John Lanham
I was discussing with a local yard ways to keep my Sonata keel rust free and reduce the amount annual maintenance required. They said that the best long term solution was to remove and clean it bond a film to it with solvent free epoxy and then overcoat with epoxy. This seams like a good if fairly expensive idea. I then checked the class rules and notice that the rules say the keel may be coated with paint or anti fouling and specifically excludes any sheathing. Do you think the above solution counts as “sheathing” within the meaning of the rules, also is the use of epoxy permitted (is it paint or anti-fouling). I would appreciated any comments on this or any ideas you may have for an alternative effective long term treatment. (If it ends up smooth that would also be good)
Thanks for you interest
John
John Lanham
Matt
Thanks for that, I may well give it a go – I am hoping to get to the nationals so may well see you there.
Cheers
John
arni
On my boat, which stays in the water on a mooring all the time, I used an orbital sander do smooth and remove the rust. In the areas where there was pitting, and in some cases, large holes caused by casting faults (up to one inch across) I used a wire brush on an electric drill to get rid of most of the rust. I then used two coats of epoxy two-pack metal primer to coat the keel, and taking care to cover the inside of the holes thoroughly. I then used some epoxy filler to fill the holes and pits, before finishing with another coat of metal primer. The eroding anti-fouling is put directly on this.
This work was done one year ago, and I just completed re-doing the anti-fouling, and there were no signs or weeps of rust. I have no idea if this will be effective long term, but it was a very cheap and easy job, and left a reasonably smooth finish for racing, without using anything which could be described as ‘sheathing’.
Matt Glasgow
John,
A cheaper idea is to use a piant called VC Tar, which is produced by International and it is a two pack paint. The only thing I must say is that you must remove all the old rust before painting. The best way is to get an angle grinder.
If the job is done well then the rust will not came back next year, unless the paint is scratched.
Good luck, Hopefully see you at the nationals
Kind Regards
Matt Glasgow.