Which Bottom Paint for Lake Minnetonka?

Jan 22, 2008
198
Montgomery 17, Venture of Newport, Mirror sailing dinghy, El Toro sailing dinghy Mound, MN -- Lake Minnetonka
For those of you sailing on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota, what brand and type of bottom paint have you found to be most effective? I have been using Petit Vivid on my 17' trailer sailor (kept on a mooring on the Upper Lake) for several years. It was initially very effective but this last season the slime was especially thick and there were some patches of zebra mussels. The bottom of my boat actually looked worse than that of my next door neighbor's even though he does not use any bottom paint at all. Admittedly, his is a power boat that doesn't suffer the low speeds of a small sailboat. I do use my boat about 3 times a week.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Do you paint every year? When was the last time you painted the bottom? Vivid is a hard ablative paint. Eventually the biocide leaches out and the paint become ineffective.
 
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Jan 22, 2008
198
Montgomery 17, Venture of Newport, Mirror sailing dinghy, El Toro sailing dinghy Mound, MN -- Lake Minnetonka
Yep, light sanding and a fresh coat or two every spring.
 
Oct 29, 2012
346
Catalina 30 TRBS MkII Milwaukee
As Dave suggested, how often do you paint?
For simplicity, you just want to clean the bottom well and repaint with the Vivid. Since the boat is on a trailer, no concerns about drying time.
Other products my not be as easy to over-coat the existing paint. Contact the Petit company because unfortunately most boat shows here in the north were canceled, so no opportunity to talk in person with Petit reps. Just like their competitors they offer a wealth of info
vivid-product-data-sheet.pdf (pettitpaint.com)
 
Oct 29, 2012
346
Catalina 30 TRBS MkII Milwaukee
The active ingredients in Vivid can settle over time, especially if the paint has been on the shelf for several months. It is necessary to thoroughly mix the paint before using. If possible, shake the can of paint on a mechanical paint shaker. Before using, check the sides and bottom of the can to make sure all of the pigment has been mixed in. If mixing is going to be done with a wooden paddle or an electric drill mixer, pour off half of the liquid from the top of the can into another can and then properly mix in any settled pigment; then remix the two parts together thoroughly.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
If the paint wasn't mixed well, that could be an issue. Also some years are just worse than others for fouling. Sunlight, water temp, fertilizer runoff can call contribute to increased growth.

Zebra mussels also vary from place to place and year to year.
 
Oct 29, 2012
346
Catalina 30 TRBS MkII Milwaukee
COATING PERFORMANCE, IN GENERAL, IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE DEGREE OF SURFACE PREPARATION. FOLLOW ALL RECOMMENDATIONS VERY CAREFULLY, AVOIDING ANY SHORTCUTS.
 
Jan 22, 2008
198
Montgomery 17, Venture of Newport, Mirror sailing dinghy, El Toro sailing dinghy Mound, MN -- Lake Minnetonka
If the paint wasn't mixed well, that could be an issue. Also some years are just worse than others for fouling. Sunlight, water temp, fertilizer runoff can call contribute to increased growth.

Zebra mussels also vary from place to place and year to year.
Yes, that is why I was hoping someone from Lake Minnetonka would chime in regarding what is working currently. Between Chiquita and Monita I have had a boat in the water here every season for 45 years. I have used a variety of bottom paints over the years. Some have worked well for a while, others not so much. With few exceptions I have used fresh bottom paint every year. I have been using Vivid for several years now but I know that fouling conditions can change from season to season. That is why I am hoping for someone local to share what they are currently finding to be effective.
 
Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
Yes, that is why I was hoping someone from Lake Minnetonka would chime in regarding what is working currently. Between Chiquita and Monita I have had a boat in the water here every season for 45 years. I have used a variety of bottom paints over the years. Some have worked well for a while, others not so much. With few exceptions I have used fresh bottom paint every year. I have been using Vivid for several years now but I know that fouling conditions can change from season to season. That is why I am hoping for someone local to share what they are currently finding to be effective.
I race at Wayzata YC and use VC17 so I get to paint a bit every year. Any ablative is probably fine for keeping those nasty shells off your boat. I have had other paints besides VC17 and they work fine. I think when I had my O'Day I used Interlux ACT.

Zebra mussels also vary from place to place and year to year.
They are year over year quite prevalent on our lake, as is the Eurasian Milfoil. When I had my O'Day 25, years ago, after hooking up to the mooring I pulled the motor up and it had quite the salad of milfoil with Zebra Muscles on the milfoil.
 
