I jus got thru with this question in the designs boards...

I think [from what ive now gathered] that for a stengthening graphite epoxy you need to use carbon fiber. Graphite, in and of itself is more a cosmetic coverup because it colors the epoxy itself as opposed to a more fagile paint skin covering it. As far as heat absorption is concerned, I think a lot depends on where and how much graphite you apply. Ontop of a moving car, I'd have to believe the wind would dissapate the heat [until bumper to bumper traffic]. I couldnt ever see a reason for putting epoxy above the waterline, so it couldnt possibly be a heat issue while paddeling the boat. And since the graphite is there to de-conspicuize [ i made that up] any scatches...theres no reason to turn it belly up on the beach.

Frankly my black graphite waterline to keel application looks dynamite. Surely better than so much scratched off paint. On the otherhand... if I were doing a bright work finish...I maybe would've done just a one inch wide strip along the keel front to back. Scratched brightwork is a lot easier on the eyes than a white hull with so many painfully obvious scrapes.

Pete