What Bottom Paint Do You Have on Your Boat

H

hardee

New member
Yesterday, when I thought I was completely decided on what I was doing, I called to get availability and price on the paint I had selected. Then after a conversation with the “Paint Guru” at the marine supply store, I was totally convinced to change from an ablative “soft” paint to a “hard” paint. It can be painted over, would resist scrubbing off on the bunks, is designed for fast boats, (Hummm, is a C-Dory considered a fast boat?), and might last longer from living on a trailer most of the time. Then I learn about “regenerating or activating” that paint if it sits out of the water for very long. That could be a few days to months. All you have to do to reactivate it is sand the bottom or scrub with a hard Scotch Brite pad or ….

So IF you have bottom paint on your boat, I am curious. What type, Ablative (soft), Hybrid, or Hard?

What did you pick, and why?

And How is it working for you?

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Generally the hard paints are not designed to be kept out of the water on trailer boats. There are some exceptions. One of the reasons for putting on 3 coats, is that the ablative will "slough" off but the wear on the bunks in my boats has been minimal. I am 6 years on the Caracal--and still plenty of paint on the area contacted by trailer bunks and lift bunks. Probably abut 5 years on the C Dory--same story.

As far as painting over, generally you can put ablative over hard, but not hard over ablative. I have had no problem putting different brands of ablative over a different brand of ablative, but that may not always be true.

When I was racing sailboats, we burnished the hard bottom paint--often done weekly. "Fast" is a relative term--you won't notice much if any difference in the C Dory--if you are looking for a tenth of a knot difference or so--sure. But too many other factors.
 
"When I was racing sailboats, we burnished the hard bottom paint--often done weekly. "Fast" is a relative term--you won't notice much if any difference in the C Dory--if you are looking for a tenth of a knot difference or so--sure. But too many other factors."
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I'm not looking at it slowing me down so much as if I am cruising at planing speeds mostly, is that going to shorten the active life of the ablative, as in will it wear off at a much sooner rate than if all my cruising is at hull speed?

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Hi Harvey,

I'm having a hard time imagining what the logic of putting hard bottom paint on a C-Dory would be. It builds up with each additional application, unless you do a considerable amount of sanding etc to remove. No benefit for all that additional work that I can see, on a planing hull trailer boat.

I'd say go with a moderately priced, water-based (easy to apply and clean up) ablative that needs only a minor scuffing up with sandpaper before the next coat. Pettit Hydrocoat would be my suggestion. Had it on New Moon for ten years, applying an additional coat on sides/chines and transom after eight summers. We traveled slow much of those summers, but we did maybe 20,000 nm too. I wouldn't worry about it wearing out too soon. It might not last quite as long as it did on New Moon, but it ought to work even better than ours did if you go faster much of the time.

The effort to apply paid off, in cleanup time saved at the end of the summer, after only two summers.

See my post in the other bottom paint thread on technique for applying to a previously unpainted hull.

P.S. On Dream Catcher, which usually travels at only 7-8 knots, I had the bottom repainted last fall with Micron 66, a high-end powerful and expensive ablative. Close to $1,000 for just the paint.
 
I use an ablative i.e. Petit Hydrocoat SR

Boat is on lift or trailer when not in use.

Very happy with slime resistance, endurance, and easy touch up
 
I'm not looking at it slowing me down so much as if I am cruising at planing speeds mostly, is that going to shorten the active life of the ablative, as in will it wear off at a much sooner rate than if all my cruising is at hull speed?
Click to expand...

Won't make noticeable difference in longevity if you are going 2 knots or 30 knots.
 
Ditto Pettit Hydrocoat SR (ECO, which has no metal, on brackets).
It will be discounted 20% off pretty soon.
It'd be crazy to use a hard coat on a trailer boat...after it quits working you have to sand it off....USELESS WORK!
'Ablatives' are not really like soap...to scrape off the Hydrocoat on my bracket in order to access the underlying 55% copper Pettit Ultimate will require hours of pressure washing and 80 grit sandpaper and probably soda blasting. You have to WORK to get it off. 200 hours at 40MPH won't ablate it off (the engineers have this figured out, don't worry). Soap is a dumb analogy, but I can't think of a better one. It's like a soap bar that if you pressure-washed for 4 hours then sanded with 80grit for 4 hours then sand-blasted an hour...and all that took off only the top 2 microns of 'soap',
Easy touch-up. If you heave the girl up on the trailer every few months just the weight will scrape off any growth, but not much Hydrocoat. My problem is I'm not at cruise for enough hours per season to ablate it, so I beach it and use a green Scotbrite pad to remove any slime and growth. But that won't take off a bit of Hydrocoat.
Try it, you'll like it.
Happy Boating!
John
 
Thanks all for the replies and for helping strait en me out :lol:

The hard coat is out, Thanks again. I'm not into doing all that much extra work as long as the soft will last for 3-4 months at 2-20 knots.

