Jeff, That's correct. I worked with the sandblaster so that I knew exactly when the swing keel came out of the sandblasting building. I already had the paint mixed at home and everything waiting for me. We loaded up the keel and got it home in about 10 minutes. I blew it off and then immediately coated it with a coat of 2000 E epoxy barrier coat (per Interlux's instructions). After that, time was not an issue. I then used VC Watertight epoxy filler to fill and fair all the pits. Any time I exposed bare metal while fairing I coated it with 2000 E as soon as I was done fairing for the day so it would not rust. After all the filling and fairing was done I gave her 5 coats of 2000 E and then a light sanding through the first coat or two to smooth it out. So far we've made it through 2 seasons without a trace of rust except a spot where I "kissed" a rock going through some unexpectedly shallow water. That knocked about a fingernail size piece of filler off the leading edge of the swing keel and exposed some cast iron. It is showing some minor rust staining there but I'm going to let it go another season before hauling the boat with a crane again (I hope!) and touching that up. Danelle, Yes, I did use Peel-A-Way. I found it was very temperature dependant and did not work nearly as well when it was cool out. Was it better than sanding..probably, because there was no dust...but it was no picnic. Unfortunately, that lapstrake hull that we all love so dearly makes stripping the bottom and incredible amount of work. It's worth it in the end, though. Keep the faith!!! Sean M23 Dauntless _www.havasumontgomerys.piczo.com_ (http://www.havasumontgomerys.piczo.com)
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