Best bottom paint for a cruising sailboat in Long Island sound?

[Captain Larry-DH]

I’ve been keeping sailboats in Long Island Sound since 1977 and tried many ablative bottom paints over the years. The only one that didn’t need a diver at least once a month to wipe off the slime was Micron 66, but that had other issues.
EPA regulations and paint formulations have changed over the years, some paints have come and gone, companies have changed hands, and some formulations have probably changed without changing the name of the paint.
Nobody seems to be testing except PS, but their recent tests (in brackish upper Chesapeake and Florida waters) are not relevant in LIS waters, which are a very high growth area due to pollution from dense population and runoff from NYC, suburban lawns, fertilizer etc.
For the last few years I’ve used Pettit Hydrocoat SR (when SR is available) and I’m not happy with the performance. The picture below was at haulout after one year of year-round use from CT to Maine to the Bahamas and back. It had been cleaned by a diver just 5 weeks prior to haulout!
Who (specifically in LIS) is happy with your bottom paint, and what do you use? Ablatives preferred.

 

[dlochner]

Not specific to LIS, however I did spend sometime on the Sound. I've been very disappointed with the TotalBoat ablative paint. It seemed to do fine up north in cold water, however, once we hit LIS in September including too much time in Marion, MA and several wonderful days at Mystic Seaport, the growth took off. The bottom was cleaned of foot long growth in Mid-October down on the Chesapeake and 10 days after cleaning the growth was back in full force. The ablative paint also seem to ablate rapidly, much faster than I would have expected. By the time I had the boat hauled, two coats of paint had worn off in spots.

We just had 2 coats of Petitt Odessey 60 applied here in Brunswick GA. The yard manager says the locals get a couple of seasons out of it. We'll see how it does after we get back from the Bahamas in a few months.

 

[PaulK]

Each harbor will be somewhat different because of the temperatures, water flows, salinity and runoff. We used Micron CSC for 25 years on our J/36 in a Connecticut tidal river. With cleaning by a diver about every other week during the racing season we'd end up with just a slight fuzz at haul out. The Sabre we now have has a different paint which also seems to work well. Will find out what the yard is using.

 

[PaulK]

The paint we liked so much last season is Petit Odyssey HD. It's supposed to hold up for more than one season according to the hype from them & Jamestown Distributors:
"Odyssey HD is a multi-season ablative antifouling that combines high copper content with controlled polishing, for a durable finish suitable for use on power and sailboats in all waters. Compatible over most existing finishes, this bottom paint lets you haul and relaunch without losing effectiveness. Minimal buildup leaves surfaces clean, smooth, and ready for next season, without heavy sanding."

Not sure how much we want to risk not putting a new coat on for this summer though.

 

[Rich Stidger]

I've been in LIS for many years and I'm currently in Narraganset Bay. I've used lots of different paints, often going with the best buy. I don't have a real favorite, and I don't have brand loyalty. For the last 2-3 years I have been using Interlux Aqua One. It works as well as anything else I've used, and it is on the lower end of price.
However, I scuff the bottom and paint every year. I have found that the multi-year paints don't perform well the second year. Regardless of brand or formula, they just don't perform as claimed.
I use a 3/16" nap roller (yes, 3/16") and I roll on the thinnest possible coat. I have found that this gives me good protection for the year without year-to-year build-up.
I don't generally have the bottom cleaned in season unless I have not been able to use the boat for 4+ weeks.
IMHO, the best way to keep the bottom clean is to use the boat every day. The cleanest boat bottom in the harbor is the yacht club launch.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

Like many, i have used a number of different paints over the years. My favorite was Pettit ultima SR 40 or 60. Unfortunately that paint was discontinued around 2020. The replacement was Odyssey, available in HD, 60, and trident. I tried Trident once and I was very disappointed. It was very soft, needed to be cleaned at least once a month and by the end of the season all of the paint was gone. I probably scrubbed it too hard. Anyway last year I went with Pettit Trinidad XSR. This is a harder paint. For me it worked better than Odyssey. Still cleaned it once a month but there was plenty of paint left at the end of the season. I'm actually hoping to get 3 years from this pain but if not, I am OK with 2 years.

In my harbor (near Port Jefferson), I start sailing in May. By the july 4 weekend the water has warmed enough to require a bottom cleaning every 2-4 weeks.

I race my boat and having a clean and fair bottom is incredibly important.

Barry

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Thanks everyone for your input. I decided to try Micron Extra SPC this year. Will report back in the future.