CaptDom

simply awesome advice, for idiot proof timer on when it is time!

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CAPT. DOM PETRARCA
COASTAL CHARTERS SPORTFISHING
NEWPORT, RI (401)-862-0358
www.coastalcharterssportfishing.com

Scup

To help pay my property taxes, I have been working part time at West Marine for more than six years. When it comes to bottom paint, Interlux, and Pettit both put out very decent free booklets/instructions for using their products. West Marine also puts out a very complete free booklet for their paints. Typically, the West Marine brands are provided by one of the two big players mentioned above. West Marine does not make their own paint but does write the specs for what they want and because they can now market it under their own label there is usually a reduction in price for a similar or superior product than what the big boys provide. Sales on bottom paint always come in the springtime. Buy your paint when it goes on sale. Do not store old paint in an unheated area if you live up North. While 30 degrees is not going to hurt anything, temperatures going near or below zero will destroy most products. Most boats built today do not need a barrier coat. If you wish to go through the trouble and expense of putting in on properly it will not hurt anything, but for the most part it is a waste of money and time. Years ago, many new boats were built that were subject to blisters and voids in the fiberglass molding process. Even worse, some manufacturers would produce a dozen identical boats or so without a problem and then for some reason a bad one would come off the line. What the barrier coat would do is seal the surface so even if your boat had these defects, it would not matter. Today, it is rare that you will end up with a boat with these types of problems since most manufacturers have gotten their act together. Let's assume you buy a new fiberglass boat, this is what I would do. The first step would be to assume that there is wax on the bottom of your hull. The wax comes to the surface when the polyester resin cures and has to be removed. If you skip this step, you will be sorry as anything you try to paint over it with will come off. You can use any the prepared de-waxers to do the job or mix up some ammonia with water (fifty-fifty). Ammonia is a very good de-waxer but it is nasty stuff. When done, do it again just to be sure and then flush the de-waxer off the boat. Next lightly sand the bottom to give it some "tooth" to hold the first coat of paint you will put on. Do not forget to wear the proper safety gear. You do not want to get this stuff in your eyes or lungs. I would not use a power sander, especially on a small 20 foot boat, do it by hand. All you want to do is just scratch the surface so the paint will have something to grab on to. There must be more than dozen products out there to remove the dust that is left from the sanding. They all work, just get yourself a couple of rags and have at it. I really do not care what you are going to use for your final coat, the first coat should be bottom epoxy. This is a hard permanent coat that provides an excellent base coat for whatever is to follow. Both ablative (soft paint) and bottom epoxy (hard paint) will cling to it very well. What bottom epoxy does is very similar to the barrier system except it is a one part paint and is the least expensive of any bottom paint sold.

