Can anyone tell me what kind (brand) of Bottom Paint this might be?

thinwater · Mar 27, 2026

Just read the instructions.

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/product/product-detail/2325

(rev. I missed the "comes off" part.)
Almost certainly an ablative conventional hard copper- based antifouling. Looks loose, so at least some of it needs to come off. Fix the dings first.

You can, in fact overcoat most ablatives with hard paint, but ONLY if you do a really, really good job of sanding the hell out of them first. In your case, that means taking back to a bare hull. It looks mostly gone, so sanding with coarse paper with a RO sander should do it in a few hours. I don't think the complexities of stripping are merited for this little bit.

Davidasailor26 · Mar 27, 2026

Carl Wonderful said:
comes off very easily on your hands.

Sounds like some form of ablative to me. Usually hard paints don’t slough off that easily. Generally speaking ablatives can be over-coated with other ablatives after just enough sanding to remove loose paint, but going over them with hard paints or VC-17 is not recommended without first removing what’s there.

If you do need to remove the existing paint this recent post by @rgranger could help - https://forums.sailboatowners.com/threads/how-to-remove-bottom-paint.1249943348/post-1861109

danm1 · Mar 29, 2026

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...cQFnoECA8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw0f64ecAroE8shTYHw_Y7MG

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Davidasailor26 · Mar 29, 2026

I’ve been using Vivid since the 2017 season. I think it does a good job of antifouling, and it can be burnished to a pretty fast smooth coat. In my experience it doesn’t really slough off when dry. When wet it performs more like an ablative that can wear off pretty easily, but when dry it’s pretty hard, which is why it can be burnished. If what you have is wearing off that easily when dry I’d suspect it’s not still the Vivid from the receipt.

What I have seen on both my boat and another in the marina is that after about 7 seasons the Vivid starts to lose adhesion. For that reason I probably wouldn’t layer a different coating like VC on top. If what you have still seems pretty well adhered I’d sand it lightly with 80 grit and put a fresh coat of Vivid on top. If the existing Vivid is flaking or falling off I’d take it all off down to the gelcoat, apply fresh barrier coat, and then whatever fresh paint you’d like.

Project_Mayhem · Mar 29, 2026

Bottompaintstore.com has compatibility charts for various manufacturers

danm1 · Mar 29, 2026

Just Google "pettit vivid application instructions" for a link to the Pettit pdf.

Davidasailor26 · Mar 29, 2026

Carl Wonderful said:
The receipt showed that in 2015 a professional company sanded down to gelcoat and epoxy'd and did a whole big job on the hull. the total cost was like $6000 for that! So I think its prepared really well. (I attached the receipt) IIts an old boat (1971) but the owner used it all the time and was said to took really good care of it. I wonder why the hull needed so much work? Any ideas?

Over the years paint builds up. Once there are enough layers it could be best to have it blasted off to start fresh.

Carl Wonderful said:
Are there different versions of Petit?

Pettit is the manufacturer. They have a few different lines of paint, of which Vivid is one. Any Vivid is basically the same, just pigmented different colors.

Carl Wonderful said:
Can you explain what you mean by Burished?

Burnishing is basically polishing to make a smooth fast surface. It’s usually done by racers or those that are very performance focused.

Since it’s not flaking off and it’s only been 7 years since it was all redone you shouldn’t need to to anything too dramatic. Read the Vivid datasheet and follow the instructions to sand with 80 grit and apply a couple thin new coats.

Project_Mayhem · Mar 29, 2026

It's a big job if it's being sanded off. It took me half a summer to redo the bottom of a 19' Sailboat that someone had put topside paint on. My friend sanded, applied barrier coat and bottom paint on my C30. It took him 120+ hours to do it by hand with a Merka sander. That didn't include the time I spent grinding and fairing cracks we found on the keel.

Considering that the boat had blisters, $6k for everything isn't out of the question. It says a lot about how much the owner cared for this boat. I wonder if the wife was mad when she saw the total on that receipt...

Morgan donor · Mar 30, 2026

I'd pressure wash the bottom. Sand with a DA/80grit and roll on the least expensive ablative you can find. Don't over think it.

Mitch Witt · Mar 30, 2026

Carl Wonderful said:
Thanks for you input.

The current bottom paint does not flake or fall off...I just meant that if I rub it with my finger or hand, I get a little blue on my hand.

