# 13' Gheenoe Sport (bottom protection)



## chadsl13 (Jan 16, 2012)

Just bought a new-to-me '05 13' gheenoe sport off of Craigslist w/ 4 hp yammie + galvanized trailer. Like to think i got a decent deal..had about 3 hours on outfit..paid $1500.00. I'd post a pic but not sure how to attach. anyway, recently became obsessed with it and thoughts of fish and cold beer. I ll be fishing the very rocky Broad River in SC. Wanted to know if anyone had a perfect solution for bottom protection? I spoke a buddy who sprays liners (rhino/line x) and he discouraged using these products. Mentioned using a fiberglass epoxy and coat the bottom of the hull from West Products? Sliding it in and out (thats what she said) and drifting over rocks has the potential to really tear this boat up. Any suggestions/personal experiences? 1st post here. appreciate it,

tunakit


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Coat the bottom in an epoxy graphite mix! I did it for bottom protection on my boat when I was building it, and after running aground on several oyster bars I will never own another small boat without doing it!

Get some good, slow cure epoxy (4:1) and powdered graphite and mix it at a ratio of about 4 to 1, or 20-25% graphite. Run it through a paint strainer before rolling it on. Tape off your bottom very well cause this will make a mess and it hard to remove once cured. 

I applied mine before paint, here is a pic of when I was masking off to apply the topcoat.


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## chadsl13 (Jan 16, 2012)

thanks for the help... What product did you use ? i.e..mfr/product #? and what was the approximate cost? approximately how thick? i did a little research and West coatings said approx 9 mils. My goal is to protect the Gheenoe which is fiberglass from rock damage..most guys are using canoes around this river which are made of polyethelyene.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

The epoxy I got from FGCI because they are some what local to me, but the powdered graphite I got from http://boatbuildercentral.com

They sell epoxies also and pretty much anything you might need to build a boat. Really any epoxy will work since you aren't laminating cloth with it you don't have to worry about alot of the usual issues. 

I'm not sure what thickness I have, I ended up doing 2 good coats and it's holding up great, I litterally had to pry my boat off an oyster bed a few weeks ago, it scratched the bottom but didn't gouge it and didn't come close to making it through the coating. I think I used about 3/4 of a gallon total but my boat is much bigger then yours. A half gallon kit should do you well.


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## NoeWayJose (Dec 14, 2011)

Mr. Cat that look very good


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## charlie_m (Jul 12, 2010)

use some frog spit or slick bottom like they use on bottom of airboats it works great


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## chadsl13 (Jan 16, 2012)

this is the info that i have received about a West system..any additional thoughts/comments are appreciated:

I would recommend using WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy 105 system with 423 Graphite Powder to coat the bottom of your boat to increase scuff resistance and durability. Sand the gel coat with 80 grit to increase adhesion and apply 2-3 coats. Wait 2 hours between coats without any surface prep, when the surface becomes tacky like (masking tape) apply another coat. Roll a thin coat of epoxy with our 800 Roller Cover and tip off with a foam brush. Here is a video that will explain in more detail:

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/barrier-coating-2/


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