fixing my boat again.. ugh, what a mess

[Eric]

Well, I went to Laos for six months for work, then last week came back to Thailand where I had left my boat in the garden under a cover. However, I have discovered the cover developed a tear and the boat sat in the rainy season, mostly full of water for several months.. hmm..

Well, the paint is a mess so now doing some quick fixit work so I can get in a few weeks of sailing before I move back to Japan at the end of the month.

My boat always gets trashed here by the canals, the oceans, my friends and the overall experiences I have. Such as getting rammed by fishermen, getting stuck in mud flats, bashing into things, etc. Plus 4 meter waves last May. That was "super sporty", so much I don't even want to talk about it.. haha..  I guess it did pay to have the boat blessed by my local Buddhist monk. The boat and I are still here.

Anyway, since its usually covered with blood, mud and sand or full of water I have learned to just keep it simple. No more bright work, simple enamel paint, just a utilitarian sail boat. Homemade sails, cheap rigging, wooden masts, it works great actually.

So epoxy and paint after removing a lot of blistered paint. Plus fixing broken bits such as the hole in the side that a piece of rebar made when I was going through a canal gate that was a bit narrow. And the centerboard was warped slightly. I reshaped that using an angle grinder with a sand disk. Highly recommend that for removing material very quickly.

I did dig into the wood and it seems fine. That apitong ply is very durable. Heavy and stiff, but damn strong.

The boat doesn't even have much of a name. I call it the Sea Cow. It used to be white, and "sii khao" in Thai means "white color". I know, bad play on words.. It's blue now, but still the Sea Cow.

I'm not even going to bother repainting the interior since I can't keep it nice anyway.. Just clean it up and go for the islands near Cambodia. Sailing, fishing and camping.

[PeterP]

Eric, your report brought a bit of nostalgia. I worked out of Singapore in the eighties and did spend some time in Thailand. From Ko Kut to Pattaya up to Chiang Mai. It was absolutely wonderful back then and I envy you a bit even though I realize it is not what it used to be. PeterP

[PAR]

Eric, since you seem to have these difficulties (filing with water, etc.) you should consider a drain or two. Anderson bailers are what's recommended, though you could use a garboard drain, which would suit your needs just fine at a fraction of the cost. Just remove the plug when you "park" it for a while and the water will drain out, instead of testing all of your cockpit seating joints with a few hundred gallons of water. It's a simple solution and a common one on traditional construction methods, where water can get trapped in a bilge. You don't have a bilge, but you do have the trapped water, that needs to get out.

A coating I've been testing for a manufacture (truck bed liner) is proving very suited to intermittent and continuous immersion on wood. Results so far have made a strong showing on raw wood and a remarkable say for itself on coated wood (epoxy). You can brush or roll this stuff on. It can provide a nice texture (if you want) and it's durable. Think of it as liquid 3M 5200, that is painted on the surface. Chemically it's very similar and it's tough, resisting abrasion, scratches, dings and other common mishaps. Just pressure wash it clean.

[Craig]

Paul are you using this rino liner type stuff inte bilge areas or onthe outside of the hull?

[Tom Lathrop]

No small boat, wood or plastic, should be left out in the elements, whether it has a drain or not.  Best to be inside, but under a tarp is a reasonable choice.

It should have a drain and that should be at the low point and open for storage.  For long term storage, inside lockers and inspection ports should be open or gapped for ventilation.

In the photos below, Lapwing has been fixed with mast supports for trailering and also provide an excellent ridgepole for a tarp.  My boathouse is already full of boats so somebody has to be stored outside.  Cheapo tarps are, at best, good for one season.  The tarp shown can be had from: http://www.tarps.com/white.htm

As a last resort, turn the boat upside down and block up off the ground.

[PAR]

You quite correct Tom, but some folks for one reason or another just can't do this, so a least provide a way for the water to drain off.

Craig, both. It has anti fouling properties and might serve as a good bottom paint replacement, especially on trailer boats that might spend some time on a hook or mooring. It's tough too, I dropped a 150 amp alternator (not a small thing) with brackets attached into the bilge of a boat I have it in. It bounced around and came to rest, but when I looked for scratches, dings or other coating damage, there was none. This reaffirms previous coat tests I've done.

[Tom Lathrop]

Paul,

What does the finish of this lining material look like?  Does it collect dirt?  How about colors?

[Eric]

Hi All

Yes, an Andersen Bailer would be the thing to have. But of course I couldn't find one around here the time I built the boat. But at least a drain plug would be good. Anyway, don't trust those cheapy tarps for sure.

Well, here it is. Some fresh paint and it looks ok. Didn't find any serious damage. I touched up the interior with some blue that didn't quite match, but whatever.. It's an "expedition boat", not a show piece of fine craftsmanship.

