In this final segment, DIY's Shipshape Boating host John Greviskis will demonstrate how to paint a new hull. Soon the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will outlaw tin-based paints, which traditionally been used on aluminum-based surfaces. Instead, a clear anti-foulant, ablative bottom paint, which works with enzymes, should be used. This particular paint is environmentally friendly. How Does It Work? - This clear-coat paint dries extremely fast.
- Goes on easily (figure A) and dries super slick, which means no barnacles or plant life can attach themselves to the paint.
- Being an ablative type of paint means it will wear away like a bar of soap.
Painting a Hull for the First Time If you have a brand new hull and want to paint it for the first time, unless you de-wax the boat the bottom paint won't stick. You need to use a special "de-waxing" solvent to remove the wax first (figure B). Be sure to rub the solvent on the entire section that you want to paint on the bottom of the boat. Next, sand the section with 80-grit sandpaper. Apply the epoxy barrier coats, and finally, apply the anti-foulant coats.
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