Bottom paint and or epoxy

[rickmck]

I am the 3rd owner of this 28' fly bridge model and just had the bottom sand blasted before putting to bed for winter. Bottom looks good but wondering if I really need to epoxy before painting. Was advised to find out what the composition of the hull was to determine the absorbency of material to see if epoxy is required. 1992 model year and has only been in fresh water. Any answers??

[Ramsport47]

That boat is made with a solid fiberglass bottom. However, water can seep in through the gelcoat, especially now that it's been sand blasted, and create blisters of osmosis which can grow rapidly to be quite large. I would recommend using a barrier coat, following directions on the container, and then applying the bottom paint. The bottom may look good now, but after the sand blasting has damaged the gelcoat, it won't for too much longer, and being in fresh water is of no help.

[waybomb]

Times 2 on barrier, especially now that the bottom is clean. That's half the cost of the job. Would be a waste to simply bottomcoat it now.