OK, at least for now, I'll give it a rest. (Sorry Bob,) It is just a really big step, as in life changing for the boat.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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We have Petitt Vivid as recommended by Jesse of Bitterend Boatworks. Has done fine for us so far. It is a bit of a hybrid apparently.

Manufacturers description below:

Hybrid High Performance Multi-Season Dual Biocide Antifouling Paint

Vivid is certified by Lloyds Register
Hybrid technology offers all the advantages of ablative and hard paints
Clean, bright colors including true white and black
Dual-biocides provide excellent multi-season protection
Excellent for Racing, Trailering, or Rack Stored Boats

Now you can have the brightest colors, the blackest black and the whitest white available in a bottom paint. Vivid’s attributes go far beyond its beautiful vibrant colors, for it also provides excellent multi-season, dual biocide antifouling protection under all conditions. Vivid’s new hybrid technology incorporates all the benefits of both ablative and hard paints in one superior product. Its hard, smooth surface withstands trailering and is easily burnished to a high performance super slick racing finish. Applied in thin coats using a 3/16” or less nap roller, Vivid resists build up and can be hauled and launched without loss of protection. When used over the recommended priming system Vivid can safely be used on aluminum hulls and outdrives. The perfect antifouling choice for any boat.

Must be applied in VERY THIN COATS! When using a roller for application, use no greater than a 3/16” nap.

Use 120 Thinner for brushing, rolling or clean-up. Use 121 Thinner for spraying.
 
Micron CSC, made to stay effective when the boat spends time on the trailer. With your use, you should see at least two years before needing touch-up or another couple coats. It isn't like going 20 knots is going to "blast off" the ablative paint.

Bottom painting is not life-changing. Well, unless you enjoy scraping the bottom, because you will miss doing that. It will still need to be hosed off after a couple months in the water, but you shouldn't need to power-wash it. And, there won't be barnacle-type critters firmly adhered.

It's bottom paint. The only difference you will notice, besides less work, will be other boaters admiring your sea smarts. You've made it this far without... if you like scraping, don't paint. If you don't like scraping, AND you like to pull the boat, hose it, flush the trailer, and go... paint.

Every boat we've owned has been bottom painted. No one has commented on it. Well, there was one other sailboat racer that ran his hand along the ultra smooth bottom paint (sprayed on) on our Corsair trimaran and said, "That is amazing! Where did you get that done?"

When your boat is in the water, it really doesn't show. When your boat is on the trailer, you don't have slime, crud, and critters stuck to it. I don't see the down side.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Harvey, i know the hardest decision is to paint or not because as you know, there's no turning back. Once you're ok with that decision, which is where you are now, you won't regret it.

We bottom painted 6 years ago and it has held up very well. We used an abative, Micron Extra. I believe at least 3 coats over 2 layers of barrier coat. When we initially bottom painted, we were anticipating mooring it in the water permanently. As it turned out, we ended up only keepng it in the water full-time for a total of one year during this time. Most of the time it has been dry stored at Twin Bridges. It was comforting to know that if C-Dancer was in the water for any length of time, the bottom was well protected. We never had any growth like barnacles on our bottom, only green slime. But the trim tabs and transducers are another matter. I might have to try the desitin trick this year.

After 6 years it's time to add a couple more layers. We'll be doing that next month. But really after 6 years, it doesn't look too bad. The ablative worked as advertised, sloughing off slowly over time. I think I'll use either Pettit Ultima Eco because of the non-copper formula or maybe the Pettit Ultima SR-40 to try to match the dark green stripe. I've also considered the Pettit Hydrocoat Eco as it water based and copper free. As you know, Washington State is requiring copper free bottom paints starting in 2020.

As for bottom painting your boat, other than the paint not matching as the original gelcoat bottom did, no need to fret. For as much time as you spend on Sleepy-C, I think you'll be happy with your decision.

Peter
 
Just as an aside, today the TyBoo went up the small side haul out at Warrenton Boat Yard for fresh bottom paint. I do not know what they will be putting on but I have complete confidence in their choice and will report back in a week or so what they used and the reasoning for it.

They (two brothers) are second generation owners of the facility and are very well respected among the commercial guys. I was told to expect the cost to be about $700 if the cleanup of the hull went well. I won't be shocked if they were optimistic about the cost and was figuring on about twice that much anyway.

I was surprised, and pleased, that they got me in so soon. I inquired about it just yesterday! They said they hadn't used the small haul out for a while and since they were awaiting parts for the commercial fisher on the big ramp they had some time for a little job and to test out the small ramp. I drove by an hour or so after high tide and my boat was sitting high and dry inside their facility.
 
hardee":1r9sbao3 said:
Yesterday, when I thought I was completely decided on what I was doing, I called to get availability and price on the paint I had selected. Then after a conversation with the “Paint Guru” at the marine supply store, I was totally convinced to change from an ablative “soft” paint to a “hard” paint. It can be painted over, would resist scrubbing off on the bunks, is designed for fast boats, (Hummm, is a C-Dory considered a fast boat?), and might last longer from living on a trailer most of the time. Then I learn about “regenerating or activating” that paint if it sits out of the water for very long. That could be a few days to months. All you have to do to reactivate it is sand the bottom or scrub with a hard Scotch Brite pad or ….

