What brand of bottom paint is best for fiberglass small sailboats

[videorov]

Is there a good bottom paint that you don't have to rough up the gelcoat for it to bond on a new boat. Maybe
there is a primer coat that can be used for it to bond and not have to grind away some of the gelcoat. How long are most bottom paints lasting today in Florida saltwater?

 

[Joe]

Go to your local chandlery and find out what folks are using in your area. If it's a new boat the mold wax must be removed. Ask the dealer. You can use a two part primer that creates a chemical bond... rather than scratching the gel coat... I used a product from Pro Line.... but the dealer or a chandlery will hook you up.

 

[dlochner]

Is there a good bottom paint that you don't have to rough up the gelcoat for it to bond on a new boat. Maybe
there is a primer coat that can be used for it to bond and not have to grind away some of the gelcoat. How long are most bottom paints lasting today in Florida saltwater?

The gelcoat needs to be roughed up so the paint has something to bond to. A quick sanding with 80 grit on a random orbital is usually enough. Before sanding any wax needs to be removed. It can not come off by sanding, sanding will only embed the wax in the gelcoat.

On a new boat, once the wax is removed it is a good idea to first put an epoxy barrier coat on the hull. Interlux 2000 is one choice, there are others. The bottom paint is then hot coated on to the last coat of barrier coat. There is lots of information on the paint manufacturers website.

Jamestown Distributors does a survey every year. The results are tabulated by geographic area. It should be on their website. Practical Sailor also tests bottom paint.

How long it lasts depends on the type of bottom paint, hard or ablative, how often the boat is sailed, and the local water conditions.

 

[jssailem]

Your query says “small sailboat “. Is the boat going to be in the water all the time or in and out, not left in the water?
Are you sailing in salt water or fresh water lakes?
For 15 years I sailed a small boat as a day sailer from a trailer. No bottom paint required. Regular wax and wash downs when pulling her.

On the water in a slip, seek local boat painters opinions and boaters at the marina.

Then it is how much work you want to go through be it multiple coats hard surface or ablative.

 

[Benny17441]

Once you paint the first time there is no going back, you will continue to paint. There is no need to worry about roughing up the gelcoat, like you say, as the bottom will never return to a smooth clean surface. Unless the boat is used for racing and can be stored out of the water it will need to be painted for protection, performance and convenience.

 

[Chief RA]

jssailem is asking the right question. You may be wasting time, money and effort. I personally would not bottom paint it for salt or fresh water. Just clean and wax. Faster that way as well. Chief

 

[LeslieTroyer]

@jssailem and @Joe have it but remember to tell the pro’s you ask how you sail your boat and store it. Some paints can’t stant to be out of the water for a few hours without loosing effectiveness. If you trailer or store the boat on the hard for the winter they would be a poor choice.

Contrary to what’s said above some hard bottom paints can be burnished to a very smooth finish.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

What boat do you have? How long in the water? Fresh or salt water. All good responses but need further info. Use to be a small sailboat dealer

 

[fstbttms]

You're in Florida, so there are hundreds of experienced, hull cleaning professionals close by. Call a hull diver in your area and ask what he/she recommends. Nobody else is qualified to give you a better answer.

 

[epicjohn]

I work for Epic Doors which manufactures high-performance fiberglass entry doors. We evaluated several paint suppliers including TruCoat 623, Sherwin Williams Polane 2K Acrylic, and Aquasurtech D200.

We were looking for an environmentally friendly, single component water based paint that was super durable, had great adhesion and laid down smooth.

Based upon our evaluation we selected TruCoat 623. It was much more environmentally friendly than Polane 2K and is a single component and TruCoat had better adhesion than D200 and was priced better.

 

[NYSail]

I work for Epic Doors which manufactures high-performance fiberglass entry doors. We evaluated several paint suppliers including TruCoat 623, Sherwin Williams Polane 2K Acrylic, and Aquasurtech D200.M

We were looking for an environmentally friendly, single component water based paint that was super durable, had great adhesion and laid down smooth.

