Grady bracket

bracket

Hi Mike,
I have a '92 Seafarer w/ a '97 Yami 250 SWS II. I have a pic posted on page 5 of the Seafarer gallery. Not the best pic but I will have more of the bracket posted by mid-week. :D
 
My '91 Gulfstream's bracket has some type of vinyl coating almost as if it was dipped. I cut open some blisters and cleaned the areas then applied several coats of white spray on truck bed liner. Two years no problems. If I had to start from scratch I would consider this type of coating inside and out. JOHN
 
BRACKET

Just finished prepping the bracket for another season- Pettit #3108 Off-White w/ Trilux 33 on the lower half.
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Looks new !

If you get any marine growth on the engine brackets, you can also use trilux there. I use the spray version, gets into the nooks and cranies. Just tape the rams. No primer, I took the shine off the Yamaha paint with scothbrite, that's it.
 
bracket

Nope! It's the single part epoxy/enamel (sp)?, comparable to the Interlux Brightside Topside epoxy/enamel. I recommend sanding w/ a finer grit sandpaper, (I did do Primercon last year) and doing multiple thin coats. It can have a tendency to sag if you go too heavy. I also recommend doing a "Roll & Tip" which I did last year. Roll it out in one direction and use a nice Badger brush and Tip out the knap in the opposite direction. Smooth!
 
bracket

Oh yeah, Thank you for the compliment! I must admit, I love doing the boat and bracket each year to try to outdo myself! I like seeing the fruits of my labor.
 
Re: bracket

plymouthgrady said:
I love doing the boat and bracket each year

This is an annual thing? Are you repainting the entire bracket or just hitting spots of it?
 
bracket

It's mostly touch-up after you do a good initial job. The sides have a tendency to get a little beat up as the season progresses. But I'll usually run the roller over the top to give it a nice shine for the season.
 
Powder Coating

Powder Coating LOOKS great, that's it! I recently had an aircraft motor mount reworked and was NOT given the option of Powder Coating. Here's why: The process forms a 'hard shell' finish that is thick and somewhat brittle. Vibration and stress loads will eventually cause a failure in the coating. When this happens (and it WILL), you may not see it because of the toughness of the coating. It may be a hairline crack that will allow moisture to infiltrate between the finish and the base metal. The corrosion process now eats away at the metal unnoticed due to the ability of the coating to stay intact and self supporting. In other words, it 'hides' the damage.
 
The powder coating on my bracket isn't that thick. It will scratch, but it doesn't "crack" ... :?
 
bracket

While I cannot vouche for powdercoating, the painting process I used gave me the desired results I was looking for, was relatively inexpensive (vs. some of the options proposed) and not overwhelming in time or effort!
My opinion is- you get out of it what you put into it, do it once, do it right.