Bottom Paint Needed For One Month @ Everrett Marina

colbysmith · Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:18 pm Post subject:

Bringing this thread back to life. It looks like Midnight Flyer will be on the Inside Passage from between 2-4 months. I do not have bottom paint at this time, and really would prefer not to add it, since I typically trailer the boat and it's usually used in fresh water. That being said, what recommendations or experience would others share with me about having the boat in the SE Alaska waters that long? Swimming under the boat to clean it is not an option! Shocked

I'm not adverse to having it pulled/slung and power washed every month, or longer, if necessary, and if so, how easy is it to come across facilities that can do that? Colby

ssobol · Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:59 pm Post subject:

I don't have experience on this, but won't being on the move most of the time help? Also, the cruising speed of the C-Dory (if you choose to use it) may also mitigate things.

If it were me, I wouldn't be worried about it. My boat isn't bottom painted, and unless I was a regular cruiser of that area, I wouldn't paint my boat for a one time trip.

hardee · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:43 am Post subject:

Colby, When I started reading this (this time) I was thinking about Roger (Sensie) situation. Yours will be different, and much more similar to mine, although I didn't go north of Cape Caution, I spent 100 days up in the Broughtons and around the north end of Vancouver Island. I did not have bottom paint Sad

but I did have plans to pull the boat, and scrub and wash the bottom during that time. I did have the boat moving almost every day, and did usually run the throttle up for a bit, maybe 5 - 15 minutes, thinking I was "scrubbing" the bottom. At 48 days I pulled the boat out for a through cleaning. I had been brushing the sides and aft, including the metal parts, (tabs, ducer and OB leg) in between times but not as good as I should have. At 48 days I had green slime, grass growing up to 1 inch long, AND I had barnacles up to the size of a new pencil eraser. These did not come off easy. When they were still wet, I scraped them off with a stiff plastic piece like a 3/16" plastic ruler. I all, I spent close to 40 hours of scraping, sanding and repairing some of the gel coat.

My choice is not to bottom paint, an like you, I'd like to stay that way. I would look into some way to get the boat out and get it pressure washed regularly, maybe 3 weeks or a month max. If you can get it out of the water and let it dry for a day or two that would be even better.

Another north bound C-Dory, Ospry, just did bottom paint for doing the same trip you are looking at for this summer. To each his own, and there are good reason for either decision.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

colbysmith · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:54 am Post subject:

I did have the boat in the water in the PNW last year for about 4 weeks total but in between 2 weeks, 1 week and 1 week it was back on the trailer. While most that time was on plane, I had a clean bottom other than the usual scum. However this time I expect most travel will be at Hull speeds other than crossing long open areas.

starcrafttom · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 11:31 am Post subject:

Its going to be summer. Get out in a shallow bay on anchor and scrub the bottom with a green scrub pad once a week. As long as you do it while the boat is wet its a lot easier. Then plan to power wash it the minute you pull it.

ssobol · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 12:26 pm Post subject:

hardee · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 4:06 pm Post subject:

colbysmith · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:57 pm Post subject:

Any idea how cold the water is in the Inside Passage north of Ketchikan? Wink

Colby

lloyds · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:56 pm Post subject:

in my experience the growth and barnacles and such seemed to really start taking hold at about one month. And this was after prepping with a good wax job.

ssobol · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 10:05 pm Post subject:

Hunkydory · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 10:24 pm Post subject:

colbysmith · Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 11:47 am Post subject:

Marco Flamingo · Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 3:04 pm Post subject:

I would try going without bottom paint. I have it now, but I wish that I didn't. I would really like to try one of the slippery paints. Unfortunately, I would need to remove the bottom paint first. Been there, done that on a sailboat hull. That type of project has now moved into the "pay to have it done" column.

Even traveling at hull speed will keep things from growing on your boat. It is mainly when you are stopped that gets you animal and plant hitchhikers. Of course, you will be stopped every evening, so there is no doubt that things will attach. Most of that will be at the waterline and just below. The shape of the dory hull makes the change from light to dark fairly sudden on most of the hull. My guess (completely unscientific and only based on experience) is that the vertical sides of the hull will get 4 times as much growth (including barnacles) as the underneath beyond the chine.

That is good in that the area is easily cleaned off with a push broom from on deck. The shape of the dory hull also makes it possible to wade knee deep with hip boots and scrub the underneath, but I probably wouldn't bother for 4-6 week trip, especially if up on plane once a day. The transom is also easy. Cleaning trim tabs could be a pain (yet another reason to avoid).

Dried slime is a pain to remove. Baby barnacles can leave a little white ring when gently scraped off with a plastic spackle spreader. I've had the tiny white rings dissolve and disappear during subsequent uses in both fresh and salt water (on an aluminum boat with no bottom paint). Dried slime will also die and slowly slough off over subsequent uses. I see minor gunk as merely a cosmetic issue, but it may depend on the captain's position on the laziness scale.

Waxing sounds interesting (except that I already have bottom paint). I heard that some of the "not really wax" type of car waxes (containing silicon) can cause issues. I've read that they can make auto body repair more difficult because touch-up paint might not adhere properly. I would do research to make sure that any release type coating on the hull wouldn't make applying bottom paint in the future (should you choose) more difficult.

Mark

hardee · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 2:33 pm Post subject:

Mark said:

Knipet · Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 6:53 pm Post subject:

I've very curious why some of you are against using bottom paint? Some have alluded to leaving marks on the trailer runners, but what else other than expense? Just looks, or does it slow the boat down some?

Next week I will be bringing the new-to-me 22 Cruiser I purchased in Flagstaff AZ up to Eastsound WA, and my current plan is to keep it on a dock during the summer months, and on its trailer during the winter. Of course the 6 months in the water will make bottom paint a necessity. But what are the downsides of bottom paint?