The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

334 Later Production Steps
Figure 26-28 A clean, well finished interior built with WEST
SYSTEM epoxy.
When the interior preparation is completed, you will
have the major job of cleaning up in preparation for the
final finish coating. Begin this task by vacuuming all
excess dust, dirt, and debris out of the interior. We use
a small portable shop vacuum with standard attachments.
Next, wipe down the entire interior, using soft,
absorbent rags with a large pail of clean, warm water,
rinsing the rag as you go. Make several trips around the
interior surfaces, changing the water several times
during the process. When the entire surface is as clean
as possible, let it dry and then wipe it with solvent and
plain white paper towels to remove any latent dust or
contaminants which might remain on the surface. <strong>The</strong>
final step is to wipe all surfaces with a tack rag.
Painting and Varnishing Interiors
<strong>The</strong> interiors of boats are much more difficult to
varnish or paint than are the exteriors. <strong>The</strong> reason is
very simple. <strong>The</strong>re are many protruding items such as
bulkheads, beams, and frames that you must paint
around as well as furniture that may need coating in
difficult areas and on several surfaces. Complicating the
process are items which should not be painted, such as
windows, prefinished countertops, and various
hardware items. If you are an experienced and accurate
painter, you can avoid these items. If not, we recommend
that you cover and tape off these surfaces so that
you do not inadvertently slop paint on them. (Note:
From here on, we use the words “painting” and
“varnishing” interchangeably.)
Generally, we break up the painting job into two or
more stages because the average interior requires more
hours to paint than one or even two persons can expect
to do at one time. For a 30' (9m) boat, it is not unreasonable
to plan for 20 hours of interior painting—too
much for even two people in one work session. Usually
there are natural break points within the interior where
you can start and finish a job without causing any
unsightly overlaps. You can successfully paint the floor
area, certain items of interior furniture, and the ceiling
apart from the rest of the interior. Mentally surveying
the job beforehand and trying to identify the amount of
work you can do at one time is important. If you get
tired from painting too long, the quality of your work
will go down and all of the many hours of surface
preparation will not pay off as they should. At all times
during the painting, you will want to make yourself as
comfortable as possible. This means proper ventilation,
a reasonably cool temperature, and good lighting.
We assume that you have designed a good lighting
system to perform other interior work, but be aware
that final painting requires “super” lighting to prevent
missing areas and also to gauge the amount of coating
you are applying in a given area. Too little coating
material will cause dry spots that will not have as much
gloss as the rest of the coating. Too much coating will
develop runs. You need to check your coating application
continually, and this demands enough light. One
answer is the use of a portable lamp in conjunction
with the general lighting system. You can carry the lamp
with you to shine on the work immediately at hand.
We use high-gloss varnishes and paints for interiors
mainly because they reflect light and make it easier to
light these areas. As we mentioned earlier, glossy finish
paints show more defects than semi-gloss or dull
paints. Dull paints have their own disadvantages: they
are usually porous and difficult to clean, and they
always seem to be unsightly. Glossy paints, by contrast,
are easy to clean and, if protected from sunlight, will
keep their gloss for many years and rarely need
repainting. Because naturally finished interiors are
generally protected from the sun, a high-quality spar
varnish with an ultraviolet filter is unnecessary. Instead,