I think it would be best if I describe the basic differences between the soft and the hard paints so you will know which way to go. The traditional hard bottom paint such as bottom epoxy drys to a hard finish. It is designed to be put on in the spring and then have you boat remain waterborne the entire season. The copper will leach out over the course of the season and this paint works very well under these conditions. However, if you pull your boat out the water, the paint will continue to dry to a point where even if you put your boat back into the water the paint will have lost its ability to repel fouling. Hence, follow the manufacturers recommendation as to how long one could could have your boat out of the water after painting it. There is some differences here between hard paints so read the label. One thing is for sure, hard paints will have to be applied every season. In addition, after about ten years, the thickness of the many coats of paint that you had put on will have to be removed. This is a bitch of a job and unless you are a glutton for punishment I would turn this task over to a boatyard. There has been many EPA regulations concerning the removal bottom paint, as what comes off your bottom is a hazardous material.
Ablative, or soft paints, are really quite a different type of animal. They really are a soft paint. Think of them as a bar of soap. As use your boat, the paint actually starts to lose its outer surface thus exposing a new area of copper based anti fouling in the same way a bar of soap gets smaller with use. If you pull your boat, the paint will reactivate itself once you put it back into the water. Another benefit is one will not have layer upon layer of paint to remove after ten years. Many of these paints are designed to last several seasons. Now all is not heaven with these paints either. Their price could likely break your budget. Just how fast the paint will wear depends on the particular paint and how fast your boat moves. If you have a boat that is capable of fifty MPH, most of your bottom paint will end up in your wake. Do not expect much in the way of longevity if you go like hell. The hardest of the soft bottom paints is Interlux CSC so this is what would last the longest on very fast craft. On the other hand, if you have a slow moving sailboat, take it out once every weekend for the summer, and each year put two coats of ablative paint on its bottom you too will have paint buildup after ten years or so. The problem here is you are not wearing enough of the paint away so you are wasting money by putting on too many coats and are getting paint build up as well. The rule is you can paint over a hard paint with a soft or hard paint, but never try to put a hard paint over a soft paint. It should be obvious, as the soft paint wears, there goes your outer hard paint. The idea of putting on two contrasting colors is a very good one. After you put on your base coat of bottom epoxy, choose an ablative color that will contrast with your final coat and make this your second coat. Then put on your final ablative coat of the color of your choosing. When the second coat starts to show through, you are still protected but know that you will have to sooner or later repaint the bottom. If you purchased a multi-season ablative paint, and do not go like hell, you could end up going two or even three years before you would need another coat. The only negative thing about this approach is your bottom could look like hell with the contrasting blotches showing through. If you have a boat with a soft bottom paint on it, do not let your yard go crazy with a power pressure washer in the off season. A high powered pressure washer can remove more of the paint than you might wish. A gentle washing is usually more than enough to re-activate it even if the boat of your dreams is a rowboat.

Just a few more pointers for you. Practical Sailer evaluates bottom paints and is considered the bible when it comes to reviewing bottom paints. Manufacturers are always changing their formulations so read the Practical Sailer reviews if you wish to know what is currently the best buy for you. I see many boaters purchase paints in which they are just wasting their money. Here in the Northeast we are not in what is considered a high fouling area. The Pettit product called Trinidad is designed for the worse of high fouling areas. It has so much cooper in it that my arms start to ache every time a customer asks for it. It is one of the greatest bottom paints made if you are going to head South for the summer where serious fouling is the rule, but up here in the North, paint with about 25% copper is probably all you need especially if your boating season is just a couple of months. More copper will never hurt (excepting the environment), but it is the most expensive component in your paint. Do not buy what you do not need. The big problem we have in the Northeast is slime. What slime does is covers your bottom thus preventing the anti fouling components from doing their job. It also looks horrible. Most manufacturers will have part of their line containing anti-slime components as well. Do you need it? Who really knows, slime cannot be predicted accurately from one season to the next. Three years ago, the department of highways went nuts and over did it with that mixture of grass seed and fertilizers that they spray along the roadside to promote the growth of grass. If you spray it on a rock, it will grow grass on it. The over spray got into our coves and what a mess it made that year. No one can predict if it is going to be a good or bad year for slime, so I would just assume it is going to be bad and get the anti slime.

foamcutter

A little over a year ago I bought a 1981 Master Marine 28 footer that had apparently spent it's whole life out of the water (no sign of bottom paint). She needed paint, electronics, pumps, rocket launcher, batteries etc.
While I had her out of the water I faired the bottom , applied 5 coats of barrier coat and 3 of an ablative paint with 2 extra on the waterline. The guy that said that ablative paint is great if the boat is used is right, but if you don't use her I'm not so sure. She sits in the water behind my house and as they say it's self cleaning it just looks a little crazy at times. It must be working because anywhere I used Pettit's system on the tabs and mtor.I have muscles and other growthonthe metal in a few weeks but the bottom is good . Have a great and safe Christmas and New Year.

seahunt202

Exelent info, very much appreciated.
About how much paint will I need per coat, she's 19'7" long with a 97" beam, 16 deg. dedrise and drafts 12".
Just for shits and giggles, She's got a 135 hp. motor and tops out @ 40 mph. but I hardly ever get that in salt water 'cause of the chop. Any suggestions on which paint to buy for my ablative?