First Bottom Job - What should it cost?

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Jan 5, 2009
40
Hunter 28.5 Lake Lanier
My boat needs a bottom job and I'm going to start getting quotes.
My boat's LOA is 28'5"
It has a stripe near the toe rail that is cracked and I want to replace it.
By looking at the bottom under water it has some blisters and some rust spots on the keel.

I've never had a service like this performed before and I was wondering what to expect and how much money to save up.

:confused:
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
It is almost impossible to say. Until an expert surveys the bottom you really do not know what you wiill be doing. It might require that all the paint come off and the blisters fixed. Or you might just have a few that can be repaired. If the original paint was an ablative and thin then a couple of coats and you are good to go. Then there are options like doing some or all of the work yourself. You can save a bundle by getting the old stripes off yourself. It will still cost to replace it however. Then there is the question of the keel work. First you need to get a good appraisal of the situation from someone NOT bidding on the work.

I did much the same thing including a barrier-coat before the paint. But I did all the work so it was just the cost of supplies. And lots of blisters and backaches.
 
Mar 2, 2007
69
Catalina 22 Anderson, SC
I have the same boat, a 1986 Hunter 28.5. The boat had a complete bottom job done in fall of 2007 which involved fixing lots of blisters. Price from the marina was around $5,000 to repair and put on a new epoxy bottom. This would probably be the worst case scenario, but if your boat has lots of blisters it is the way to go. It should at least have the bottom paint removed, blisters repaired, and a barrier coat put on. I did this on a previous 32' boat, and it cost much less because I did the work myself. It is difficult to find a boat yard that will allow you to do that now. Bear in mind that to do a blister repair correctly takes a lot of time to allow the blisters to dry out before they can be repaired. BTW, I am located on Lake Hartwell.
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
I would guess the bottom job only would be about $700-$1000 depending on the paint. The blisters can cost almost any price. If you have a few small blisters, then they can be opened up, rinsed out and filled within a few days. If you have a lot of blisters there is no telling what it may cost to peel the bottom and refinish.
 
Jul 24, 2005
261
MacGregor Mac26D Richardson, TX; Dana Point, CA
Depending on the year MFR and on the fiberglass, some boats seem to be extremely affected by blisters.. On a early 80's H37C, there WERE no blisters - after spending a "life" in the water... On a '88 Macgregor 26 - there were some blisters.. but it had spent virtually NO TIME in Saltwater - and very little time in freshwater (trailer boat)...

My (limited - remember!!!) experience so far says to NOT SKIMP the process: that is - make sure the materials and procedures are something for the long term.... Otherwise, you might end up doing it again... The '88 boat is likely to be prone to possible blisters.. just was the type of material adhesive in the hull.. So it was important to:
- take it down (strip/sand) to the gelcoat,
- thoroughly clean/dewax, fix all the current problems (especially on any through
hull - or near through hull holes (or hardware mounts),
- apply barrier coat (interlux) (multiple layers)
- add touchup (ie, "more layers") on high wear sections - keel, bow, etc.
- bottom paint - with the right paint...
- do the stripes.. (tape)

This is an oversimplification.. and I did (do) this myself to really learn the process. it takes a lot more time.. and our time is worth something.. but I learned a lot.. I expect that I will be out $500 in stripper/epoxy/barrier coat/bottom coat/stripes/dewaxer-cleaner.. And you can add more for sanders/abrasives, tapes, tools, etc.. And you can add more for your time... I did this in the back yard - and have learned a LOT..

If you hire it done.. at least know what the materials, supplies, and equipment costs. That way, the quotes you get will not SHOCK you.... This is an expensive process. If you hire it done, you can write a check. Do it yourself - and you will learn how to bottom paint (and the next time - you will prefer to hire it out... )....

When done - I should be out less than $1K - and it will have taken about 2 months - over the winter - to do it... I only worked on it part time - and like any newbie.. it takes quite a bit longer - and I made mistakes..

Really.. it is CHEAPER to hire it out - if you are working for a living... just my $0.02 worth....

Next bottom job - I expect to just do the bottom coat - the other will have been done...

--jerry
 
Jan 5, 2009
40
Hunter 28.5 Lake Lanier
Thanks for the responses.

So I can talk intellegently with a contractor:

Does a "bottom job" include anything above the waterline?

What needs to happen between the water line and toe rail?

How much, if you were to guess, would the stripe removal and replacement cost?
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Guessing about the stripe job. Try four hours to remove equal $200. Two hours to install equal $100. Plus the cost of the stripes. Search a 3M website and/or call Hunter.

A bottom job is just the bottom. My 37-foot topsides(sides of the hull) cost me $1000. for repairing some gouges, matching, polishing, and installing the stripes. I had already removed them with a tool from an automotive paint shop called "The Eraser".

I was lucky to have a good friend who works for 3M. Still I could not find the exact striping that I wanted. I ended up getting a roll with five stripes and sawing the roll, taking the two thinnest stripes off. The first picture is when I tried to do it myself with five stripes. I took those off. The second picture is after the professionals finished.
 

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Jan 5, 2009
40
Hunter 28.5 Lake Lanier
Guessing about the stripe job. Try four hours to remove equal $200. Two hours to install equal $100. Plus the cost of the stripes. Search a 3M website and/or call Hunter.

A bottom job is just the bottom. My 37-foot topsides(sides of the hull) cost me $1000. for repairing some gouges, matching, polishing, and installing the stripes. I had already removed them with a tool from an automotive paint shop called "The Eraser".

I was lucky to have a good friend who works for 3M. Still I could not find the exact striping that I wanted. I ended up getting a roll with five stripes and sawing the roll, taking the two thinnest stripes off. The first picture is when I tried to do it myself with five stripes. I took those off. The second picture is after the professionals finished.
Could someone please post a link to the tool that will remove stripes?

Is it a pnumatic tool like this one?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93048
 
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