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Petitt EZ-Poxy vs Rustoleum Topside, Take II

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(Also including test panels with Rustoleum enamel spray and Rustoleum brush enamel)

P7210048 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

The four Royalex paint test panels have been curing for a week plus. All four are well coated, sprayed or brushed the equivalent of 3 or 4 coats of paint. Time to abuse those paint coats.

First up, from something a friend recently noted with some disgust after painting a canoe, simply scraping them against the corner of a sawhorse 2x4. I gouged the test panels along a not-sharp corner of a 2x4 with considerable force.

Surprisingly the Rustoleum Topside fared the worst, scraping through to the underlying vinyl color. I had high hopes for that $15 a quart Rustoleum Topside, and that was a huge disappointment. The other three just had scuff marks. Maybe that Rustoleum Topside needs weeks to fully cure. FWIW none of the paint coats were thinned.

Next up, a little church key gouging action. Both of the canned Rustoleums, enamel and topside, fared the worst, scratching through to the vinyl with but moderate pressure, and leaving curly cues of peeled paint. The Rustoleum spray was a surprise; no curly cues and little vinyl showing. The EZ-Poxy was the definite winner in the church key test, I had to put a lot more pressure on the church key to remove any curly cues of paint.

P7210049 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Next up, a little burr bit grinding. Absolute fail for the Rustoleum enamel and Rustoleum spray. The Rustoleum Topside did a little better and, again, the EZ-Poxy came through nearly unscathed until I really bore down with the burr bit.

P7210051 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

One more abrasion test, RO sander with 60 grit, perhaps best approximating accumulated abrasion and not sharp rock scraping. All three of the Rustoleums quickly failed, the spray paint most almost instantly. The EZ-Poxy took more time and effort to sand through, and I had to hit it again with more pressure in order to sand through.

P7210053 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

One last test, which will likely take years. The panels are now outside where they can bask in the weather and UV exposure. I know from experience that Rustoleum spray paint loses all gloss and goes chalky in outside storage, we’ll see about the others.

P7210055 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I don’t use the top of that canoe rack anymore, but I may screw a couple scraps of 2x4 on and present the test panels held horizontally; the worst gloss fade and chalkieness has always been on the exposed, horizontal hull bottoms, not the sides.

I’ll let you know in a year or two. Or longer; the varnish/urethane/epoxy/oil finish test took almost 5 years to complete.

https://myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=40923

I love silly shop experiments.

Without the UV exposure age test results I’m thinking the Pettit EZ-Poxy is worth the extra cost. Something like a 2-part Inter-lux paint might be better still (and pricier), but one-can, three-coat, no-mix EZ-Poxy seems like a good hull paint solution.
 
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I guess the Canadian version of Rustoleum is tougher, mine is still vibrant and strong after a few years.

In all fairness it was the Rustoleum spray that lost all gloss and went chalky, and not even multiple coats of that. I am increasingly not a fan of spray paint in boatwork.

The brush Rustoleum enamel and topside paints may do better, especially with multiple coats on the test panels. But I won’t know for a couple years of weather and UV exposure.
 
Another paint test panel

EZ-Poxy black and EZ-Poxy white, both with 3021 Performance enhancer, now joining the other test panels in outside exposure.

To be comparatively fair I again performed the scratch and scuff test the day after the paint was laid, despite now knowing that it takes a few days for the paint to fully cure.

P6040008 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Totally subjective, but it seems as though the 3021 Performance Enhancer did make a toughness difference.

EZ-Poxy 3021 Performance Enhancer

https://www.pettitpaint.com/products...ance-enhancer/

Up that test panel goes alongside the others.

P6040009 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I mentioned this elsewhere, but, after now 11 months of outside exposure the Rustoleum spray has lost all gloss and the Rustoleum brush enamel is not far behind. Both topside paints, Rustoleum and EZ-Poxy are faring better, and the (unenhanced) EZ-Poxy has the edge there.

Final results in 3 to 5 years.
 
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