How much to raise the waterline

P

pcg

Member
I'm aware some folks have raised the waterline on their boats. I'm planning on using my restoration-in-process C-Dory for extended boondocking trips so it will likely end up being heavily loaded. As part of the restoration process I'm basically giving up on gelcoat and will be painting the boat. Topside paint is not designed to be exposed to water for long periods of time so I want to ensure that my bottom paint is all that's ever in the water for extended periods of time.
How much should I raise the waterline? Should I raise it uniformly down the length of the boat?
 
We have heavy dive and photo gear plus a 30 gallon camera rinse tank, all of which add to the weight of fuel and fresh water onboard. We keep our Tomcat in a slip full time, so our bottom paint is 2-3" above the original bottom paint.
 
I ran my 22 loaded. New bottom paint 4'' above the original at the stern, going down to 1" above original at the bow. That should work for you.

Martin.
 
I agree with "birdma". 4" aft and 1" forward. Most of the loading will be aft. There may be some splash forward. If you are using most of the two part polyurethane, they are not recommended below the waterline. Some of the epoxy types are OK.
 
Thank you for everyone's recommendations. I'm going to go with raising the waterline at the stern a minimum of 4" and at the bow a minimum of 1".

thataway":362vfkmm said:
If you are using most of the two part polyurethane, they are not recommended below the waterline. Some of the epoxy types are OK.
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I'm using a two-part polyurethane paint from Alexseal for topside. That's why I want to make sure it's not below the waterline. Below the waterline, I'm putting an epoxy barrier coat over the gelcoat.
 
When I raised my line, (about 3 inches, to just below the strake), I kept it parallel to the strake lines, up to the bow, where the line intersected with the curved up line. There I brought it up toward the bow eye.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
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