PocketShip.net

Pocketship Builders,

Has anyone used graphite epoxy for a portion of the bottom paint on Pocketship? I'm considering using this on the lower keel portion that slides over the carpeted trough when loading and unloading for increased wear resistance. Any thoughts....

I got some graphite and added to the epoxy I used for the last couple of coats on the centerboard.
It was not particularly messy. Here is the best deal (including shipping) I found for graphite: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VKPXC3D/
(Like in the manual, I did not paint the centerboard).

After one season the water, I have no idea what the bottom of my keel or the centerboard look like. I'd need
to jump in the water with a face mask to find out...

You could also put a strip of slippery teflon-like material over the carpet on the bottom of the trough.
And be sure to put a couple of extra layers of fiberglass on the bottom of the keel, especially around the front corner!

A potential source of damage is accidentally trying to pull the boat onto the trailer when the keel is not properly centered in the trough.
If the rear of your trailer has any nasty sharp edges or projections, you might want to put something over them.

Doug

This doesn't have graphite, but I've been looking at Coppercoat:
https://coppercoatusa.com/
it's basically fine copper in epoxy. You apply several coats just like the normal epoxy work we do already, then sand it to a uniform dull finish, like we do to get ready for paint or varnish. It seems to have a lot of good points: very effective anti-fouling, environmentally safe, long life (10 years), reasonably easy to apply, tough, and works well on trailered boats. It may be bit expensive, but I like the idea of repainting the bottom less often. Something to consider. Hopefully I can report on my experience by this fall.

I used a mixture of graphite powder, silica, and epoxy to "paint" Luna's entire bottom. The graphite makes it slippery and the silica makes it hard (graphite alone is too soft). Sanding it made me look like a coal miner. After 6 seasons it still looks like new. When not in use, Luna lives on her trailer so she doesn't need "real" bottom paint. I can't vouch for graphite's anti-fouling properties (if any). That said, I've had no problems (the longest she's been continuously in water is 7 consecutive days - Lakes Superior and Michigan).

Bob

slash2 wrote:This doesn't have graphite, but I've been looking at Coppercoat:
https://coppercoatusa.com/
it's basically fine copper in epoxy. You apply several coats just like the normal epoxy work we do already, then sand it to a uniform dull finish, like we do to get ready for paint or varnish. It seems to have a lot of good points: very effective anti-fouling, environmentally safe, long life (10 years), reasonably easy to apply, tough, and works well on trailered boats. It may be bit expensive, but I like the idea of repainting the bottom less often. Something to consider. Hopefully I can report on my experience by this fall.

Steve, this looks interesting, thanks for the lead.