Do I epoxy the insides?

[Andrew]

OK

so I'm about ready to paint the inside of the cabin, do I epoxy all the surfaces first or are they OK 'cause they won't see much H2O (I hope)?

Thanx

Andrew

[High C]

I think it depends on the type of plywood you used. If it's fir, it will eventually show checking through the paint. A couple coats of epoxy, thickened with fumed silica to prevent runs and sags, will keep it smooth. With a non-fir plywood you could forego the epoxy.

[Barry Pyeatt]

This is probably the second biggest debate we get into besides the paint issue.

Applying epoxy over the surface of plywood won't keep it from checking. but it will seal the surface. It also adds to the amount of sanding work you will have.

Will it help keep it from being damaged. Yes and no. From mildew/mold and rot, maybe. From impact damage. Not much.

The only way to prevent potential checking problems on ply is to glass it. Soft wood plywood that is cut from peeler logs will check.

You don't need to epoxy the interior to have a good finish or protection. Just good primer and good paint and attention to caulking the seams to prevent incursion of moisture into those areas. Good exterior latex house primer and deck and porch enamel will give you a good finish and be easy to maintain and will last as long as most anything else.

[Frank Hagan]

Yeah, I agree with Barry on this one. Glassing the inside of the cabin isn't necessary in my view, unless you plan to keep the boat on the water or something. And coating it in epoxy won't help with the checking without a layer of glass.

The two "inside" areas I would recommend glassing are inside the lazarette and the stowage spaces under the seats (the aft portions open to the cockpit.) I found that rain water gets in there, and I'm always worried about the painted plywood taking up too much water before I get it emptied out.

[Andrew]

Thanx for the responses - glassing sounds like too much time and expense so I guess I'll go with the primer/paint method

Andrew