Bottom Paint

[DougSea]

So, what's on your bottom?

I'm gearing up to strip the caked on layers of bottom paint on my 28 and thought I'd see what you guys are running on your boats.

We can get a fairly heavy bit of growth on our boats here in Long Island Sound and, due to my work schedule, I'll rarely run the boat mid-week. So she'll be sitting and attracting all kinds of little sea b@st@rds to her bottom. I'm thinking of going with one of the high-performance albative's as opposed to a harder paint. The 28's just not that fast and keeping it free of growth is likely to contribute far more to my performance than a harder paint.

Also, if I strip it all off, do I need a barrier coat before I apply my new paint? And then there's the question of access, having always had a trailered boat I'm trying to figure out how to deal with a boat on blocks. I'm hoping to get down to the yard tomorrow to discuss all of this with the service manager - maybe a case of beer will get my boat put on jackstands instead of the blocks - easier access and I'm guessing, with a spare set, I could move them.

Anyway - your thoughts on these matters are appreciated.

(Oh, and John?

SPRING is HERE!!!!! )

[Denis]

Doug, I am having my bottom soda blasted in April. That will leave the gel coat intact. Then I will apply two coats of barrier coat and two coats of ablative paint. After that is done all I need to do is touch up where the paint has worn through.
A question for you, how long did it take for your prop guy to get your prop back to you? He has my prop now and is doing just what you had done. Denis

[Russell]

Doug: It is standard procedure for boat yards that allow do-it-yourself work to put the boat up on jackstands at a suitable height for painting and then to move the jacktands to allow you to paint the bare spots. Some will let you use their paint shaker too. Ablative is the way to go so you do not build up layer upon layer that eventually starts to peel away in pieces. If you do not have any blisters the barrier coat is not mandatory but if you are down to bare hull I would do it for the piece of mind at little extra cost. When they move the jackstands ask them to put a piece of cardboard on the pad so the fresh paint does not come off on the wooden pad. I just picked up some CPP Plus ablative at West Marine that has a $35 rebate going until the end of March.

[jcollins]

I am not in a area that has alot of growth. (brackish) I have always used the hard bottom paint. Since I like to wipe off the slime when we are anchored, hard paint is the way to go for me. My yard uses the Interlux products. I owned my last boat 13 years. I never had the bottom stripped.
In our yard you paint around the blocks. Then when the boat is in the sling you can touch-up.
Here's some information I found

There are a couple of basic types of antifouling paints. Note, each one has its pluses and minuses.


Ablative Antifouling Paint. This paint wears down - much like a bar of soap - as your boat moves through the water. As a result, fresh layers of biocide are constantly being exposed throughout the boating season. This type of paint works well in high marine growth areas and continues to work even with multiple haul-outs, just as long as any of the biocide remains. Because of the way it works, putting on 2 or 3 coats of paint initially is a good idea.

Another plus is that you can apply ablative paint over most other antifouling paints. The downside is that because these paints are relatively soft, you will be removing bottom paint with each brush stroke every time you scrub your bottom or waterline. Also, it wears away quickly on high drag areas such as rudders or other bottom appendages. Likewise, trailer rollers and bunks grind it off in a big hurry.


Hard Antifouling Paint. If you and your boat like to go "warp factor six with your hair on fire," then a hard antifouling paint would be a likely choice. This paint starts leaching out biocide upon contact with the water to prevent marine growth. However, after a period of time (say 6 months to a year), the paint starts to run out of "ammo" and becomes much less effective than it was when first applied.

In addition, hard antifouling paint will build up. Because the medium that holds the biocide does not wear off, it needs to be periodically, physically removed to prevent excessive paint build-up on the bottom. Some hard antifouling paints have Teflon® added to further reduce surface friction.



And yes, it's spring!

