VC 17 is not an ablative paint in the sense that we usually think of ablative paints, but it does wear, especially on the leading edges of the hull, keel, and rudder.
The manufacturer does not consider it an ablative paint and neither do I (22 years in the hull cleaning business.) For the purposes of forum discussion, it's best to be accurate when referring to any of the wide variety of anti fouling paint products and types, IMHO.
I thought it was red, blue, and original? My boat was painted with VC17 original when I got it and I put several more coats of original on it. It goes on a pretty shiny copper color and then after a few weeks in the water it turns sort of a muddy brown. Last year I put on a coat of red, which goes on the same copper color, and later turns red. Looks pink in the can. VC17 comes in two parts, btw, a can of liquid and a bag of copper powder that you mix in before applying.
I may have misconstrued the effects of an Ablative paint, relative to a coating that degrades over time. Ablative, from what I've learned is more along the lines of a "sloughing" process, similar to the wearing away of a bar of soap. The Interlux VC17M degrades/oxidizes/departs while moving/sailing in the water, keeping the hull relatively smooth and free from critters that have shells (zebra mussels) and substantial algae formations. Our boat doesn't sit still enough in the marina to worry about such things, but I really like the protection we get from this easily recoatable product. Regardless, the VC17M does degrade, not ablate, and needs periodic (2 season) recoating, at least on the fresh waters of Cayuga Lake.
The blue stuff goes on like the original copper color, but turns blue once the boat is in the water for a while. I have never seen the black.
For freshwater sailors, using VC 17 completely eliminates this step!
