Bottom Paint Needed For One Month @ Everrett Marina

S

SENSEI

New member
Looking at getting a slip at Everrett Marina for about a month. Generally trailer the boat so no bottom paint on it now. Think it is needed for a month stay in the slip with going out on the boat about 4 days a week with fishing movement? Thanks
 
We go to Florida for the month of February for the last five years. I wax the bottom with regular car type Turtle wax before we go. After a month in the water in the keys we pull the boat and if possible pressure wash the bottom. We just start to get little white spots (barnacles) starting I guess. I just polish the bottom again when I get home. I use a plastic scraper to remove anything that does not rub off. Then make sure anything that was there is gone and the whole bottom is waxed. I would not think the Northwest would as bad as Florida for bottom growth. Moving the boat frequently has to help.
D.D.
 
I have done up to a month without bottom paint. The bottom itself sometimes gets the odd barnacle started but not many. The sides are the worst part, they get lots of slime and green stuff. A double coat of wax ought to solve that. There is certainly some cleanup to do at the end of the month but not as bad as you would expect.
 
We left our Avon in the water for 2 weeks in the Chesapeake and it took a couple of hours to scrape off the growth. We also had a Catalina 25 sailboat in the Sacramento Delta for a couple of weeks and it also took hours to clean off the hull with a solution of phosphoric acid.

That said, putting bottom paint on is a major undertaking if it's the only time you'll need it. And note that the PNW isn't like either of the places I mentioned or Florida.

My suggestion is that you try Will-C's waxing and pull the boat for a day after 2 weeks, let it dry and look at it. If it looks good put it in for the last 2 weeks. If not, clean it and try another 2 weeks. The truck and trailer will be handy and the ramp at Evert is easy to use, except on a Sunday afternoon. Or you can look over the side when it's in the slip, but that doesn't give you the bottom view.

Boris
 
Here's a KISS cure for a dirty bottom whether bottom paint is
present or not.

Don your mask, fins and snorkel. Water chilly? Don a wetsuit.
Get in the water and scrub your hull, trim tabs and speed/depth
with a plastic scrubby.
Once a week should do it.

Your engine lower unit(s) should be clean if you rinse it/them
after use and keep 'em "up".

Aye.
 
In the Bay of Maine (Mid-coast ME, USA) we leave our 22 on a mooring from June 15 through October 1. In mid August we leave for a week so pull the boat, take it to a nearby boat yard and have the bottom pressure washed. This completely cleans the bottom, and by end of season the growth is rather light, so a quick pressure wash gets the bottom squeaky clean. This yard uses a little ingenuity to lift the boat enough to clean the contact points with the trailer, so there is no charge for a hoist or the Travel-lift.
The cost to do this for 5 to 7 seasons is about equal to a full bottom paint job. Plus, no bottom paint downside, such as repainting every two years, paint rubbings on the trailer and dock, and paint chemicals leaching into the water.
Hope you find this helpful.
 
The Everett Marina has fresh water coming down the Snohomish River. It even freezes in the winter. This helps to keep the salt water growies away. Even if you have to pressure wash after a month, that's less work than bottom paint.
 
I would not consider bottom paint there. You may have some cleaning to do, but once you have bottom painted, it is difficult, and can be expensive to go back to bare gel coat.

To do bottom paint properly, I suggest epoxy barrier coat. Not so much for boats which are kept in the PNW, but when you sell the boat, that question should/will be asked. In warmer climates it is best to have barrier coast to prevent osmosis. (Osmosis certainly can occur in the PNW).
 
Best bottom treatment I've experienced on fiberglass hulls both power and
sail for decreased friction and increased performance in saltwater and fresh:

Primer: Interlux Interprotect 2000E with Microplates - epoxy based with
overlapping microplates to protect fiberglass hulls from osmotic blistering.

Bottom paint: Interlux VC Offshore - dries fast, smooth and hard, love this stuff.

I've spoken to various dealers who swear by this system for the best protection
in salt and fresh water. And, it's hard so it won't rub off on your trailer rollers or
bunks. And, yes, it is pricey but, what's the alternative?

Aye.

Grandpa used to say, "You get what you pay for."
 
Sounds like you've had great success with VC Offshore. A couple of things to check on though for the OP. They don't list trailerable boats as candidates, and it looks like the maximum time to immersion is 30 days. I think this may be because vinyl loses (at least some of) its anti-fouling capabilities after 30 days out of the water. This may be why they don't mention trailerable boats in the recommended uses. Might be worth a call to them as they are not exactly trumpeting that information on the data sheet.

Another thing with vinyl-based paints (VC-17 is very popular where I'm from) is that they can't go on over any other paint, and no other paint can go on over them. When I moved my boat to salt water, I had to strip off every bit of VC-17 for this reason (I wanted to put a different paint).

I haven't used VC Offshore, but I can certainly say that the VC-17 was a smooth, "fast" paint. Made a beautiful job. Also easy to apply. However we had to reapply each spring, "whether it needed it or not" (looks-wise) due to the "out of the water too long and it deactivates" property. And this was in very low-fouling area.

You can get to the product datasheet (and other info) from here:

http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/diy/produ ... shore.aspx

For me, for 30 days in colder waters (even though there is some fouling there), I would definitely not bottom paint, and just take a look at things (also raise motor when not using boat). Usually the worst growth will be near the waterline (at least in places I have been), so you can see how its going.

I have seen the "turn your back for two weeks and now dinghy weighs 3,000# due to billions of barnacles that will be very VERY hard to remove" phenomenon, but that was on the Chesapeake in hot, late-summer weather (super-fouling area!).
 
I read that stuff about VC Offshore not being for trailerable boats.
It's 'hoey' IMHO. Maybe just a 'CYA' statement also.

Before applying the 2000E and the VC Offshore, I addressed all this
with a C-Dory factory rep and should I use it. Their reply "Definitely."
The CD factory applied it knowing it was going on a trailer. As on
other boats I've used it and love that stuff.

Sorry though. No R&D data.

Aye.
 
Hi Roger. When we first picked up our C-Dory, we spent a couple months cruising in the PNW. With no bottom paint. The cold water there and regular movement of the boat made for very little clean-up. That same amount of time on the Gulf Coast would have made for an awful mess.

I did put bottom paint on it as soon as we brought the boat south.

That said, I would think you will be good with the circumstances as you describe. Have fun with the boat in a slip - easy to get out there!

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Hey Roger,

Last Fall we had our boat at the Everett marina for a full two months during September and October. No bottom paint. We'd use it about 2 or 3 days a week during that time with an odd week off here and there.

There was some green fuzz or maybe slime is a better term, but nothing else. I used a pressure washer and was able to spray off everything at the end of October.

We prefer the slips on the south end of the marina so its a faster run to get to the fish, but I've been told the slips on the northern end of the marina have much more freshwater in the mix, so that's something to consider. Either way its not a big problem!
 
I moor in Everett from May through September/October without bottom paint. I pull it out once every 3-4 weeks and spray on some Starbrite Hull Cleaner. Let it sit for a few min, lightly scrub with my boat brush and rinse off. If you don't let the marine growth dry, it comes off clean and easy. I do it right there at the wash down area. If i take the 20 min drive home, its a pain. No issues with barnacles.

Using the boat 2-3 times per week keeps the growth down.
 
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! :shock: 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
 
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.
 
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 :( 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

IMGP6704.thumb.jpg
 
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.
 
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.
 
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