I am interested in giving my boat a coat of VC17 or something similair. It has never been bottom painted, nor have I ever done anything like that. It also has a couple of 8-14 inch scratches that just do penetrate the gell coat. The boat was and will be slipped in fresh water where marine growth is my main concern. I used a pressure washer and hull cleaner to remove most of it last year, but still have some where the the boat sets on the bunks and on the center board. What is the best way to proceed form here? Thanks, Don
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Never Painted?
If your boat was never painted before and if you have no blisters at all you can clean the hull with a light sanding being careful to not remove the gell coat. Repair the scratches with epoxy and then barrier coat the bottom with an epoxy barrier coat. Finish with bottom paint. Be aware that some bottom paints need to be in the water and not removed from it so these paints are not too good for trailer sailors. A good ablative type will work well for you. It is worth the money to order the latest bottom paint reprint from Practical Sailor to see which paints worked best in your part of the world. http://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/paintcoatings/xref.html?page=1&inputLetter=
If your boat was never painted before and if you have no blisters at all you can clean the hull with a light sanding being careful to not remove the gell coat. Repair the scratches with epoxy and then barrier coat the bottom with an epoxy barrier coat. Finish with bottom paint. Be aware that some bottom paints need to be in the water and not removed from it so these paints are not too good for trailer sailors. A good ablative type will work well for you. It is worth the money to order the latest bottom paint reprint from Practical Sailor to see which paints worked best in your part of the world. http://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/paintcoatings/xref.html?page=1&inputLetter=
Barrier paint?
Why barrier coat an 8 year old boat that has no blisters? It will be expensive to do and not necessary. By the late 1990's the manufacturers figured out the blistering issue. I would not take that step unless it was evident that you needed it. IMHO
Why barrier coat an 8 year old boat that has no blisters? It will be expensive to do and not necessary. By the late 1990's the manufacturers figured out the blistering issue. I would not take that step unless it was evident that you needed it. IMHO
vc17 is great
i have been useing vc17 for many yrs and the bottom of my old boat looks as good as the bottom of my new 423 and i would not put my boat back in the water without vc17. why do you say he is asking for trouble
i have been useing vc17 for many yrs and the bottom of my old boat looks as good as the bottom of my new 423 and i would not put my boat back in the water without vc17. why do you say he is asking for trouble
repairing hull and prepping for anti-fouling paint
I'd clean boat bottom completely and lightly sand entire underwater surface. wash with solvent to remove all residue. see if scratches are so deep they may need some type of epoxy filler to fix - apply 2-3 coats of a barrier coat that will seal your scratches and rest of hull - apply your favorite choice of anti-fouling paint - I have used VC-17 and have also used an ablative type softer anti-fouling. Both worked well for very bioative environment of Lake Erie and our marina in particular. Only negative issue with VC-17 is that if you choose to go with a different type paint in the future your will have to remove all traces of the VC as it tends to repel other paints. Yes you definitely need an anti-fouling pain in freshwate if you are leaving your boat in a slip for the season otherwise you will be haulingarounf a carpet of growth by mid-season and the zebra mussels will get'ya. honest..
I'd clean boat bottom completely and lightly sand entire underwater surface. wash with solvent to remove all residue. see if scratches are so deep they may need some type of epoxy filler to fix - apply 2-3 coats of a barrier coat that will seal your scratches and rest of hull - apply your favorite choice of anti-fouling paint - I have used VC-17 and have also used an ablative type softer anti-fouling. Both worked well for very bioative environment of Lake Erie and our marina in particular. Only negative issue with VC-17 is that if you choose to go with a different type paint in the future your will have to remove all traces of the VC as it tends to repel other paints. Yes you definitely need an anti-fouling pain in freshwate if you are leaving your boat in a slip for the season otherwise you will be haulingarounf a carpet of growth by mid-season and the zebra mussels will get'ya. honest..
VC 17
Droop: What bad experiences have you had with VC 17. I see you are in NYC. Did you use it in salt water? In a colder, fresh water, envirnment, I would use nothing else. Once on, each following year it is so easy to prep the hull for a new coat since there is virtually no build up. I wipe the hull with solvent to clean it up and throw on a new coat. If one were to need to remove it, it sand easily and becasue the build up is so thin, it does not take much, at least compared to most other paints, to get it off. I would barrier coat a bare hull, just for peace of mind. It is not a that big of a job and you do it just once. A 24 footer won't cost that much to put it on. Randy K may be absolutly correct, but I would just like to be sure.
Droop: What bad experiences have you had with VC 17. I see you are in NYC. Did you use it in salt water? In a colder, fresh water, envirnment, I would use nothing else. Once on, each following year it is so easy to prep the hull for a new coat since there is virtually no build up. I wipe the hull with solvent to clean it up and throw on a new coat. If one were to need to remove it, it sand easily and becasue the build up is so thin, it does not take much, at least compared to most other paints, to get it off. I would barrier coat a bare hull, just for peace of mind. It is not a that big of a job and you do it just once. A 24 footer won't cost that much to put it on. Randy K may be absolutly correct, but I would just like to be sure.
VC17
has worked great for me on Lake Huron. It is not cheap but no bottom paint (or anything for a boat for that matter) is. West marine normally has a sale on it in the spring so just watch for that. It is very simple and fast to apply. As for the Barrier coat that is up to you, with scratches on the bottom that go thru the gelcoat I would do it. It is $70.00 a gal and for yur boat would take a couple gallons but it is goood protection. It would cost you a lot more to do it if you feel you need it two years down the road. You can check the interlux website at www.yachtpaints.com for more info about those products. Good Luck on your project no matter how you do it. The next best thing to being ON your boat is to be WORKING ON your boat.
has worked great for me on Lake Huron. It is not cheap but no bottom paint (or anything for a boat for that matter) is. West marine normally has a sale on it in the spring so just watch for that. It is very simple and fast to apply. As for the Barrier coat that is up to you, with scratches on the bottom that go thru the gelcoat I would do it. It is $70.00 a gal and for yur boat would take a couple gallons but it is goood protection. It would cost you a lot more to do it if you feel you need it two years down the road. You can check the interlux website at www.yachtpaints.com for more info about those products. Good Luck on your project no matter how you do it. The next best thing to being ON your boat is to be WORKING ON your boat.
bottom paint
For whats its worth, esp for the newbies doing this. The more you put on the NOT better it is. I made my mistake on the first haul out and I've been sanding and chipping ever since. After a couple years I guess on the avg the coat next to the hull will start to fail and flake off. Taking of course your new coat with it. I have found the object of this game is to put in on thin, and be able to pressure wash the rest of it off on your next haul out prio to the next coat. Cheaper and better...
For whats its worth, esp for the newbies doing this. The more you put on the NOT better it is. I made my mistake on the first haul out and I've been sanding and chipping ever since. After a couple years I guess on the avg the coat next to the hull will start to fail and flake off. Taking of course your new coat with it. I have found the object of this game is to put in on thin, and be able to pressure wash the rest of it off on your next haul out prio to the next coat. Cheaper and better...
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