Cleaning Hull 1st time after bottom paint

Larry Patrick

New member
Will be pulling boat in oct after being in water all season,Had it painted at Weffings last winter.Should you use a power washer or scrub by hand? Don't want to wear offpaint faster than I should. When anchored at beach seems like a good amount of the grime will come off in water. Next outing will brush the hull while it still is warm enough to do in the lake. Just wondering when its home for final cleaning.
 
Hmm, I'm interested in the response to Larry's question too. I just had my new boat bottom painted a few weeks ago. Its in salt water now and will remain there until late October/ early November.
 
As Brent notes, you will treat different bottom paints differently. I use Petit Vivid, and have used a low pressure washer/and occasional green scouring pad.

With the harder paints, you will use higher power, and more aggressive cleaning. Many times a good bottom paint, and a boat used regularly, you may only need to hit a few places around the water line. I generally put on at least 2, and usually 3 coats of paint, and an extra coat along the sides of the hull from the water line to the chine. Generally this gets me 3 to 4 years, in brackish to fresh water (we were using the boat for 3 months in the Keys, and had more fouling there than at home.

When we were racing sailboats, we used a scouring pad, or 1200 sandpaper every week, with a hard epoxy paint.
 
I think he uses Mar Pro Super Gold. It's pretty hard stuff and I pressure washed ours after a couple months in the keys. Pretty tough stuff.
D.D.
 
I left the decision up to Marc because he would know better than I. Told him it would be used in salt and freshwater. I don't remember which product he used,I did mention Dave Deem had his Ranger painted with him previously and highly recommends their services. So im not sure which paint he was used but probably what Dave mentioned.
 
We had the CD 22 painted with Petit Vivid at Bitterend Boatworks in Bellingham in May. Pulled it out last week after several months in the water.

I used a soft boat brush on most of it to remove the soft green slime that wasn't removed from running the boat for several hours on the last trip that day. I could have wiped it off with a rag. No scrubbing needed and very little paint was removed due to the soft brush.

A rough brush was used around the engines and along the contact line between the bottom paint and the hull (where the bottom paint could have been brought up a bit higher).

Pleased with the result and it sure made clean up easier as we had no bottom paint before and would spend the better part of a day scrapping barnacles and cleaning after two months in the water.

The boat had multiple barrier coats and 3 coats of bottom paint after preping the hull by blasting with walnut or pecan shells.
 
Just brought boat home yesterday,cleaned it today. Wow first time cleaning a boat without muriatic acid or hull cleaner . Just a soft brush and a magic eraser in tougher spots. Nice having bottom paint ,it was a real headache other seasons trying to clean hull. Paint job Probabally pay for itself over several years. After 2 hrs trying to clean hull myself last season took it and paid around $250 to get it cleaned.
 
Larry Patrick":lcq0d7zw said:
Just brought boat home yesterday,cleaned it today. Wow first time cleaning a boat without muriatic acid or hull cleaner . Just a soft brush and a magic eraser in tougher spots. Nice having bottom paint ,it was a real headache other seasons trying to clean hull. Paint job Probabally pay for itself over several years. After 2 hrs trying to clean hull myself last season took it and paid around $250 to get it cleaned.

Nice. Im hoping i have the same experience when i clean my hull in a few weeks. I think I'll be fine. Im more worried about my trim tabs, transducer and swim step. Next season I'm gonna treat those items prior to launching. My new boat will be marina slipped all season. No more trailering and cleaning her everytime. Next year she'll be in the salt from April 1st- Nov 15th......
 
FWIW- I am very pleased with the performance of Pettit Hydrocoat SR. A water based anti-fouling paint that is now on it's third year and is holding up quite well. I used a touch up quart last fall but see no reason to touch-up this fall. Great stuff in my humble opinion
 
Are there any other reports comparing Vivid to Hyrocoat? I have been talking to Jesse at BitterEnd Boat Works and he is still recommending Vivid over the Hydorcoat, mostly because the Hydorcoat is newer and less experience with it I believe.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

IMGP6704.thumb.jpg
 
Your local boating conditions are most critical, listen to locals.
Big Fan of Hydrocoat in all forms.
Only use Hydrocoat ECO on an aluminum (they all are) bracket (no metal in that).
After an original Pro application with Pettit epoxy barrier on a new boat, re-apply in your driveway after removing any loose flakes with a Car Wash wand.
Run it up the trailer bunks every few months to remove the growth you can't get to on the trailer....you prob take it out and put it on the trailer to re-fuel, maintain, etc if like us.
Petitt typically has a big HC sale between Feb-Apr, buy it then.
Cheers!
John
 
Pandion":3acw66fo said:
hardee":3acw66fo said:
I have been talking to Jesse at BitterEnd Boat Works
Harvey, have they given you an estimate?

Yes, For winter rates, which last into Feb it is $95 per foot, and that includes the epoxy and Petit Vivid 2 layers and prepping, (soda blasting and sanding).

Plus, I have to get the boat up there (Bellingham):roll: and then go back and bring it home the next week.

I have not checked in a more local area although I will be doing that soon, BitterEnd comes with a really good recommendation, and I remember seeing Daydream after they finished detailing her. Perfection.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

IMGP6704.thumb.jpg
 
hardee":c48ajozr said:
Pandion":c48ajozr said:
hardee":c48ajozr said:
I have been talking to Jesse at BitterEnd Boat Works
Harvey, have they given you an estimate?

Yes, For winter rates, which last into Feb it is $95 per foot, and that includes the epoxy and Petit Vivid 2 layers and prepping, (soda blasting and sanding).

Plus, I have to get the boat up there (Bellingham):roll: and then go back and bring it home the next week.

I have not checked in a more local area although I will be doing that soon, BitterEnd comes with a really good recommendation, and I remember seeing Daydream after they finished detailing her. Perfection.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

IMGP6704.thumb.jpg

Kind of a newbie question, can the team match the Burgundy color of your
boat? I really like the Burgundy btw.
 
$95 a foot is a good price. Of course it depends on how many coats of epoxy--and the bottom paint. (which you said was two coats). I generally want a 3rd coat on the vertical sides, since that and the water line, is where one gets the most growth. --but that should add very little to the cost.
 
Back
Top