A question on bottom paint-

[Matt Gurnsey]

Hi guys-

I was talking with someone the other day, and it got me to thinking- always a dangerous thing.

In selling used boats, we have found that bottom paint on trailered boats can be a turn off to potential buyers. This is especially true with runabouts and sport boats.

What I don't know, is how it would affect resale on a C-Dory. So I'm asking all of you.

Would bottom paint on a used C-Dory affect your purchasing decision? Would bottom paint on a new "demo" boat affect the decision on it?

I now sit back to bask in your knowledge.

[lloyds]

I know it is a big deal to some but I wouldn't let it bother me at all. The Boston Whaler site looks upon bottom paint as kind of a negative thing, and so do a couple other sites but I just don't see it. If I bought a boat with bottom paint but didn't plan on leaving it in the water for longer periods it would force me to probably do something about keeping the bottom looking normal and neat. Probably just recoat it with more of the same.

[matt_unique]

Hi Matt,
Yours is a name I can easily remember (ha).

In my opinion, if a prospective buyer was looking to cruise in salt water, the bottom paint would in fact be a bonus and would indicate proper care as a demo. (Assuming the paint job was done properly).

For a prospective buyer looking to cruise in fresh water, the bottom paint would probably have a negative affect.

If you plan to use the boat as a demo in salt water, I suggest you remove it from the water after each demo (if your facilities makes this easy) or paint the bottom. The larger the vessel the more likely it will be used in salt water unless of course you are near the Great Lakes or something.

[Captains Cat]

I concur with the others. My TC255 has bottom paint and I keep it on a lift now. The previous owner did not so he needed it. I'll probably paint it once more with a hard, good looking paint and forget about it.

Charlie

[thermopile]

Wow, I've learned a lot from reading these responses! Learn something new every day...

For me, I've only ever been on boats with bottom paint, so when looking for a C-Dory, bottom paint is a big plus. I had assumed every boat had bottom paint. This applies to racing sailboats, power boats ... most big boats, I guess, because they're always sitting in the water.

So I guess it depends where you're coming from. If the buyer is a "big boater" looking to fit (nicely!) into a C-Dory, then he/she is probably looking for bottom paint. If the buyer is coming from the trailered boat area, then bottom paint could be a detractor.

[thataway]

It would also depend on how the paint was applied--was an epoxy barrier coat put down first? This is true especially if the boat will remain in the water. If no epoxy barrier--then I would consider bottom paint a real negative.

Both of my used C Dories (22 and 25) had bottom paint. The 25 has epoxy--I don't think that the 22 did (?). But since I was keeping the boats on a trailer, it made no difference. If I was going to keep the boat in the water full time, I would want the epoxy barrier.

[JamesTXSD]

Just an opinion, unsubstantiated with any real data... seems that C-Dory folks use their boats more than most. It may be the cabin not only allows but encourages extended boating. With that in mind, I would think bottom paint would be a welcome addition to these boats. Since the boats are trailerable, a good bottom paint choice would be one like Micron CSC Extra, that stays effective even when pulled out of the water. Bring a boat to the warm waters in the Gulf and you can see critters attaching in 10 days. We ran Wild Blue without bottom paint in the PNW for 6 weeks when we first picked her up, and the bottom stayed clean. Where the boat will be used is likely a determining factor, too.

I guess I don't see the downside of bottom paint. For those who might say that it affects speed, we had a trimaran that we raced; had bottom paint sprayed and faired, and it was smoooooooth.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[Doryman]

To me, bottom paint indicates a "serious" boat and not a toy. A definite plus.

Warren

[hardee]

Hi Matt,

For me, bottom paint was not an issue when we purchased, (a 1 year old used boat), that we intended to keep on the trailer, and knew we would not have it in the water for more than a week or two at most at a time and that would be here in the PNW. Years down the road, thinking of spending more time on the water and maybe in warmer climates, I have considered getting the bottom done if that need were to arise. For me it would not be a negative to have it on if it was a good paint and job, but I was not just looking for a boat with the bottom already done.

BTW, thanks for the invite card. Hope we can make that.

Harvey
SleepyC

[Bill3558]

It all depends on the boats mission.

If you put the boat in the water for every trip than bottom paint wouldnt mattter.
I keep my boat in the water most of the time so I had to apply 4 ( or was it 5) coats of barrier before applying 4 coats of HydraCoat ( 2 blue, 2 black) bottom paint. When the water temp gets up around 80 in August and September it doesnt matter what type of paint you have, you WILL have barnacle growth and you will have to pay a diver to clean the bottom or pull the boat as I do and scrape them off. I have not found a paint yet that will work in my part of the world when the water gets warm. No one at my marina has.

[Bill3558]

I should have added that HydroCoat is a water based bottom paint which makes it alot easier to deal with and is easier on the environment. It seems to work as good or better than other more toxic bottom paints I have used in the past.

I have a dead patch in my yard where years ago I scraped bottom paint off a sailboat. Its been 8 years, and nothing will grow there to this day. And I wonder what it did to me breathing the dust.

[JamesTXSD]

I have bottom painted several boats... and iT DiDDDDDN't afekt me nun.


What was the question?

[hardee]

JimB, The question from Matt was:

[Sea Wolf]

Actually, I think there is a bottom paint that will stop barnacles and most everything else in warm water.

It's called tri-butyl-tin. (The name of the active chemical ingredient.)

But it's illegal except for commercial and military vessels because of it's toxicity to all organisms in the aquatic environment.

Bought some from Sears years ago when it was still legal for recreational boats, and it lasted for years!

But the tin kills everything, so it's illegal now, except for those vessels mentioned above.

For a while, I think it was still allowed on outdrives for recreational boats.

Joe.

[Matt Gurnsey]

Thanks for the replies guys.

We have been toying with the idea of keeping a 22C in the water for demos, but it would need to be bottom painted. We'll see what we decide.