[chiefrcd]

Doug,
I've been using bottom paint on my boats since 1981, so I've used a lot of different types, from soft copper to hard and ablatives. I've used Teflon paints and self-polishing and after all this, I'm still looking for the "perfect paint". I have learned that every location is different. I'm in the central part of the Chesapeake Bay, on a pennsulia between two rivers. What works on in one creek won't necessarly be the best for the other creeks. What works on a sailboat might not be the best for a power boat. I would talk to the folks who are in your immediate area to find out what seems to work the best. Then I'd talk to someone who uses their boat about the same amount....these two factors seem to make a big difference. If your boat sits a lot you might need a different paint than if you take it out every weekend. I'm in a heavy growth area and I take my boat out two or three days a week. I now use Micron 66 and I am very happy with it. I'm not sure it's the "perfect paint" either but my bottom stays very clean all season. There are several very good websites by the paint manufactures that can give you some insite into their products. I used the Interlux site to gather information before I made my decision.

[Mariner]

We use ablative. I can't remember exactly which product, but I know it's Interlux. Traditional patern has been to have the boat hauled and painted once every two years, and a diver clean the bottom quarterly. For those of you that haul your boats in the winter, it would probably make more sense to simply paint it each spring and skip the diver, since you already have the hauling expense. Since our boat spends only about 24 hours out of the water once every 24 months, and a yard charges $1,000 for just that, the $100 the diver charges are relatively cheap. The diver will also check and replace zincs and inspect for blisters.

[DougSea]

A question for you, how long did it take for your prop guy to get your prop back to you? He has my prop now and is doing just what you had done. Denis

Hey Denis, sorry I took so long to get back to you. I remembered that you'd asked this question but couldn't remember which thread it was!

Chuck had my prop for 6 weeks or so but most of that time was waiting on me getting back to him with some firm thoughts on what I wanted to do. Once he was sure what he was doing it took a couple of days. So I don't know where you stand in his queue but once he's working on yours I'm pretty sure he just does it...

And to all who responded - many thanks! I know this sounded like a newbie question but my past experience (many years!) was always with a trailered boat where I could pull it and clean it if needed.

Based on schedules and budgets I think this year is going to see me just sanding down (fairing) the worst of the chipped off areas and then putting two coats of a premium ablative over that. The sodablaster will have to wait till next year.

[Pitou]

Oh the quest for the perfect bottom paint I don't think it really exists.
Some good tips posted earlier about checking with your dock mates.

I've been using the Interlux Micron Extra w/biolux ablative since 1999. Works great in my brackish river, but it sure has gotten expensive. At first $ 110 per gallon and now $ 225. I paint 1 coat every other year though 2 coats are recommended and it works great. When I bought my Albin the bottom was red and I changed out to black to give a baseline to see where it may be wearing faster and touch up on the 2nd year where any red may show through.

Went to West for bottom paint yesterday and the clerk suggested I buy the West product because they are made by Interlux and Petit, only in disguise as West Marine. Decided to check the net on the West description to discern which might be the Micron Extra w/ biolux. I hope one matches as the savings will be significant. Anyway I see a tyvek suit and rubber gloves in my near future.

[DougSea]

...

Went to West for bottom paint yesterday and the clerk suggested I buy the West product because they are made by Interlux and Petit, only in disguise as West Marine. Decided to check the net on the West description to discern which might be the Micron Extra w/ biolux. I hope one matches as the savings will be significant. Anyway I see a tyvek suit and rubber gloves in my near future.

I'll be interested to hear which West Marine paint is the Micron Extra - please post if you find out.

And (hint) try and see if you could make the rendezvous at BI - I'd love to check out that boat of yours...

(This goes for all of you Northerners!)

[AlMar]

I have to put my .02 in here. IF you have chosen, after your intense research, a hard ablative, I can recommend "Supershipbottom". I have been using it on several boats for about 8 years. We have a dock queen that has been sitting for four years in the lower chesapeake. For the heck of it, I went over to it a few weeks ago with my fairly soft deck brush, and scrubbed the sunny side. ALL of the growth still came off! I also used it on a Penn Yan I owned and got three years out of it, and one of those years had 300 hours. I used to put it on my Albin, but just for the heck of it, I used Pettit Unipoxy this last year, and noticed an extreme increase in speed. So, Your call on what to choose, but Supershipbottom IF you chose an ablative. About $125 delivered to your door. Good luck
AlMar

[Double Lucky]

Almar I appreciate your post about the bottom pain as I will be doing the Double Lucky's bottom in June. You referred to Pettit Unepoxy as I am not familiar with the bottom paint choices would you let me know if this is the Unepoxy Plus? thanks
Russ