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All 2 part epoxy products will go chalky - hence why a nice new gloss black will go 'grey'. An ultra high pressure wash (so a washer more powerful than conventional pressure washers) will likely restore the black finish, but not the gloss effect. I use interzone 954. It's not cheap, but it was developed for use on oil rigs and offshore platforms, so it's pretty durable and is supposed to be good for 15 years (although I can't vouch for this claim). As per previous posts, the key to applying any epoxy is to follow to the letter the manufacturers preparation requirements, otherwise it simply will not bond.

Try trinity marine they have foot long brass handles for a tenner - which would probably do the job for a rail. Will probably have a light as well

Thanks all. It's definitely a 6L3B - so will do a bit more digging. Who knows - maybe there is a market in salvaging old fishing vessels!

Hi. I've a Gardner 6L3B and gearbox in a barge I've been renovating. I'm looking to sell the barge but I'm told that the engine is quite a rare variant and that it might be worth getting it independently valued and perhaps sell separately. Does anybody have any suggestions about how to get a valuation? There are some pictures of the engine on my website www.noatun.co.uk/for-sale. Thanks

I've had 954 applied to one barge and about to be applied to another. Cost of paint was about £2k for 250 litres. That was enough for a 130 by 18ft barge, and approximately 8ft hull depth.

There are a couple of different ways of doing a wet/slurry blast. The most common is where a wet head is attached to the end of the blast hose and the media is dampened down as it passes through the water. It's fairly good at keeping down dust, but you will still have dust and because the velocity of the media is reduced as it passes through the water you may end up using more media. The other way is through proprietary systems which mix water and media before reaching the nozzle and virtually eliminate dust - which is what I think you're describing. £800 is a good price for this sort of system. In my experience, £700 per day for a dry blast or wet head approach (not including clean up or media disposal) is the 'going' rate

Just to add to your confusion, not sure why an etch primer is needed if metal is being grit blasted - if this doesn't provide a good key for standard primer/final coat, not sure what will! Interzone 954 will go on direct to blasted steel (no need for any primer - just a wash down). Disadvantages are that it only comes in gloss black (I think) and is expensive - but may be cheaper than two different paints and labour costs. Should also last much longer than many other paints - designed for oil rigs!

If the black is a 2 part epoxy, you may have problems applying another 2 part. The yard where I'm currently based won't use white 2 part for draft marks on top of 2 part. They use standard jotun white epoxy (not 2 part). If there is a shipyard around you, it might be worth asking what they use and whether they'd share a cupful with you for a couple of pounds

It's original equipment - not a bodge. The set up is based upon keeping water out of the stern tube - so seals at both ends and grease pumped in to the gap between the stern tube and the propshaft to prevent any possibility of water ingress - the logic being that there can't then be any corrosion of the propshaft.

Thanks for the details - will certainly follow up. It's the outer stern seal. The inner seal is standard packing. The outer seal has a metal running face set within the rubber seal which sits up against a brass plate. Wartsila is the supplier which I went to - they bought out the original manufacturer. The wide beam is a 130ft by 18ft, so replacing other parts of the system is fairly costly.

Will try and post a picture. Unfortunately, because vessel has been laid up for a number of years, insurance was conditional upon shafts being pulled, serviced etc, so don't think i'll get away with putting the old seal back in with plenty of grease - have given it serious consideration though!

Unfortunately, the £1500 is the least costly option. Have explored more substantial changes to a new system, but works out to be more costly - so, between a rock and a hard place unless I can find a seal sitting on a stock room shelf - unlikely I know, but worth a shot

Thanks for the responses. £1500 - and that's after a £200 reduction!

Really depends upon the product and its thermal rating. Spray foam is generally the same core material as sheet insulation like Kingspan etc, but you shouldn't end up with any gaps/cold spots. General reason for 25-30mm on spray foam is because that's about the maximum thickness in one application. I've used armaflex (used on heating and cooling systems). It's thermal values are quite a bit better than other products mentioned, but you have to do a lot of work to glue it to the hull. It's a soft 'foam' so moulds to all shapes, so good if space is an issue

Interzone 954 one coat epoxy - will go on damp surfaces. Expensive, but good. Originally designed for use on oil rigs etc - but only comes in black (I think)