This page is being re-written and the revised version will be available soon.
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Maintenance of Kawarty II
Here is a photo of Kawarty II on the left and another yacht (not to be named) on the right. The hull of Kawarty II is treated with epoxy (see below) and covered with marine plywood with a further coat of epoxy. You can see that the surface of the hull is solid and has incurred no damage (except for normal marine encrustation). Contrast this with the yacht on the right which has no epoxy and no marine plywood and has suffered serious damage.
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In the following photo, you can see the paint being stripped, showing the 'counter marine', dry and undamaged.
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Epoxy
Epoxy, or polyepoxide, is a thermosetting epoxide polymer that cures (polymerizes and crosslinks) when mixed with a catalyzing agent or "hardener". Most common epoxy resins are produced from a reaction between epichlorohydrin and bisphenol-A. Epoxies have to have a marine coating or varnish on outer surfaces because they are negatively affected by UV light. Epoxies are very expensive. On Kawarty III, epoxy is the third most expensive item on the yacht, after the engines and the timber.
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