> Hi folks,

> Nxt on the list is paint. I want to paint the wood, then cover it with
> glass and epoxy as opposed to painting ONTOP of the glass and epoxy, which
> leaves the fragile paint more vulnerable to scratches. I would rather have
> the paint encapsulated and covered with glass cloth. Heres the question
> tho... what kind of paint does one paint on the UNepoxied wood? Procedure
> ? Do I seal the wood first with a coat of epoxy and then paint? Schade in
> his book mentions "epoxy based paints"... whats that? At
> anyrate, I'd like the paint to be as permanent and protected as possible.
> Lastly, does a painted hull weaken the epoxy bond if painted on wood
> first, then glassed and such? If so, would pin striping be ok done this
> way if the process weakens the bond?

> Thanks all! Youve been very helpful.

> Pete

As epoxy's bond to wood is stronger than paint, you will have a weaker hull by painting first.

Fiberglass boats (with polyester resin) have a pigment added to the last coat (gel coat) to get the desired color. My fiberglass supply store sells pigments. I don't kow how well this works with epoxy resin but there must be lots out there that have tried it.

I suspect that as your last (flood coat) of epoxy would be sanded to get the hull smooth and then the color coat would be an additional coat, more weight and more cost. Paint is cheaper to apply and repair than epoxy and has less weight.

Bram