Bottom Paint Dilemma

Sea Wolf · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:05 am Post subject:

Ed-

Sorry about the confusion on deployment intentions! Joe.

Byrdman · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:45 am Post subject:

I had rather spend my time boating rather than scrubbing after boating and having flashbacks to childhood days when we did not use bottom paints. West Marine and other boating supply books have a good read on bottom paints too. Paint it. Go enjoy it, repaint it about every 3rd year with much less time/work/energy than the 1st original sand down/prep work. Get that 1st bottom painting prep done right...or suffer later.

ken 120 · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:04 am Post subject: Bottom Paint

I keep my 22 in the water from April to November and pull it out to Trailer it for a couple trips. I have had the best luck with a muti season Ablative Paint. Not much sanding or prep is required in the spring for re-painting if you power wash in the fall. Plus with ablative paint you do not have the built up of paint as you can with the harder paints.

Last year I used PCA Multi-season Paint with Irgarol with a West Marine Label - I had good luck with it and bought a gallon yesterday for $69.77.

This ablative paint is will not lose it's effectiveness if kept out of water.

Hope this was helpful

Ken

Pete in NY · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:30 am Post subject:

Beware of sanding your new gelcoated bottom before applying anti-fouling paint. Clean with wax remover, yes, but don't sand. The paint manufacturer's make a special no sanding primer. I was told by my C-Dory dealer that many boat manufacturer's will void their anti blister warranty if you sand the gel coat before applying bottom paint. The sanding can increase the possibility of blisters down the road. My boat was prepped this way and the bottom paint has not peeled or chipped. I keep the boat in the water all the time and only haul for maintenance. The biggest problem is slime that slows the boat down. I just repainted with three coats of Micron Extra on top of two coats of Petit Unepoxy. The Unepoxy scrubbed easily and prevented heavy fouling with barnacles or grass but would slime up over 6-weeks in summer. I have the Micron on my Whaler and it never slimes up. I hope to get better results this season with the Micron on my CD25

Sea Wolf · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:55 am Post subject:

Patrick, Ken, Pete-

I hear the voice of experience in your comments!

Lots to consider before tanking the big bottom painting step!

It's irreversable, of course.

Needed it in the California Delta, but could get by on a freshwater lake w/o it.

But no going back now.

Good thing I've got a roller trailer and can paint it on the trailer, shifting the boat after the first coat(s) to paint behind the rollers!

Nice that the bottom paint keeps the bottom very clean, but the rough brushed or rolled surface costs one about 2 mph at WOT and a little in MPG.

Tough choice, either way!

Joe.

cpt vic · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 5:57 pm Post subject:

after reading some of these notes now i'm not sure we're doing the right thing. we bought a new 22 and keep it in a slip for 6 month season upper chesaeake so we knew we would have to paint.. the dealer immediately recommended they sand , 2 coats barrier then 2 coats bottom paint, not sure what kind. i have been reading in boat us cat.the specs there say at least 3 coats of barrier 10-12 mil total required. i wouldn't think that a c-dory dealership would void any hull warranty???? did anyone else have this service done at cutter marine?

lloyds · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 6:37 pm Post subject:

over a period of time, if you don't bottom paint a boat that spends a lot of time in the water, the hull gelcoat will stain. Not bad, just enough to show. Especially in the little nicks and scratches. I always used Micron on the sailboats. It is a pain. It used to be about $600-$700 for a round trip in the yard and the application of the paint. After I sanded and cleaned it. And in oregon and washington you can easily find divers around marinas that come in and scrub your hull occasionally at your request. Some even take reservations for periodic inspection and scrubbing, replacement of zincs and stuff like that. I have left boats in the water for a month or so unpainted and always regretted it. Hard to clean it all off. I used to leave the saltwater and go into fresh for a week or so during the summer to get everything to die off then go down and wipe off what I could. Going either direction accomplishes the same thing. Critters die and fall off when out of their habitat.

Pete in NY · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:37 pm Post subject:

Cap Vic,

I don't think your bottom treatment is an issue nor should it void your hull warranty if professionally performed by your C-Dory dealer. I don't know C-dory's warranty about blistering if sanded. I don't think there have been any blistered hulls to my knowledge mentioned on here.

My earlier post about sanding was just a caution to the do it yourselfers who might just sand the gel coat and paint without knowing they may be creating a later problem for themselves. Sanding and barrier coating should be good before bottom painting.

If you want to know what product the dealer applied, ask them and then go to the product manufacturer's web site to read the application instructions for yourself. Not all barrier coats are the same and the West catalog one may not be the same as on your boat.

Have fun on your new boat.

Pete

ffheap · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:43 pm Post subject:

Hi Folks,

First, I tape the waterline with the blue masking tape.