Based upon our evaluation we selected TruCoat 623. It was much more environmentally friendly than Polane 2K and is a single component and TruCoat had better adhesion than D200 and was priced better.

And how did it work fending off growth?

 

[epicjohn]

And how did it work fending off growth?

I can't get exact point of your question, but I can tell you that this is the paint we used after testing over 10 of manufactures for fiberglass and stick with it over 3 years now. It is made specifically for fiberglass so it doesn’t require any special primers, is super durable and lays down really smoothly.

If you have any special questions, you can ask them using email/contact form, as I am just worker that is using their paint, everything else they will answer. TruCoat Contact.

 

[dlochner]

I can't get exact point of your question, but I can tell you that this is the paint we used after testing over 10 of manufactures for fiberglass and stick with it over 3 years now. It is made specifically for fiberglass so it doesn’t require any special primers, is super durable and lays down really smoothly.

If you have any special questions, you can ask them using email/contact form, as I am just worker that is using their paint, everything else they will answer. TruCoat Contact.

The thread is about bottom paint, also known as anti-fouling paint. I doubt the doors you painted were submerged in saltwater subject to marine growth.

 

[epicjohn]

The thread is about bottom paint, also known as anti-fouling paint. I doubt the doors you painted were submerged in saltwater subject to marine growth.

Correct, I think best opinion is to contact them and let them test it for you. So far I can say that I am very satisfied with them, so it may help you or other people as suggestion to review

 

[jssailem]

It is an interesting suggestion John.
I can see you have enjoyed the quality of the paint in your experience.

What @dlochner is stating, just the ability of paint to adhere to a fiberglass surface has not proven to be good for use on a boat. While it is a desirable feature there are other criteria that are needed dependent on the area to be covered, the type of use the area will receive etc. Marine organisms are tenacious creatures adhering to the boat bottom even when the paint is laced with nasty chemicals proven to be repulsive to the buggers.

TruCoat states:​

for fiberglass pultrusions and fiberglass doors. .... a coating that combines the optimal performance characteristics home owners, contractors and manufacturers have been seeking.​

• Exceptional adhesion and surface hardness
• Long-term color fastness and fade resistance
• Ease of application and cleanup
• Low VOC and environmentally friendly

Perhaps it may serve parts of the interior of a boat. Nothing is discussed on the ability of painted surfaces to resist oils, chemicals, salt water, constant abrasive foot traffic etc.

For a boat that is kept out of the water there may be a use regarding the bottom, but the paint film will need to resist the dragging of the boat across a beach or onto the bunks of a trailer. All of these exposures/utilizations are greatly different to the nature of a covering for a house door.

Perhaps the company can invest some of their testing into "boat painting". We are a skeptic group we boat owners.

 

[capta]

As said by others above, if trailered, I can see no reason to paint you boat's bottom. However, after quite a few years in tropical waters, including Fla, I've found that no antifouling paint actually keeps marine growth at bay for any length of time. One way or the other, you are going to have to clean your boat's bottom or have it done for you, therefore I'd suggest that you buy a moderately to low priced antifouling paint.

 

[dlochner]

Correct, I think best opinion is to contact them and let them test it for you. So far I can say that I am very satisfied with them, so it may help you or other people as suggestion to review

Are you saying you painted your boat with Trucoat and leave it in the water?

Bottom paints are classified as pesticides because they have a lot of biocides in them, such copper, econea, and irgarol. These biocides inhibit the growth of various aquatic flora and fauna. They also have other specific properties for different purposes, some are hard and do not wear away, others are ablative and are designed to wear away.

I'd suggest you spend some more time researching anti-fouling paints so you better understand their purpose and the strengths and limitations of the various kinds of paint, both antifouling and topsides paint. Paints designed for buildings tend to fare poorly in the marine environment.

 

[fstbttms]

Are you saying you painted your boat with Trucoat and leave it in the water?

This guy "epicjohn" doesn't have a clue what we're talking about. He's here to sell a product, that's all. And it's not even a sailing-related product.