Painting or sealing the top part of my transom, what should I use?

[hotrod53]

4 years ago when I replaced my transom, I glued the 2 layers with marine epoxy and then coated thevwhole package. The wood looked real nice and kinda like as if it was covered with urethane. After the first or second winter the coating started to crack or check. I think it's because snow can get in the splash well and lay against the wood all winter. The exposed wood under the splash well that is epoxy coated still looks new. As a stop gap, I used some interior/exterior KILZ primer to cover it and it is white. It looks like the primer doesn't like the epoxy coating and its flaking off. I'm trying to decide what to coat it with because it looks like the weather is starting to get to the surface of the first wood ply of the transom. I want to nip this in the bud, any suggestions?

 

[jbcurt00]

Epoxy isnt UV stable so it must be covered w paint or something, else it'll fail over time...

 

[Watermann]

Epoxy resin has to be covered up so the sun can't get to it. Remove the primer best you can by sanding and rough up the epoxy surface. Then coat the fragile epoxy with some spar urethane varnish to seal the cracks and once it's cured you should put paint on it.

 

[Woodonglass]

This is ALL great advice. I'd recommend Rustoleum Pro Oil based Paint High Gloss. The gloss is mush more durable. They make an Acrylic Enamel Hardener too that you can add that will increase durability as well. Follow the directions on the can. You can get it at Tractor Supply Inc. or Online. You might also want to consider attempting to fabricate some kind of an aluminum Cap out of some aluminum Channel. This would also protect the top of the transom for direct exposure to the UV rays of the sun and prolong the life of the transom.

 

[gm280]

Some great advice above without a doubt. However, you will have to prepare the surface if you want the covering to stay any length of time. So it is imperative to sand and rough up the present coating/surface so that whatever you chose will adhere to the new finish you will apply. I'm certainly partial to acrylic enamels with hardener myself because that is what I've used so much and know its capabilities. But other finishes will work as well...

 

[hotrod53]

Update.... I took the advice of using an oil based paint. I went to Lowes and the paint guru suggested Rustolium rusty metal primer. That was all well and good but it was iron oxide red. I opted for Rustolium clean metal primer because it is white. They told me that rusty primer was thicker, but in hind site I'm thrilled with the results so far. The color is right, it covered very well although I put on 2 coats, and it looks great. I did get everything prepped well, scraped everything that was loose, sanded, paint prep solvent, then paint. I hope that it holds up as well as I think that it will.