Epoxy primer?

D

David M

New member
I'm nearing the painting stage on my Devlin broadbill build.

Any suggestions on a epoxy primer? After priming I was thinking of painting with Pettit Ship N Dec.

I only found one source for Devlin's recommended PPG DP primer
http://www.tcpglobal.com/
Kind of pricey (around $110 if I get the 2 qts I expect I'll need)
 
A couple things, David. First, the epoxy primer that Devlin recommends, DP-400/401 (I think that is the designation), is very good but is very, very thin - like water thin, so a little goes a long way. You can roll it on to make it go even further but be careful of foam rollers as that primer will eat up foam real quick. Make sure you mix, apply and cure in a WELL ventilated space - it's nasty. The last time I was looking for it I found something similar at an auto parts store - ask them for epoxy primer- I can't remember the name or manufacturer. It was a two part primer just like the DP stuff and even had the same gray/green color.

Secondly, IMHO the best paint - far and away above anything else I have seen or used is Flat Marine Enamel (FME) sold by Lou Tisch of Lock Stock & Barrel. Many guys use FME without primer. I've had it on a KARA for over 10 years and on my BB3 since 2005 I think. Tough, tough, tough paint. I have always thinned the FME a little bit and sprayed it on with great results - well except the time I sprayed it on full strength on a boat that had been sitting in the sun and the result was some pretty interesting orange peel. To this day guys ask me how I got that great "non-skid" finish :)
 
I just finished priming and painting my Devlin BB3, and I have a few suggestions-I found that the epoxy primer from a company called Southern Polyurethanes is excellent stuff, gets great reviews on automotive forums and costs about 1/3 the price of DP40. Check them out at www.southernpolyurethanes.com, they were very helpful to me and I can't recommend theirs stuff enough. They also make a high-build sanding primer that I'm interested in trying out on my next build, I think it will really help to fill small defects and imperfections.
I second Pete's suggestion of using the FME from Lou Tisch also, I've been really happy with it on my boat. I rolled the base color on and sprayed the camo and it was really easy to use both ways.

Good luck, post some photos of your progress!
 
Thanks Cody and Pete,

I will go with the FME paint. Thanks for the heads up on this product. I see that LS&B notes that it acts as its own primer, but I'll probably try that Southern Polyurehtane's primer just to be safe.

Here's a photo of where I'm at. Glassed the hull, now trying to find some decent lumber to do the gunwale/clamps (one broken one laying across the bulkheads in the photo).

 
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