Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (or is the S for "system"?)
I used this as a primer on all of my brightwork last year, and now I have half the friggin club pestering me with questions about it. I'm trying to answer with "pure" information on the product, trying not to sound like the local CPES salesman, because really I only have one season's worth of experience with it and the very last thing I need is to be "the guy that sold us on that epoxy crap" if it all goes sour in a few years.
Have any of you guys used it with less-than-stellar results?
C.P.E.S.
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Tim
- Shipwright Extraordinaire
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You're the first person I've known who used this product, though I've read some stuff online, so for my (and other's) benefit, perhaps you could give us a rundown of your application and product-use experiences. It's too early to know anything about its longevity or long-term benefits, but I'd be interested to hear how it worked for you during application, and whether it seemed to live up to the manufacturer's bold and blustery claims.
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Figment
- Damned Because It's All Connected
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- Boat Name: Triton
- Boat Type: Grand Banks 42
- Location: L.I. Sound
Oh, I personally have nothing but great things to say about it, which is why I'm having trouble giving an unbiased/informational description when asked.
95% of the brightwork on Figment, interior and exterior, was stripped to bare wood and treated with CPES during the winter of 2003, followed by varnish. Also, every piece of wood I touched during the bulkhead replacement project was treated with CPES prior to installation.
In terms of application, I don't see how anything could be easier. Its viscosity is thinner than water, if that's possible, so mixing the two parts is like stirring kool-aid. The fumes are pretty harsh, but no worse than any other boat finishing product.
Just keep brushing it on until it the wood stops soaking it up. Different woods absorb different quantities. Endgrain, of course, sucks it up like a sponge, but that's the whole point.
I've found that a little bit goes a long way. On saturday I mixed an 8oz batch for brightwork priming on my father's boat, and that was more than enough for the 25sf +/- of teak on his coamings. After all of the above listed uses, and a few on friends' boats, I still have half of my 2-quart purchase left over.
Then just varnish varnish varnish to your heart's content.
Oh, by the way, I use System Three "clear spar urethane" varnish, which is completely epoxy-friendly. I can't say how well some more traditionally-formulated varnishes will react.
After a year's use, it appears to be living up to the manufacturer's claims. I only laid on 3 or 4 coats of varnish last year, so of course there were a number of spots where raw wood had been exposed by chafe or impact. Two hand-swipes with 150-grit sandpaper was all it took to remove the grayed surface of those exposed spots, so I offer that as evidence that the oxidation and rot were not allowed to migrate. The surrounding varnish was still perfectly well adhered, so I offer that as evidence that the moisture was not allowed to delaminate the finish.
yeah, I like it.
(edited to delete useless ranting)
95% of the brightwork on Figment, interior and exterior, was stripped to bare wood and treated with CPES during the winter of 2003, followed by varnish. Also, every piece of wood I touched during the bulkhead replacement project was treated with CPES prior to installation.
In terms of application, I don't see how anything could be easier. Its viscosity is thinner than water, if that's possible, so mixing the two parts is like stirring kool-aid. The fumes are pretty harsh, but no worse than any other boat finishing product.
Just keep brushing it on until it the wood stops soaking it up. Different woods absorb different quantities. Endgrain, of course, sucks it up like a sponge, but that's the whole point.
I've found that a little bit goes a long way. On saturday I mixed an 8oz batch for brightwork priming on my father's boat, and that was more than enough for the 25sf +/- of teak on his coamings. After all of the above listed uses, and a few on friends' boats, I still have half of my 2-quart purchase left over.
Then just varnish varnish varnish to your heart's content.
Oh, by the way, I use System Three "clear spar urethane" varnish, which is completely epoxy-friendly. I can't say how well some more traditionally-formulated varnishes will react.
After a year's use, it appears to be living up to the manufacturer's claims. I only laid on 3 or 4 coats of varnish last year, so of course there were a number of spots where raw wood had been exposed by chafe or impact. Two hand-swipes with 150-grit sandpaper was all it took to remove the grayed surface of those exposed spots, so I offer that as evidence that the oxidation and rot were not allowed to migrate. The surrounding varnish was still perfectly well adhered, so I offer that as evidence that the moisture was not allowed to delaminate the finish.
yeah, I like it.
(edited to delete useless ranting)