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Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
COATING PERFORMANCE, IN GENERAL, IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE DEGREE OF SURFACE PREPARATION. FOLLOW ALL RECOMMENDATIONS VERY CAREFULLY, AVOIDING ANY SHORTCUTS.
No need to "shout"...... We all understand that prep is extremely important to any painting project.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
sailing on Lake Minnetonka...
Isn't that the lake with a giant fish stalking boats around the lake community, the fish is known as “Lou.”:yikes:

Some prehistoric night mare that comes up from some deep cavern and has been rumored to snap silver bottom colored Jon Boats and Pontoon Boats into two pieces, dragging the occupants back into the deep dark waters. :stir:

I would not use any silver paint even if it was zebra muscle proof. :yikes:
 
Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
Isn't that the lake with a giant fish stalking boats around the lake community, the fish is known as “Lou.”:yikes:

Some prehistoric night mare that comes up from some deep cavern and has been rumored to snap silver bottom colored Jon Boats and Pontoon Boats into two pieces, dragging the occupants back into the deep dark waters. :stir:

I would not use any silver paint even if it was zebra muscle proof. :yikes:
What in the name of God are you talking about? Seriously, if you have nothing constructive to offer a thread, maybe just move on......

Also, The word "Minnetonka" comes from the Dakota Indian "mni tanka" meaning "great water".
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
It is hard to fathom that the internet has more history of your lake than an encyclopedia..


It is like the Loch Ness monster of Minnesota.

And paint on a small boat is like paint on a big boat. It works for a while then it doesn't. Works better is your scrub the boat occasionally and you pull it from the water and repaint. If you are going racing and you want an advantage you keep the boat bottom as clean as possible. Even to the extent that you pull it from the water and polish the bottom. Sailing every day will minimize the growth.
 
Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
It is hard to fathom that the internet has more history of your lake than an encyclopedia..


It is like the Loch Ness monster of Minnesota.

And paint on a small boat is like paint on a big boat. It works for a while then it doesn't. Works better is your scrub the boat occasionally and you pull it from the water and repaint. If you are going racing and you want an advantage you keep the boat bottom as clean as possible. Even to the extent that you pull it from the water and polish the bottom. Sailing every day will minimize the growth.
Yeah, we have carp, sturgeon etc.. nothing that matches with that post you came up with though...... No, not the "Loch Ness Monster" of Minnesota. :rolleyes:

As for pulling a boat here to repaint, yeah it's called the end of the season as the water freezes here. We are all aware about the boat moving through the water and the paint ablating, keeping the slime off. Plus the biocides in the paint keeping the zebras off. Thanks for the tip on racing.......
 
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Jan 22, 2008
198
Montgomery 17, Venture of Newport, Mirror sailing dinghy, El Toro sailing dinghy Mound, MN -- Lake Minnetonka
Yeah, we have carp, sturgeon etc.. nothing that matches with that post you came up with though...... No, not the "Loch Ness Monster" of Minnesota. :rolleyes:
The linked post is from one of our own weekly newspapers, the Lakeshore Weekly News. The article was tongue-in-cheek. I vaguely remember reading it myself.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
'Most effective' bottom paint is a highly complex topic, even for people that sail in the same waters.

User patterns, performance goals, mooring type, off-season storage and existing bottom finish all factor.

I use VC17, applied every year over a perfectly smooth bottom. It actually goes pretty quick once you get the bottom into the proper shape (smooth hard epoxy) and the process down. But getting to that position requires hours of work and/or 1000s of dollars.

On Minnetonka, algae will grow on any surface that gets direct sunlight.
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
From what I know about that lake, it had better be a bottom paint that tells a tall tale. lol
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I've never been convinced of the need for yearly painting in a freshwater lake. I was never able to paint for 11 seasons on Lake Hopatcong (marina rules) and had to live with the existing paint surface that came with the boat. Granted, the purpose was never for racing. I did have algae slime, but nothing else ... certainly no mussels. I did have to dive and scrub at least once or twice in July and August and finally in about the middle of September. Bottom could easily be cleaned this way and I never had any slime build-up at the end of the season. I never minded diving on the bottom as it was just part of the routine of swimming around the boat in hot weather.

The slime did affect boat speed for sure. I could tell when cleaning was needed because motoring speed dropped off by about 1/2 knot (or more if I was late) and black smoke in the (diesel) exhaust was noticeable.

I think a lot of reasoning for bottom paint in fresh water is dependent on how sensitive you are to performance. Why not go a year without it? I'd think that you might have the same experience as your neighbor. Lake Hopatcong has milfoil, but not zebra mussels. I've never experienced milfoil fouling the bottom and don't really even know what it looks like. Lake Hopatcong does have significant algae and weed growth. The weed growth seems to be exacerbated by increased water clarity, which varies from year to year. A few years ago, there were swimming restrictions based on a proliferation of a certain algae. Water quality in Lake Hopatcong is pretty good for a high-traffic, intensely populated lake but certainly not as good as Lake Minnetonka. I don't think anybody applies bottom paint there, even boats that are in the water all season. I don't know why you would want to build up all those layers of paint if you don't have to.

We did have an Anaconda loose in Lake Hopatcong a few years ago! ;)
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Some freshwater lakes are heavily infested with zebra mussels. They are prolific and will heavily foul a boat. In other areas there is a lot of algae that will start as slime and over the course of a season turn into a full waterline beard.