I am wondering what clear coats you guys have tried and what kind of results you have had. Also, what system works best for you as far as sealing, primer, paint, clear etc.

I have used

Envirotex - Results were OK... looks great but doesn't like bluefish very much. Mixing equal parts is KEY as is allowing at least 4 days for full cure before they go for a swim. Works well as a seal coat on warmed wood.

Famowood Bar-top Epoxy - Jury is still out on this one as I have only just started using it. Very similar to Enviro, but it's thinner, which makes for less film build. In most cases with clear finishes and paints for that matter less film build is better, the film gets harder and is harder to "get under it" with a thumbnail or a bluefish tooth.

Duplicolor Aerosol Auto Clear Coat - This stuff sucks don't even bother.

Benjamin Moore M73 00 Acrylic Clear - Supposed to be the hardest water borne finish on the market... but it's not... so far it has stayed gummy after 7 days. Jury is still out on this one too.

I have not yet tried system 3 but that is next on the list along with some others. I have quite a few plugs from you guys that have sys 3 on them which I will put to the test this season. What else have you guys tried?

My system is warming blanks in the oven at 220 for 15 min, brushing enviro or famowood on in a thin coat, letting it dry. Sanding it smooth using 220 and 400 grit. Priming with 123 primer thinned and sprayed with airbrush. And then using a coat of opaque white createx as a base. Clear coat is still not secured.
-Dave

I use system 3 clearcoat epoxy now but I may go back to spraying on a 2 part automotive clear coat paint.

I think you need a 2 part epoxy primer to go over the plug if you seal it after it's warmed and coat it with epoxy. You would get better results I would think in the area of adhesion and compatibility. That kind of primer is not cheap but I need to buy some for the composite plywood/epoxy boat I am about to paint so I will be trying that method of sealing.

I have also tried using pigmants added to clear epoxy for solid 1 color plugs. Seems to work fine and eliminates the painting step. Now I need to test that out on fish.

Dave, did you seal the plugs with epoxy on the ones you are trying with that new BM clear?
I don't know if envirotex has any amine blush or not but here is an interesting thread from a boatbuilding site

http://forums.bateau2.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4706&highlight=

Bruce,

That is a possibility.... sounds like the same type of problem. I'll look into it thanks :).

-DAve

Bruce,

How dangerous and expensive is auto clear?? I haven't gone down that avenue yet.

-DAve