So IF you have bottom paint on your boat, I am curious. What type, Ablative (soft), Hybrid, or Hard?

What did you pick, and why?

And How is it working for you?

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
Click to expand...

Harvey, why oh why do you think you need bottom paint? We have never used bottom paint in 11 years, and have never observed any consequence from NOT using bottom paint. I'd love to hear your rationale here. Your boat sits on a trailer and is mostly (entirely?) cruised in cold waters at planing speed. What does bottom paint do for you other than give you something to do on the boat?
 
Pat,
I am going to ask you the reverse question--you are going to do the loop, when the boat will be in the water for 8 months. If you don't have bottom paint,. why don't you have bottom paint? We find that in a week or so in Florida growth starts.

Most of the ICW will be salt water--with different fouling properties as you go along. If you can scrub the bottom every week or so, then you can get away without it.
 
"Harvey, why oh why do you think you need bottom paint? We have never used bottom paint in 11 years, and have never observed any consequence from NOT using bottom paint. I'd love to hear your rationale here. Your boat sits on a trailer and is mostly (entirely?) cruised in cold waters at planing speed. What does bottom paint do for you other than give you something to do on the boat?"
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Hi Pat,

Two summers ago I spent about 2 months on the water, almost continuously, but there were a couple of trailer haul brakes of 2-3 days scattered in-between so there was some drying time. The longest stretch IIRC was 3 weeks in the water. I had some slime growth to clean each time I pulled, but that was it.

Last summer, I spent almost 3 months in the water. The first break was at 48 days. I had 2 inch hair, fuzz all over and barnacles the size of pencil erasers on the bottom, again in only 48 days. I have about 40 hours in cleaning the bottom, scraping the barnacles, shaving the barnacle roots that are left after the scraping, and unless I do bottom paint, a limitation of a maximum of 3 weeks in the water without getting serious bottom growth AGAIN :twisted:

So, now I am looking at realistically limiting my continuous boating stretches to close to 2 weeks unless I do bottom paint. (I would much rather be spending the $$ on fuel than paint, but looking at long term plans, it seems like the paint is an investment in future boating pleasures.)

Most of my days on the water are spent at anchor, but I moved nearly every day. Some days I would only be on the move for an hour or two, some more than that. Most days, most of my moving time was at 5.5 knots or so. Every day had some time moving at planing speed, which I thought was helping to keep the bottom clean. It was either not enough moving, or not enough moving at planning speeds, or I was wrong :roll: :oops: and moving makes no difference. Time in the water == growth on the bottom.

Seriously, do you really not have bottom paint on Daydream, even with your plans for spending months on the water, warm water, mixed fresh and salt, and in sunny, warm climates. Unless you are planning to haul out and clean I would reconsider, and thing bottom paint for sure. Just guessing, but after several haul outs and hull cleaning fees, you are approaching bottom paint $$$$'s. (I thought Bitter End did bottom paint for you when you had the detailing done and prepping for the Loop.)

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_070.thumb.jpg
 
Bitter End did not do bottom paint, but I may inquire about it...wouldn't even consider it for our cruising here but we are headed for the Loop, so that may change my thinking,
 
thataway":2lnnce68 said:
Pat,
I am going to ask you the reverse question--you are going to do the loop, when the boat will be in the water for 8 months. If you don't have bottom paint,. why don't you have bottom paint? We find that in a week or so in Florida growth starts.

Most of the ICW will be salt water--with different fouling properties as you go along. If you can scrub the bottom every week or so, then you can get away without it.
Click to expand...

I quite possibly could scrub the bottom every week or so, and I may have to. If the bottom paint topic had come up in October or November, Jesse at Bitter End Boatworks probably could have easily worked me in. Coming up at this juncture, he may not be able to, but I do have a call into him.

The longest Daydream has been in the water was six weeks in 2006, when I cruised it to Ketchikan and then a friend of ours and a friend of his cruised it back to Blaine. That was all salt water. There was zero growth on the bottom, but of course it was cold water.

While I was typing this, Jesse called back, and he can work me in before we leave for Florida. Three coats of epoxy and bottom paint at $105 a foot, $2,600 for the job. Much cheaper for subsequent bottom paint. Our philosophy is "It is only money," and I sure do not want to ruin Daydream's bottom.
 
Our c-dory would get the flat round barnacles after two months in the water in Everett, plus yellowing on the hull and rust on the trim tabs. I was planning to bottom paint if we would have stuck around and kept the boat. It was a real time consuming PITA scraping and pressure washing all that junk off.

Our new boat has ablative black bottom paint on it. It stays in the water for long periods. All it ever needs is to blast off the green slime with a quick pressure wash every couple months. If your boat is at all going to stay in the water, I cant see any downside to it.

Plus once its been done, you can touch it up yourself while its on the trailer when needed and save some bucks.
 
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