Epoxycraft
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Epoxy Basics
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
  • Trade Secrets
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Aviation
    • Architecture
  • Meet The Maker
  • News
  • Contribute
  • Contact

How To: Osmosis treatment: how repairing and barrier coating with WEST SYSTEM epoxy will return your hull to almost new
30th April 2016

Osmosis treatment: how repairing and barrier coating with WEST SYSTEM epoxy will return your hull to almost new

By the time you notice blisters on the bottom of your hull, the process of osmosis is usually in an advanced stage, meaning you may be facing a large repair job. But fear not: by using the right products and techniques, you’ll save yourself time and hassle. Here, technical expert Richard Ross tells us about the osmosis treatment of Mirragio carried out by Reflex Yacht Painters at Monaco Marine in La Ciotat, France.

Whether it’s a big boat, like the 40m Mirragio, or a smaller one, the treatment for osmosis is much the same:

·         First, make sure your hull is completely dried out

·         Second, remove the blisters and repair the damage

·         Third, add protection to seal out the surface and prevent moisture from re-entering

Patching up the hull

After the hull of the Mirragio was dried out and the blisters removed, the damaged surface was patched up with WEST SYSTEM 105 Epoxy Resin® and WEST SYSTEM 205 Fast Hardener® with WEST SYSTEM 406 Colloidal Silica®. The repair work was carried out in a tented-off area in order to create a warm, controlled and sheltered working environment. For this reason, 205 Fast Hardener was the perfect curing agent as it’s designed for use in lower temperatures, without the need for heating.

WEST SYSTEM 205 Fast Hardener was the perfect curing agent as it’s designed for use in lower temperatures, without the need for heating.

MY Mirragio 3Once the repair work was completed, the hull was re-laminated with fibreglass and a mix of epoxy resin and hardener, with peel ply applied to create a lovely, textured and amine-free surface.

The barrier coat

The next job was to add barrier coats of 105 Epoxy Resin with 205 Fast Hardener and WEST SYSTEM 422 Barrier Coat Additive®. Using peel ply also means that no sanding is required before you add barrier coats, which is an important consideration. Sanding a laminated surface is time-consuming, messy and expensive, not to mention problematic, as you risk damaging the fibre of the fibreglass.

Mirragio 2nd visit (2)Applying a barrier coat is very important if you want to protect your hull from future damage because it helps to seal out moisture from the membrane. Once you’ve completed this task and the hull has been faired, you can apply antifouling paint. This will further protect against water penetration.

It may seem like a lot of effort, even for a smaller boat, but if you follow the right procedures and do a thorough job, then it will be that much longer before you need to carry out another repair on blisters – if at all.

Our thanks to Reflex Yacht Painters, who carried out this work in January 2014 and were supplied by West System International distributor, AGL Marine.

To find your local supplier of WEST SYSTEM and PRO-SET products, visit the WSI distributor page.

Read our article on fixing gelcoat blisters here.


Share on


Back to top-tips-best-ways-to-use-epoxy

Subscribe to our newsletter
Our unique epoxy knowledge and experience, delivered straight to you

Events

Future dates TBC

What is epoxy?

Epoxy Projects

UK Chandleries Open – January 2021

As England, Scotland and Wales enter another lockdown, you may have started work on those home projects. Whether it’s boat maintenance and repairs, a restoration or a brand new build,

Creating an Artisan Gold Ring with Canadian Maple and Epoxy

You may be surprised to learn that the UK is home to some of the finest gold around. Mark discovered this as a child when his father, Edward, would take

Heritage 9.9

Castagnola Launch Heritage 9.9

Castagnola Shipyard has launched the elegant, custom-made Heritage 9.9. Able to reach a cruising speed of 34 knots, the 10.91m custom-built luxury yacht is a fine example of what happens

Nick Zammeti Gets Creative with Epoxy and Liquorice Allsorts

What happens when you give Youtuber Nick Zammeti lots of epoxy and bags of Liquorice Allsorts? You get one incredibly funky table! Nick is well-known and loved in the industry

Meet the Maker – The Resin Reserve

Resin artist, alchemist, resin-gineer. Kate Ede of The Resin Reserve has always kept us in awe of her marvellous and beautiful creations. Inspired by patterns in nature, Kate is a

Split Film Festival Trophies

Creating the 2020 Split Film Festival Trophy

The Split Film Festival is one of the oldest film and video festivals in Croatia, showcasing new films and radical works of all styles, themes and genres. The festival celebrated

Hot Box

How to keep your epoxy warm in winter: build a hotbox

Winter is a challenging time for epoxy products. Warmth is needed to keep the resin fluid enough for dispensing pumps to work well and cold ambient temperature can greatly reduce

How to Work With Epoxy in Cold Weather

The frosty mornings and dark evenings are drawing near. There are projects that need finishing, but what do you do when epoxy and cold weather don’t get on too well.

Mas Snowboard

Snowboard Enthusiasts Taking On The World With Incredible Designs

To many a holidaymaker, Turkey is a haven of golden sand beaches, historic landmarks and party towns. However, it’s not just those looking to top up on their tan that

Class Xero Yacht

Class Xero Combines Coffee and Epoxy in Sustainable Yacht Design

Image credit: Alec Smith - https://www.imagemundi.com Craig Palmer, based in Worthing, is looking at opportunities to bring the marine industry together in a collaborative way. In the middle of building

Craobh Woodwork

Bringing a New Lease of Life to Reclaimed Scottish Timber

Tucked away in the highlands of Scotland is the small village of Culbokie, home to Craobh Woodwork and artisan Bruce Neill. Specialising in producing bespoke timber products from the highest

Final Bar Design

Cheers! Leeds Furniture Maker Creates a Bar Worth Celebrating

James McKay has been a creator since his early years. His fascination for creativity guided his interest into art, design and technology during his school years. James went on to

  • Home
  • Epoxy Basics
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Architecture
    • Aviation
  • Trade Secrets
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contribute
  • Contact
West System
Pro-Set
Entropy Resins
Subscribe to our newsletter
Copyright © 2021 Epoxycraft | Website by MAA