System 3 WS-LPU

[Southbound]

Has anyone used this product? Looking to refinish the topsides. I've sprayed many solvent based poly's and auto enamels, but don't have the facility to filter the air. The System 3 seems ideal if the durability is near some of the other LPU's like Interlux Perfection. Thanks for the insights!

-SB

[EddieS]

SB
I have used the system 3 LPU it is great stuff. I am a lousy painter and have been doing the "roll and tip" method- yea right! I now plan to buy a HVLP turbine set up. The sysyem 3 stuff is great for clean up (water), does not smell at all, reduces with water.
Once on, it is tough (hard as the hubs of hell), but sandable if you get to it soon enough. I've had it on the boat for about a year and it apears color fast.
Thanks
Ed

[Mark Johnson]

When we were approaching the painting stage of our Searunner34 project... (about '94 or'95), I sent for a test kit, and let a sample "painted piece of glassed ply" sit face up in a pasture for 6 mos. It started chalking, so we opted for the tried & true solvent based LP paints. This could have been an unfair test for System 3 however, because it was new, and the "kit" did not include the catalyst! They said that for testing purposes, it was not necessary... Go figure?

System 3 comes out flat to smigloss, which I actually prefer to the incredible shine of Sterling, or Awlgrip. In fact, on my previous boat project, I added flattening paste to my Awl Grip to lessen the shine. The thing is, this shortens the lifespan of the paint, so we went with full gloss this last time. (first Sterling & then Awl Grip)

The System 3 may or may not have a UV problem? As I said, my UV test was moot. I can however offer these observations: (we did get a Qt kit with catylist, to do some areas)
If you want it glossy, clearcoat it. We did not.
I had no sucess trying to roller tip the stuff and getting decent results. (just like the other LP paints) It is a skill I just don't have. So I always spray, except touch-ups or inconspicuous areas...
As previously mentioned, Systenm 3 LP is in fact hard as a rock! (WAY harder than the others) Also... for painting in areas like wet anchor lockers, or in our case the cockpit subfloor, it holds up long term to constant moisture, even trapped against it under a fuel can! This is not true of Sterling or Awl Grip, which would definetly "bubble up" under these conditions. So, I would definetly recomend it, at least for such areas... About the whole boat, more testimonials are a smart move. We expect 10 years out of our Awlgrip, with the last 5 being mostly flat & getting dirty easily. (Attached is first Sterling job)
Good luck, Mark

[Southbound]

Thanks Gents!

Mark, I wonder if the chalking occurred because of the lack of the "cross-linker". System 3's literature indicates that the film is much tougher and more UV resistant with the cross-linker.

I think I may go with it. You can smell the other LPU's for miles! I think the neighbors may not react favorably unless I were to set up multi-stage filters.

One other question: Can you tint the stuff? The standard 12 colors don't meet with the Admiral's approval.

Thanks-
SB

[EddieS]

SB
I think that would be factory question. Fortunately the stock colors worked for me.
Ed

[Mark Johnson]

TWEEKING THE COLORS? That should not be a problem. If you mix one well mixed base with another to get your new color, mix these two well, and then add the catylist in the proper base to catylist (converter) ratio, then the chemical reaction is exactly the same. It doesn't care what color it now is, only the proper base / catylist ratio. I've done this sucessfully to Sterling. I do however agree that System 3 should make the call. Mark

[PAR]

I'll assume you are referring to WR-LPU from System Three, their water born polyurethane. It has good and bad points like all paints.

The first is it's very difficult to spray it. It dries so quickly that most HVLP guns will be spraying paint dust, not liquid. I've tried coiling the hose in an ice water bucket and both types of compressors, but never had satisfactory results. It does roll and tip nicely, with excellent self leveling properties.

Depending on the color and the amount of activator used, you'll get a dull gloss finish. This can be greatly enhanced with a quick buff once it's fully dry. If you want more gloss, then clear coat and buff. Dings, scratches and nicks can also be repaired this way as well, which is a handy feature. It's gloss retention isn't quite as good as solvent based LPU's but it's close once buffed.

The durability of this paint is almost as good as solvent based LPU. In fact the comment "almost as good as solvent based LPU" is a reoccurring theme and the best way to describe WR-LPU.

A word of warning about this paint, it doesn't like certain types of "open coat" sand papers. The types that use an animal fat like protein will cause bond issues. The way around this is to wash the surface before painting or use wet/dry papers as the last sanding before top coat. A tack rag will not get it, a solvent wipe is a really bad idea, so wet sand or wash the whole surface.

I think this is a great paint for the back yard type, but most pros will stick with their solvent based color systems. It cleans up well, but I can get solvent base paint at about the same price with better results.

[toodleoo]

I can echo what PAR has to say. Forget about spraying evn though the website says otherwise. I have pictures of 2' x 4' sheets of it peeling off my hull. There were also problems with cure - 2 weeks after being sprayed you could take a solvent soaked rag and it would dissolve on it. Customer service was terrible, the distributor would not even come out and look at it to diagnose what was going on. After 3 months of calling, I finally got the head chemist to admit that nobody had been successfull spraying it on. This ended up costing me about $8K. Ended up going with marine Imron. I don't even want to talk about the total bill. Supposedly it does roll and tip well. I personnally will not buy any System 3 product again.

[jnye]

Searching for guidance and came across this. Wondering if anyone has any updates? Did a quick search of the Forum but didn't find anything specifically covering System-3 WR-LPU.

Noted the the issues with spraying. The company now says in its application guide "Conventional cup guns and HVLP paint sprayers are not recommended for spraying WR-LPU. Best results are achieved using pressure pot or airless spray setups."

From my perspective I like that it's water based and is supposedly repairable.

[Allied39]

First up I have to say I love system three products, have used hundreds of gallons of their epoxy over the years. great stuff.

That being said I painted my boat with their paint, lasted a couple of years. Very disappointed with the longevity of the product. Lasted 2 years looking good then went down hill fast.

That was a good time back though, maybe 16 years back, so maybe the product is much improved now.

I painted the boat with awlgrip after the failed system three paint and would never use anything but awlgrip again.

Just my experience. Not going to argue about anything with anybody.