First Coat of Primer for the Decks

Wednesday, August 18th, I decided to put the first coat of primer on Froonie's decks. During the evening of the 16th and the 17th, I solvent washed her decks and sanded with 100 grit paper to "freshen" things up a bit. It had been awhile since I had removed the various layers of paint and down through the original paint layer, so I wanted to remove the dirt and debris that had settled over her decks through this restoration. The two evenings were spent getting ready for primer; and since I had taken a vacation day to apply the primer, I wanted to be ready to go first thing in the morning.

Here is Froonie with" freshened-up" decks, and solvent-washed. You can see the thickened epoxy applied in various spots (orangish in appearance) serving to fair the deck or to fill old fitting holes.

The product that I chose for the priming is Interlux Epoxy Primekote. This product is made for two-part epoxy paints, and is the same product used on the topsides. If you read my post on the topsides painting, you will remember that I had attempted to roll and tip...and had disastrous results with the first coat of primer to the topsides. After speaking with technical reps for Interlux, and conferring with other 'plastic classic' enthusiasts, I discovered that primer does not want to behave in a roll and tip process. So after I sanded off the entire first coat of primer on the topsides, I simply rolled on and then worked 220 grit pads over the cured surface. I chose the same process for the decks. I did run into one minor issue during the painting of the decks - the solvent used to thin the two-part epoxy primer was wreaking havoc with my cheap, big-box retailer foam rollers. I went through about seven of these rollers through the entire application, but eventually succeeded.

Here is a picture of the port-side companion way bulkhead. You can see where the primer just ends at the aft portion of the cabin, marking the end of the first batch or primer.

I had run out of the thinning agent for the two-part epoxy primer - Interlux 2333N. So, I changed shirts (soaking-wet from 95 degree temps and high humidity), and went to visit my local marine chandlery. I also took the opportunity to pick up some decent foam rollers, but chose not to pick up any of the smaller rollers for the tighter corners (i.e. where the cockpit sole meets the vertical surfaces of the cockpit seating). It is evident in the picture below where the primer has been applied - I essentially was able to prime 85% of the cockpit, deck, and cabin roof surfaces.

Showing progress...

Finally, here is a picture of the poop deck, showing primer applied. The engine well, just in the upper portion of the picture is faired and ready for primer as well.