Dan Caouette bjuder på lite instruktiva bilder som visar hur han (och den lokale billackeraren) jobbar med avancerad ytbehandling och mönsterlackning. Kajaken är ett beställningsbygge, en Spray.
"First I sanded the entire exterior to 120 grit to accept the primer. I had tinted the outer fill coat black as a sanding guide.
I then masked off all areas to be finished bright (interior and carbon fiber parts). The masking alone took me about 90 minutes. I then sprayed two coats of urethane primer. The next day the masking was removed and everything was sanded to 400 grit for paint. It was then remasked and hauled to the body shop.
The primer was wiped down and two light coats of red were sprayed on the ends. It was feathered into the black areas.
The next day I applied the masks. The masks were laser cut at my local sign shop out of the same material used for vehicle wraps. They are a bit stretchy with low tack so they don’t lift the underlying surface. All four cost me about $36 (USD) but are one use only.
The masks only cover the details of the pattern. The rest had to be masked with tape and paper.
A few coats of black were then applied.
Later the same day we pulled the masks to reveal the pattern.
The entire exterior was then clear coated with urethane and rubbed out. Paul and his son, Nathan, are polishing the exterior. The yellow masking tape was applied to the coaming to protect the edge from the buffer.
We could have left it as-is with the wearing surface as the clear coat. Andrew wanted to toughen up the bottom with an additional coating. I brought it home, set it on some padded forms (external molds), leveled it and marked the waterline with a china marker (grease pencil). The strong back provided the reference plane for marking.
The water line, marked by the yellow grease pencil, was taped off. Andrew also wanted the stems protected so I masked off the ends, blending it into the bottom. The entire area to be painted was sanded with 120 grit paper (hand and power).
It was wiped down with alcohol and three coats of Wetlander were applied (rolled and tipped). https://airboatcoatings.com/ or https://bottomcoatings.com/
Wetlander is an epoxy-based paint with silicone throughout. It’s usually used on the bottoms of airboats and drift boats (used in the American bayous and swamps). It’s very tough, slippery, flexible, and abrasion resistant. It comes in a wide range of colors. I coated the entire hull of my Panthera with the Graphite color. The Spray was Black (dark as it gets). It’s waterborne for easy cleanup but being silicone-based, any paint tools it touches will become silicone contaminated. It can be sprayed but you’d never get it clean enough for other products. I rolled it on using disposable roller covers and pans. We thought about using a graphite/epoxy mixture but this material is easier to apply, smoother off the roller and will probably last longer. It’s very easy to reapply if/when needed.
It cures partially through evaporation and then chemically. You can apply three coats in about an hour with a dry, warm shop. I applied the paint and removed the masking about three hours later. It is ready to use the next day (best to wait about a week though).
While curing I did the final outfitting. Shipped it the next day."
Inspirationen hämtades från Oracle Team USA, trimaranen som vunnit två Americas Cup och nu satsar för ett tredje.
