WEST SYSTEMS GraphiteFiller

[kurvtun]

Has anyone ever used the west systems graphite filler on the racing surface of your boats???? if so did you notice any difference?

[HydroKyle93R]

Yeah, it never hurts! and it sands way nicer than west alone.

[crfabbro2F]

Get accurate performance numbers before you do the graphite and then
give us a report on the results after!

[johnsonm50]

Has anyone ever used the west systems graphite filler on the racing surface of your boats???? if so did you notice any difference?

I got a small speed increase after using it on my Airborn but cant say for sure if that was why. I just re-did it, 2nd time. This time I put alot more graphite in the last coats & the sanding was very black. Ill run it soon & see but not counting on much, the low 50's is what it normally does.

[Bill Huson]

graphite - just for looks . . .

Yep, looks cool, but I doubt you will any *measurable* increase in speed. I use it on bearing surfaces, like kick up rudders on my daughter's catamaran. Good for that. And yes I have coated hydro bottoms - last couple feet - and last foot or so of sponsen bottoms with graphite. Looked uber-cool but I should have spent the time learning to drive

[johnsonm50]

I got a small speed increase after using it on my Airborn but cant say for sure if that was why. I just re-did it, 2nd time. This time I put alot more graphite in the last coats & the sanding was very black. Ill run it soon & see but not counting on much, the low 50's is what it normally does.

I test ran my Airborn the other day with the new speed coat. My initial reason fo re-doing was finding the bottom not to be as flat as it used to be. I blocked it down as much as I could w/o cutting into the wood, added a few coats of West & blocked it the rest & then coated the last 4' with graphite.
While doing this I sharpened the chine & aft edges. Its been sanded side to side with 320 grit to expose the graphite.
It normally would reach 51 to 53 mph before & then was hanging back to 48-49. After 1 run its back up to 51.3 so far on a very conservative depth & tilt. So to estimate the difference at about 7 or 8% & figuring the re-flattening helped too Id think I the speed coat represents 2 or 3% at best.
Comparing a '50's utility to a modern runabout or hydro at 10 to 15 mph's more I wouldn't think represents potential gain. If ya gotta coat it anyway... but I don't know that its worth fix-n what aint broke.