Should get it in the water tomorrow if I can get bribe the neighbors with enough rotgut rice whiskey to carry it over the the canal about a hundred meters.

I don't know what I am going to do with this boat once I go back to Japan.    The locals aren't too interested in sailboats, so not easy to sell. Maybe just keep it at my friend's seafood factory on the coast and hopefully be able to come back here for sailing holidays.. 

PeterP, yes, Thailand has changed a lot since the 80s. Still a good place, but I have been feeling frustrated with the place lately. The politics here are a mess as you have probably heard. It seems as if its slipping back into the real "Banana Republic" mode again..  That airport fiasco was just outrageous. Only in Thailand..  :

[Eric]

I forgot the picture.. sorry everyone.

[PAR]

There are two types of truck bed liners (formulation differences) one is sprayed on and not easy for the backyard builder to work with, let alone get the equipment for. This is the good stuff and it can be applied with any where between a very rough texture to a very smooth finish. It comes in several colors and custom colors can be mixed up too. Unfortunately, unless you want to become a distributor, you'll have great difficulty getting the proprietary spray equipment needed. The spray on stuff dries within 30 seconds of application, which is pretty cool.

The other option is rolled or brushed on. Most products come with a polyurethane pellet texture added (it's truck bed liner remember) which can be filtered out. You can talk the manufactures into untextured stuff, but you'll have to buy larger amounts then the average small boat builder will need and there's a surcharge. These too come in several colors and custom colors are available. It dries quickly, maybe in 5 minutes.

Whites tend to yellow with age, which is typical of all the polyurethanes, but other colors don't have this trait. Reds will fade fairly quickly (remember those VW vans from the 60's Tom), but it can be buffed to some degree which knocks off the oxidized layers. The smooth applications don't collect any more dirt then other painted surfaces. Of course texture will. One of the enjoyable aspects is the ability to use a pressure washer to clean a wooden boat. No one in their right mind would take this dastardly device near a wooden boat, but with this stuff protecting the surfaces, you can.

I've had samples that lived under docks, clamped to pilings, etc. which came up about as you'd expect for the duration they were under, blasted them with a pressure washer and dropped them back in the drink, clean as a whistle. No lifted wood grain, no chunks of plank missing, etc.

The jury is still out on long term durability, but this stuff shows some real promise. The military is using it for a number of different things including armor. The Navy is using it on many things, boat trailer manufactures are coating steel trailers with it. This isn't a new thing, but hasn't caught on with the pleasure boat industry, though commercial marine applications have used it for several years now.

My focus has been its use on wood and tests samples are almost 2 years old now.

[Tom Lathrop]

Paul,

The obvious question is, where is it available to the layman?  You are clearly not a layman and have sources that many will not.  I don't need any right now but it is very interesting.

I have been using an industrial epoxy paint for about 15 years.  This paint is intended for use on steel bridges and watertanks and is also chemical resistant.  Very toough stuff.  Compared to any other paint I know of it, it's as much as an order of magnitude tougher.  One great thing is that it's available from several paint stores and is very similar to the paints used on concrete floors in garages. There are two negatives that I have found.  It's difficult to get a smooth finish and it chalks like all epoxies.  I consider the finish from rolling to be ideal for interiors and decks.

[PAR]

Most automotive supply stores (Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc.) will have some ones version of the roll on type. I suspect as Ray has mentioned, the home improvement stores will also.

I don't like the epoxy paints, because of the quick chalking, preferring the LPU's, which seem more durable, have much higher gloss retention and hardness. The epoxies are probably more flexible then the LPU's, which would be more suitable on unencapsulated wood, but other wise, it's alkyd or LPU for me.

My initial idea for truck bed liner was for bottom paint, but I'm now  considering other uses as well.

[Tom Lathrop]

I don't like the epoxy paints, because of the quick chalking, preferring the LPU's, which seem more durable, have much higher gloss retention and hardness. The epoxies are probably more flexible then the LPU's, which would be more suitable on unencapsulated wood, but other wise, it's alkyd or LPU for me.

LPU and epoxy paints of the kind I mention are two different things for two different uses.  LPU is certainly the nicer paint for all the reasons you say and, although I don't particularly like applying it, I do.  I use that specific thick epoxy paint for decks and soles and interiors of open boats where I don't want either high gloss or a smooth finish. Exactly in the areas you have used the liner material.  The chalking (although evident) has not proved to be a significant problem in this regard.

I would consider the liner material instead of the epoxy if it were superior for that same use.  In the meantime I have gotten 8 years of use on cockpit soles with no damage.  No other paint I have ever used is in the same league for toughness.  Not too shabby, I'd say.