: I completed my wetout and first fill coat on the deck of my Cirrus yesterday.
: All went exceedingly smoothly, thanks to everyone who answered Patsy's and
: my questions on epoxy and glass.

: The centre deck panels did not close up as well as they should leaving a very
: dark crevice between pale maple panels down the centre line of the deck.
: As I was driving to a rolling clinic this morning I think I came upon a
: simple solution.

: I had been thinking of painting a black accent line along the bottom side of
: the shear, the fore and aft stems and connecting to the bottom hull panels
: that would also be black. To reduce the impact of the deck centre line I
: thought this black accent line wrapped around the bow and stern, down the
: centre line and wrap around the coaming would add a nice effect and reduce
: the impact of the crevice.

: So my questions are: What are the pros and cons of graphite/epoxy vs
: blackpaint? Keep in mind I have wetted out with one fill coat already. How
: much graphite from a toner cartrige do I add to epoxy? How many fill coats
: do I need over the graphite to ensure I do not sand into the graphite?
: Since I have yet to glass the hull which layer is best to apply graphite
: too?

: If I painted does it go on the epoxy and under the varnish?

: Thanks in advance.

: grant

Hi Grant,
You can use automotive pin stripe or any color/width of good electrical tape if your following the shear. I use pin stripe on every boat. It looks cool, is cheap , and lasts between varnish jobs

As far as graphite for color, I have not used it. I use epoxy pigments (black) all the time. You would have to use several thin coats to get complete color and you will probably have trouble with the color getting under the masking tape, leaving a fuzzy edge. Tape over varnish is much easier to apply and remove.

Good luck,

Larry C.