OSMOSIS
Facts and Information |
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| What is Osmosis? |
| Osmosis is a problem encountered by the majority
of boat owners and is caused by the degeneration of the GRP
hull over a period of time.
The hull of your boat is made out of Polyester Resin and
Glass Fibres. Once set this forms a tough and durable structure,
however if a fault has occurred this may allow water to
ingress into the laminate
Once the water has been soaked into the laminate, the gelcoat
will start to blister. The Gelcoat will start to break away
from the GRP it is meant to protect and will soak up any
water penetrating through the coating.
There are no hard and fast rules about when this may occur,
all depends on the quality of the Polyester Resin and Glass
Fibres used, how long your boat has been moored in the water
and the temperatures it has endured.
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| What to do if Osmosis Occurs? |
As listed above there are many reasons why
Osmosis occurs, if it happens to you there several practical
steps you can take to ensure your boat is properly repaired.
1. Seek advice from one of our Professional Boat Peelers/
Repairers.
2. After you have been visited by one of our specialists,
you will have to remove the Gel Coat from the surface
of the boat. We would recommend that the whole of the
boat hull be blasted rather than the effected area
3. Once sufficient surface preparation has been done,
you can either coat the boat yourself or if you wish,
we can arrange for a professional to come and do it for
you.
4. If the Osmosis Protection System has been applied by
one of our specialists we can offer a full warranty on
the work carried out.
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| Why should I use ThistleBond? |
| ThistleBond has been involved
in the Marine Industry for over 40 years, we have experience
in all types of applications and have acquired a reputation
for manufacturing high performance coatings, at an affordable
price.
We provide the boat owner with an easy step by step guide
to effecting repairs to his boat, if you have any queries
we have a 24hr technical helpline and are able to visit
you on site.
The advanced performance of our coatings means you do not
have to pay for expensive inside storage costs and high
electricity charges, as our products are carefully chosen
for outdoor use. If work is carried out by our professional
boat applicators we will offer a 3 year warranty on all
work.
Finally, we offer the complete range, from Primers to Polyurethane
finish, repair kits for Damaged GRP Hulls in or out of the
water. Whatever your problem ThistleBond
has the Solution. [ NB may need to remove next sentence....(To
see where ThistleBond has been used click on ThistleBond
Solutions In Action).]
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| The ThistleBond Four Step Guide |
| To ensure the correct repair has been made
to your boat, please follow the step by step guide below.
Before applying any of the ThistleBond Epoxy
Coatings the Hull of your boat needs to be properly prepared
by blasting the original coatings and removing it off the
surface of the GRP. (Where the process has not succeeded,
it is due to incomplete surface preparation or/ and insufficient
thickness of barrier epoxy)
1. Priming, Filling and Sanding - Using ThistleBond
Low Viscosity MP Primer, coat the bare GRP with our specially
developed Primer, once this has started to go tacky, start
to fill, using ThistleBond MGF Filler,
allow the filler to cure and then sand down appropriately.
Steps 2 and 3 must be completed within one day
2. Applying Protective coatings - First apply a thin coat
of ThistleBond Low Viscosity MP Primer,
allow to go tacky then proceed to first coat of ThistleBond
152 SFE. Coating thickness should be 150-200 microns. Apply
a further three coats of ThistleBond 152
SFE, using the minimum coating interval of about one hour.
3. Priming for Antifouling - after the previous coats have
been applied and the ThistleBond 152SFE
has become tack free, apply one coat of ThistleBond
MA3 Tie Coat. If the ThistleBond 152 SFE is at the correct
stage the ThistleBond MA3 Tie Coat should
apply without splitting or mixing with the ThistleBond
152 SFE.
4. Improving Surface Finish - After about 36-48 hours the
surface may need sanding to attain the required surface
finish. If it does sand a small area with a 60 grit disc
to see if the epoxy coating have cured sufficiently. If
yes, then sand through the ThistleBond
MA3 Tie Coat on the uneven areas, until you have a smooth
and even surface. Finally wipe away any dust and contaminants
with ThistleBond Universal Cleaner and
apply a new coating of ThistleBond MA3
Tie Coat.You are now ready to apply your Antifouling. |
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