usually painted. However i am still thinking about pigmenting the epoxy even though the protection will be less. I'm thinking of applying 2 coats of clear epoxy followed by 2 of white pigmented epoxy all applied wet on tacky for a really good bond. The idea being that the 2 underneath get into the wood and do the actual waterproofing job whilst the two on top provide a bit of uv and bash protection. Then at periodic intervals, say every two or three years(?), i sand it for a key and apply 2 more coats of pigmented epoxy. The job of the epoxy in this case is just waterproofing. Theres no sheathing so all the strength is provided by the wood (and a bit from the fillet joints which are opaque anyway). This technique sounds like it might keep the wood dry long term. As you can probably tell, i hate stripping paint off and reapplying it. It gets tattier with each application too. Maybe i should try 4 coats of pigmented epoxy on top of 2 clear coats? Anyone got any experience that might guide me?
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: epxoy, uv and pigment
For better protection from water intrusion a layer of fabric with epoxy will work better. We use 4 oz xynole polyester for sheathing. It drapes very well and has excellent peel, impact, and abrasion qualities. Then follow with paint. Petit Easypoxy is a one part paint that we have had very good results with. It doesn't need to be stripped to refresh, just sand and re-coat. Epoxy is not paint and paint is not glue. David http://www.boatsmithfl.com