Basic Antifoul and Epoxy info please

[waterline]

Thanks for the replies regarding my request for advice about Antifouling and Epoxy coatings for fresh water boat use.
I have heard that VC Tar Epoxy would be a good product to use on my newish boat (only been in fresh water for 5 months from new) followed by Antifouling to keep the green slime at bay.
I don't really know what VC tar actually is, or indeed if it is an Epoxy product or more of a flexible brush on coating.
How does VC Tar differ from more conventional Epoxy coatings, and is it more difficult to cover with a lighter coloured Antifouling?

One of the replies I gratefully received, advised me to clean - then lightly sand the underside with wet and dry (240 grade) then de grease the underside of the hull to remove last years deposits and the original release agents etc. I had been advised to use acetone, but a forum reader has advised against this. Can anyone advise on what product would be best to de grease/clean the underside prior to epoxy coating?

The next question is which epoxy coating to use and how to apply it. The boat was taken out of the water at the end of October, and is stored out of doors. If I epoxy coat the underside, what temperatures and humidity levels will be tolerated, or should I leave it until next year, and wait for the weather to become drier and warmer?

The final question is what type of Antifoul would be best to use on Fresh Water and will cover over the Epoxy or VC Tar Epoxy coating?

Any help with the above would be very welcome

 

[AndrewB]

I have not used VC Tar-2, but it was one of the ones I considered recently when choosing an underwater primer for my yacht.

As a general rule you should follow paint manufacturers advice as closely as possible on applications like this. The cost of a major paint job is too high to risk failure. International put out a useful free leaflet available in most chandlers: alternatively there is quite a lot of product information available on the internet regarding suitable products for priming and antifouling. See for example <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtpaint.com/uk/product_guide/primers/vc_tar2.asp>VC-Tar 2</A>. International are also helpful if you phone for advice on using their products. They are trying to encourage people to use their on-line help system (but they didn't answer me a few months ago!).

VC-Tar 2 is an epoxy primer, and has the advantage of such primers of being quick drying and can be applied down to 5ºC. I think that makes it possible if you pick a really good winter day, and finish painting by noon, but it is a risk outdoors.

However, International only appear to recommend it for their VC range antifoulings. For other types they recommend Gelshield 200 (GRP) or Interprotect (steel), both epoxy, or alternatively a conventional primer, Primocon.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Waterline,

Most tar epoxies have been banned as they contain carcinogenic (They kill you), so check the product out very carefully.

Vinyl is proving to be one of the more effective resins to prevent water ingress and can be applied with a roller.

Hope this helps.

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