Keel Finish

[Bhacurly]

Hi All...

My project is taking longer than I hoped! I have my keel all sandblasted clean and pretty.... but it is quite pitted and rough. I need to smooth it out before I paint. Looks like fiberglass is an option, then an epoxy paint?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks
Billy

[frezza]

I spoke to a guy this morning because I need to do some keel work before I launch my Chrysler 22. Mine has to be sandblasted because of rust and oyster shells but this guy said he had his powder coated. Not sure what that is, do you know? PS how much did you spend? He has a 22 Catalina keel already to go, for sale but I think that one has a different shape. He wants $250 which I think is real cheap if it is in nice shape.
You should see mine - neglect gets expensive.

[Windwalker]

Powder coat is a process where a finely divided plastic is electrostaticly charged while going through a gun and sprayed onto something (a lead keel) that has an opposite charge incused onto it. The plastic power sticks to the object because of opposite charges and the whole thing is baked in an oven to melt the plastic so that it adheres to the object and all the other particles of plastic. This creates a smooth, slightly dimpled finish with excellent adhesion to the substrate.

I have seen home kits for power coating but that would not work for the size of a keel, it has to be put into an oven. Also once scratched, it can’t be repaired easily. You have to strip the old powder coat off and start over.

I would recommend epoxy or polyester resin after fairing with filler, also epoxy or polyester. It can then be painted and repaired as needed.

[rjbranch]

I'd recommend you not use polyester for keel fairing and coating. If you do you will be replacing it before long because it will delaminate and blow off. If you are going to do something use epoxy. Give the surface a good sanding with 80 grit then apply a coat of epoxy and let it set. You can then bond a fairing compound layer to this. A mix of epoxy and microspheres works well. Just be aware the resin will kick really fast with the microshperes in it. Use a resin that kicks more slowly. You can help yourself by mixing it in a cake pan resting on a block of ice or floating in ice water to slow the reaction down. Better to trowl on thin coats than too thick. It will tend to run or sag. Having a heat gun handy to add heat once its applied will help. Also you can mix in some microfibers. They are used as a filler when you don't want slumping but they are tough to sand. If you have a template made ahead of time it can really be a time saver when you go to sand. When you get slightly overcontoured then sand to shape. Finally coat it with two or 3 good coats of epoxy resin then bottom paint. That's if you want to go to all that work. Having done this on alot of raceboats over the years, unless I'm SERIOUSLY racing, I'm not inclined to do that much work any more.

bob branch