Annual Maintenance on a Hunter 212

[Ted Roderick]

I bought a new Hunter 212 last year and got it in the water (Barnegat Bay, NJ) in April. I took it out in October and left it outside on a cradle. I am being advised to re-paint the bottom and wax the topsides. Is this necessary for these new plastic composition boats? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jim Covey]

Depends on bottom paint

If the bottom paint is a multi season ablative you shouldn't need to repaint unless it's noticeably thin. These paints don't lose their effectiveness out of water.Other types, such as modified epoxy or thin film (VC-17) paint lose their effectiveness over time out of the water and need to be re-applied each year if you haul out.I'm not sure about waxing for the new plastics so hopefully someone else with experience can answer that one.Fair winds,Jim

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

Plastic isn't the problem

Water is, and what's in the water. They haven't made a bottom yet that's impervious to slime and barnacles, so you'll need to apply bottom paint if the boat stays in the water any length of time, ie. 2 weeks and up .

 

[Mark Malcolm]

Repaint after only 6 months in the water?

I'd check with Hunter, but I don't believe any of the Advanced Composite boats were originally painted, nor, require painting. The color is impregnated in the plastic (hopefully Dave Condon will chime in...). I do know that you don't want to handle this boat the same way you handle a fiberglass boat. Chemicals and applicants that are great for FG can do really really bad things to plastics. I'd check with your dealer or Hunter directly before doing anything.