Dingy grows grass! Prevention concepts?

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Apr 7, 2015

What kind of dinghy? RIB (fg or al), air floor, keel, hard dinghy, etc.

We had some success with the inflatable bottom paint sold at Defender. We are having problems now because we can't find a similar paint that is compatible with our al hull RIB.

But I don't think any bottom paint will let you leave the dinghy in the water for 4 months without touching it. With the bottom paint the best we saw was being able to go 3-4 weeks and the growth would come off easier. Without bottom paint I am cleaning every 2 weeks and I still get decent grass growing.

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Apr 7, 2015

Chief RA said:
Air floor, 10', wood transom, 15hp motor. Chief

I would give that bottom paint a try then. It doesn't come off on your hand like ablative and it doesn't crack or peel when you roll up the inflatable.

YVRguy · Apr 7, 2015

Same problem here. Spent half a day scraping the bottom of my Walker Bay after leaving it stationary in the water for a couple of months. I finally just hauled it up on the deck for the winter. Summer is never a problem because we're pulling it behind the boat all the time.

richk · Apr 7, 2015

Personally, if anyone can come with a solution I'd like to try it. After every trip I have to haul the rib up on a narrow finger pier by hand then walk, on top of the dink, back to main pier. Keeping in water would be much easier.

Stu Jackson · Apr 7, 2015

Jim, ya just gotta get it outta da water.

Avoid a dingy dinghy. :dance:

RTB · Apr 7, 2015

Chief RA said:
After leaving my dingy in the salt water for 4 months I could have mowed the grass that grew on the bottom!

I'll be following this one. Don't try leaving the dink in the water for even a month in Florida......or you get way more than grass! Plenty of barnacles under that grass.

Ralph
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/brogdon/

Joe · Apr 7, 2015

Dinks are not designed to be left in the water...... that's why they're dinks. You leave them in the water for any length of time... they start walking around on their own.

If you invest in some davits to lift the thing out with motor attached....maybe. But ask yourself why you see boats with the aux ob stored on a pushpit rail mount and the inflatable upside down on the fore deck.

Sorry to be a pessimist.... there's just no other way to keep the bottom clear... don't leave it in the water.... or if you do.. drive it every day.

Bill1565 · Apr 7, 2015

Chief RA said:
How about waxing the bottom several coats? Anyone tried that? Chief

Wax wont stop salt water weeds. The real answer is weekly or monthly trips to the beach. Remove the outboard, roll the dingy over and scrub the stuff off the bottom with a 3M scrubby.

caguy · Apr 7, 2015

Chief RA said:
If we do not have a good substance then maybe we should develop a test substance list to try out. Car wax, vaseline, bottom paints, bees wax? Chief

I understand that this stuff has been in the works for the last few years.

McIntoshUSA · Apr 7, 2015

I have a small 4' x 8' x 10" piece of styrofoam that I pull my dinghy up on to get it out of the water when not using it. at the house. I have outdoor carpet on top of the styrofoam so it slides on and off easy.

JoeWhite · Apr 7, 2015

Try rubbing Lanacote - from West Marine for about $ 14.00. It is mainly Lanoline and keeps the water away. My boatyard placed it on the propeller and it was fairly clean after 2 1/2 years.

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Apr 7, 2015

McIntoshUSA said:
I have a small 4' x 8' x 10" piece of styrofoam that I pull my dinghy up on to get it out of the water when not using it. at the house. I have outdoor carpet on top of the styrofoam so it slides on and off easy.

We have a friend that did the same thing. Works well if you have the space.

Mark Maulden · Apr 7, 2015

Most everyone here bought a small section of floating dock. Seems to be working well..