The receipt showed that in 2015 a professional company sanded down to gelcoat and epoxy'd and did a whole big job on the hull. the total cost was like $6000 for that! So I think its prepared really well. (I attached the receipt) IIts an old boat (1971) but the owner used it all the time and was said to took really good care of it. I wonder why the hull needed so much work? Any ideas? Also (after owner passed) the boat sat in indoor storage from 2022 to 2025.

Anyways.... I just got to figure out now if I should sand it down a bit or what before I apply the new coat of Petit.

Are there different versions of Petit?

Can you explain what you mean by Burished?

Thanks!!!!!

Just remove the old paint and apply your system, get used to the work, much more ahead. Haul out in a yard in which you can do your own work?

Sailorpat · Mar 30, 2026

I’m betting Interlux Bottomcoat, in a blue that fades to a lighter blue over time. I’m also from Western PA, sailed on Pymatuning back In the late 80s, early 90’s and that was a popular choice in our area at the time.

Captain Larry-DH · Mar 30, 2026

I’d take these steps:
1 - power wash, let dry
2 - scrape any loose or flaking paint. Pry up any flaking paint that’s loose.
3 - use a random-orbit sander with 80-grit to give it some roughness or “tooth” for the new paint to adhere. Smooth edges of flaked areas. Bottom paint dust is extremely toxic! Wear a good respirator, tyvek suit and gloves, goggles and hair cover (PPE).
4 - Tape bootline. Use Pettit Vivid in the color of your choice. Pettit Hydrocoat is another good alternative if you want a water based ablative. Follow maker’s instructions. (You mentioned VC-17 - I don’t recommend it and have no experience with it. I read that it’s not compatible with everything unless you strip down the bottom to base and start over, and it can’t be overcoated with other paint types in the future unless it’s completely removed first ).

The keel appears to be cast iron and rust has caused paint adhesion issues in some spots. You can slap some paint on it and go sailing, or you can try to correct it.
Correction takes a lot of work. Rust is like a cancer and the keel needs to be stripped (start with 60 grit), then coated with multiple epoxy barrier coats, then painted with antifouling paint. To get a good bond you need to do the first antifouling coat within hours of the final coat of barrier paint cure. Follow manufacturer guidelines.

Joe · Mar 30, 2026

Carl Wonderful said:
Hello all.

Boat will be in a slip all season in western PA on freshwater.

I bought this boat with no knowledge of anything except that they had sanded the hull down, and painted with some sort of bottom paint, a year before the old owner passed away. Its a light sky teal/blue color and comes off very easily on your hands.

I need to paint the boat but I have no idea what bottom paint this is and I hear that they are almost completely UNcompatable with each other.

1. What would you do?

Start with the new bottom paint you want to use. Closely study manufacturer's instructions for surface prep and application. Check the can label and their website for this info. Besides surface prep and application directives I've always followed manufacturer's recommendation of associated products, such as primers, thinners, cleaners, brushing and spraying liquids, etc. Your concern about painting over ablative paint with a specific paint brand will be answered when doing this research. 'There is where you'll learn if a special primer may be recommended.

Jan11 · Mar 30, 2026

There is almost no paint left so sand it off, not going through the barrier coat, and paint with VC-17m. You'll be very happy with it. Don't worry too much if you go through the barrier coat in a few spots.

The nice thing about VC-17M is that it never builds up so you wont have to ever take it off again.

Project_Mayhem · Mar 30, 2026

Merka netted sanding discs will save you time and possibly money. We found that they cut faster, last longer an dont get clogged up as easily

Alan K · Mar 30, 2026

I've used Petit's Vivid Bottom Paint for nearly 20 years. It's a hard ablative solvent-based paint. When out of the water, the finish is matte and and quite hard...not chalky like most ablatives. If you wipe it with your finger, you WILL see some paint wipe off but you have to press pretty hard. I'd stick with this product if that's what's there. However...your receipt was for Vivid WHITE paint. Your photo looks like BLUE so this could be a different paint, OR the owner, thoughtfully, put on a base coat of White Vivid and overcoated with Blue Vivid so that he could see when he was down to the White layer and where he needed to repaint.

With any bottom paint, it's important to avoid excess buildup. Years ago I barrier-coated my hull with gray barrier paint. Now, whenever I see a little gray showing through, I only repaint those areas... always the water line, the leading edge of the keel and most of the rudder, but rarely the flat part of the bottom.

Vivid is a pricey paint, but it goes on in thin layers and you don't need to recoat every square inch of bottom every year.

Can anyone tell me what kind (brand) of Bottom Paint this might be?

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