Often the coating of our ships becomes damaged. Sometimes due to the revages of time when rust is growing below the painting, sometimes fenders had been at the wrong position when landing. These small "Remples" do often remove so much from the boat's coating, that a simple paint over would leave ugly scars on the  surface. In addition, steel boats have to be protected by applying a primer at first. The usual procedure of the repair consists of the following steps:

• sanding
• priming
• filling
• grinding
• painting

The entire repair process often requires a time of several days. We recommend the following procedure to accelerate the process by combining the step 2 "priming" with 3 "filling". The method proposed by us requires only some minimal grinding before the finish painting.

Epoxy primer

That what is suitable for the underwater hull, will also provide excellent protection against rust above the water surface. A two-component primer, a so-called epoxyd resin, combines the properties of filler and primer. There are several products available on the market. Our recommendation is a product of "Hempel" called "High Protect". This primer is available as combo pack for about € 50.00 containing 750 ml. Since this material contains no solvents, it is able to cure while being sealed. This particular feature allows the application as "filling material", which is also suitable to close larger cavities or even holes.



The prefect blend

The right mixing of smaller quantities of two-component products is not easy. A mixing with a spoon and a letter scale will sometimes lead to an unclean splashing. It often consumes much more of the expensive material than actually needed. Therefore our recommendation: Buy at the next pharmacy a set of syringes for some few Euros. Larger ones with 6 ml and smaller ones with 4.5 ml. We recommend that you should mention during your pharmacy visit the type work you're planning - so you will not be mistaken for a junkie.


Draw with the small syringe exactly 3 ml of the white component and with the large 4.5 ml of the black component. Thus you receive a smart "repair kit" with a total volume of 7.5 ml. That will be enough for several smaller repair tasks with a size of the following example.


If  you close  each syringe with a standard cap you can prepare several pairs for later application. These syringes are very dense and can be stored for a quite long time.

An Example

After this preface now an illustrating example.


At the bottom tube of the railing a hard touch removed all paint down to the steel ground. Since the paint layer has a tickness up to one millimeter, a simple paint-over will cause an ugly filling scar. Instead remove all loosened layers of paint down to the ground. Use a knife or a screwdriver for that. If necessary, you can also help a little with some sanding paper.


Stir a small amount of the primer by using one "repair kit". An empty well-washed peanut-can is perfectly suited for this. Stir until the color of the mixture shows a steady light gray.


Using a small brush, apply carefully a small amount of the primer. Make sure that also the contours of the defect are covered well.


I necessary add one more "dab". Just enough that the entire volume of the defect will be filled. And now - here comes the trick ...


... stuck on a small piece of "Scotch Tape". Work from the bottom up. If necessary enter some more "dab" below the tape to fill the cavity completely.


Avoid air bubbles and press the tape down firmly. Don't worry if the primer extends a bit beyond the  defect's contour. Through our "tape-trick" this will produce not more than a very thin layer.


After waiting for 24 hours, pull off the tape. The cavity is filled perfectly. You can do some fine grindung before final painting. Thereafter your "Remple" will have undetectable vanished.