At this time, I use the cheapest bottom paint I can find, on sale,at West Marine. A gallon is good for a few years. I block up the trailer at four to six points, crawl under and sand everything I can touch (of course wearing old clothes, goggles, hat, mask, etc.). I then paint what I have sanded. I then jack up one side at a time, putting a couple of blocks between boat and trailer, sand what I had missed, and paint it, I then do the next side. Works very well. During the summer, I bring her in close to the beach, and clean the bottom with a brush and scraper. I usually get a bit of growth along the waterline, which comes off easily with a brush, and a find a few barnacles on the bottom, which can be flicked off with a scraper or putty knife.

Works very well, and cheap. (I AM a cheap Yankee.) By the way, I am 66 years old. Good exercise, and I am VERY CAREFUL.

Fred Heap

Swee Pea · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:14 am Post subject: Bottom Paint Alternative

Got a PM the other day regarding this product:

VS721 BOTTOM WAX - High Performance Bottom Wax. Contains VS721TM Fouling Release Barrier.
• Protects against Algae, Zebra Mussels and Barnacles.
• For Power, Sail, Trailered, Aluminum & Pontoon Boats.
• Seals surface against Osmosis Blisters
• Improves Speed, Reduces Fuel Consumption (1 to 10 mph on power
boats) (¼ to ½ knot on sail boats)
• Perfectly Clear. Beautiful Shine.
• Apply to Fiberglass, Aluminum & Hard Painted Surfaces
• Apply to Drives, Struts, Trim Tabs, Shafts, etc
• Race Proven to Increase Performance.

You can go to the website: http://auroramarine.com/

Very interesting product. Does anyone have any personal experience with this product?

John
Swee' Pea

drjohn71a · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 9:28 am Post subject:

Hi.... Well, as I had mentioned, I used a similar wax product for many years on many boats. At times, when I could not afford to repaint the bottom on my old houseboat, the wax worked well. Racing MORC in the Gulf, the wax seemed to give an edge, esp. on low wind. I am planning to use this wax on my new Ranger in lieu of bottom paint. Some in areas of Zebra mussels around here use the wax up into their intake and drain openings to make it easier to wash out the little critters.

Good topic! John

Captains Cat · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 9:57 am Post subject:

"At times, when I could not afford to repaint the bottom on my old houseboat, the wax worked well. Racing MORC in the Gulf, the wax seemed to give an edge, esp. on low wind. "

Wow, there's a real boater! Racing a houseboat! Shocked

I know houseboats have a lot of windage but that's real dedication!! Wink

You ROCK John!!

Charlie

drjohn71a · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:05 am Post subject:

The only time the Houseboat sailed was when it was at anchor!!! We have high winds all the time here.

btw.... I am not saying ppl who keep their boats in the ocean all the time should use a wax coating. I am just saying it seems to work for a month or two at a time in the ocean, or seasonal use in inland lakes.

When I did use bottom paint, I used Micron... I think it was CSC, a chalky coating. It was an ablative type (wore off with using the boat) type. Our marina advised against power washing the ablative type bottom paints. Here, we just let the hull and debris dry off, then lightly sweep or brush the debris off. Power washing removes more paint than you need to on ablative types.

Also, ablative types seem to be the best for areas with alot of slime. Just driving the boat makes to stuff drop off.

JOhn

drjohn71a · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:07 am Post subject:

More to the point, only sailboats were raced......

Also, I read on the Air Dock site that inboards with props like the C-Ranger Tugs had to have the engine shut off and then be dragged up over the lift. also that they had to be pushed FOUR FEET off the lift before starting the engine.

Another thing I am wondering is about using sea water intakes while over the Air Dock, even if it is deflated. Could the plastic be drawn up and block a seawater intake?

THe site also said you needed to put a protective shield over the Air Dock where any protrusions, such as thru-the -hull transducers could damage the Air Dock.

John

Sea Wolf · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:58 am Post subject:

The advertising copy (text) for this product certainly does make it seem like a panacea! But, alas, its duration is short lived compared with good bottom paint, and its use more generic, since bottom paint type can be choosen for the particular type of water (salt, fresh, brackish), and growth organisms found in the area to be used by the boat.

Nonetheless, this wax approach to hull fouling would be a good one for short term mooring, such as up to 2-4 weeks or so during an extended vacation period. I hope we suggested this to the last poster who was looking for such an alternative!

This approach is particularly advantageous in that it avoids the commitment to bottom paint which involves starting down a no-turning-back path. Sanding the bottom, applying several barrier coats of epoxy, and then applying the requisiste anti-fouling paint coats are a serious set of steps that can cost $1000-$2000 for the first application and then be followed by a yearly follow-up repaint bill of $400-$700. Then too, the boat may then be harder to re-sell to those living in areas where such paint is not required.

The really good side to this that these wax-based anti-fouling coatings will probably get better and better with continued development. Maybe someday we can finally get rid of bottom paints and go with them alone!

Joe