Re: Gluvit for a Lone Star?
Originally posted by Commander McBraggg:<br />Im in the middle of a resto on an aluminum Lone Star pocket cruiser,
I love those old Aluminum hulls. I'm running a 1968 21' Cherokee at present, with a Chevy 4cyl. Mercruiser. <br /><br />When I did the overhaul/re-work on mine back in '94, I cleaned the Aluminum braces & skin under the floor real well, washed it down with the acid stuff called Alumi-prep the primer manufacturer recomends, then primed it with a 2-part epoxy Chromate primer, PPG's DP-40 *. <br /><br />*<br />the 2-part epoxys are waterproof. They are light weight, stick like 'poo-poo' on a baby blanket, and do a good job of resisting corrosion. <br /><br />Since you can't see it, I just brushed the primer on under the floor. All the styrofoam had waterlogged, and I figured the next bunch I put in would too after a few years, so I stuffed it with well rinsed & cleaned out plastic bottles. I used bottles containing soap, motor oil, soda-pop, and anti-freeze.. anything tough, and with a screw on cap. <br /><br />I ended up with plenty of flotation, and the space under the floor can semi-ventilate, Water won't collect and get stuck anywhere either. It might be my imagination, but I think all the bottles are lighter than the styrofoam too. (My Cherokee only sits about 3-4 inches deep in the water with 20 gallons of fuel & 2 car batteries, its light, planes out real fast, and with the 4cyl Chevy. it almost looks like it doesn't use any gas going 20-something to almost 30 knots.)<br /><br />I did the floor with 1/2 inch plywood instead of 3/4. I used the green pressure treated stuff- well dried out in the Texas sunshine, and re-sealed it with a bunch of Thompson's water treatment. I just flooded the Thomson's onto it after plywood was cut to shape. The floor is a little flexible which isn't a big deal, it shouldn't absorb water or rot though, but weighs about 150-200 pounds less than if I'd used 3/4. <br /><br />If it was me--<br />I'd be a little lery of putting anything on the project that adds weight and isn't really necessary. Glovit is pretty heavy for the coverage you get, and look at how well the area under the floor did without anything on it for all those years. <br /><br />Since mine is a trailer boat, I just sprayed the epoxy primer on the outside too, and put a premium automotive finish on the entire outside & inside of the hull. It's still looks great, just like the day I pulled the masking tape off it. <br /><br />If you are going to put a anti-fouling bottom paint below the water line:<br /><br />Hoist it up and put 2 good coats of Epoxy primer on first. If one molecule of the bottom paint touches the bare Aluminum, it will set up a di-electric cell and eat holes in the hull** when you put it in the water. <br /><br />**<br />I learned this from experiance. Even the humidity in the air will let the reaction start and chew on it pretty well after 3-4 years.<br /><br />Good luck,<br /><br />Ed.
