bottom job questions

[gfroch]

Hello all-

After 10 years of painting every few years on my trailer, the bottom of my '95 H26 is pretty much a mess. I also have some cracks leading forward from the centerboard trunk. I think it's probably time for a professional bottom job. The thing is, I have no idea what to expect for cost. Does anyone know about what I should expect to pay to have the bottom and centerboard stripped, cracks repaired (looks like they just need to be filled), and bottom and centerboard painted with VC17?

I've been using CSC 5-year paint, but want to switch to VC17. In subsequent years will it be relatively easy to re-paint with vC17 while on the trailer and hit the area where the bunks are when I launch? By the way, I launch and haul with a travel lift. It stays in the water for about 6 mos. a year in Lake Ontario. Will it need to be painted with VC17 every year?

Thanks....

 

[cephius (Dave)]

If I recall correctly, it cost me about $1,000.00 in 2005 to have my H260 bottom striped down and repainted by a Hunter dealer using VC17. No repair work was done.

I'm in the upper Midwest. Haven't had to touch the bottom since.

 

[George H260]

For what it's worth:

My view is boats that sail primarily in fresh water for only part of the year don't need bottom paint.

I've never painted the bottom of my 2003 H260 and after a powerwash and application of Slimy Grimy it looks factory fresh when I put it away for the winter. I do apply a coat of wax on the parts of the bottom I can easily reach in the Spring when I wax the rest of the boat. That helps a great deal in preventing the slime to really take hold.

We have a serious problem with mussles here in Lake Michigan, but they don't get a chance to take hold during the 5 or 6 months the boat is in the water. You'll see a few dots where the mussles are trying to grow but they are easily removed.

If I thought the time and cost was worth it, I'd paint the bottom but after 6 seasons it still looks factory fresh after an end of season clean up. The only reason I'd paint is if I start getting blisters -- then I'd apply a barrier coat.

 

[MikeH]

My 1998 H260 was a saltwater boat when I bought it in 2003 and brought it to the Great Lakes. The bottom had two layers of salt-water ablative that I wanted to remove and re-do. I had a quote for $35-$40 per foot, which is about $1000. Not having that, I did it myself (http://sports.webshots.com/album/559934105BtpmRO).

It took about 50 hours, was backbreaking and painful, but I found every blister, fixed it myself and am proud of the job. I probably wouldn't do it again. Hope you find this helpful.

 

[Bill Leathen]

I did this project on a Hunter 23 several years ago. I started by applying west marine bottom paint stripper, and scraping off the top layers of bottom paint. This was a very messy job. Then I sanded the remaining paint down to the fiberglass. I used a lot of sand paper and had to send my PortaCable sander in to be refurbished when I was done. Then cleaned everything with Acetone a couple of times. There were no blisters. Then applied 3 coats of Interlux protective under coat. This is a two part mix that must be applied within the proper intervals at the proper temperatuer for it to adhere and protect properly. A succsessful application prety well protects against ever getting blisters and so far it has worked. Then I put on 3 coats of VC-17. Since it was the first year for the VC and essentially it is over a clean surface, I thinkd VC recommends 2-3 coats. This goes on real easy. Now I just put one coat of VC on every spring before launch. My lake has a serious zebra muscle problem. Any surface that does not have VC or some other coating will get a lot of zebra muscles on it. The projec took several weeks, in part because I had to put temporary bunks under the boat, remove a bunk and do that portion of the boat. The stripping and sanding probably took 40-50 hours. I live in Wiscosin, so had to wait about 3 weeks for it to get warm enough for 48 hours in a row to apply the two part interlux paint. There is a guy in the area that will do this work, but he is always booked for months at a time, and I am told he works at his own pace. So you may loose your boat for an extra few weeks while he works on it. I like working on the boat, and would do it again if I had to, but hope to never do it again on this particular boat. Good Luck. Let us know how your project works out.

 

[cephius (Dave)]

I concur with the Zebra mussel in fresh water problem. VC-17 keeps them off my hull. I had a 2' section of shore power cable drop into the water for about 60 days. It was fully coated with mussels about 2" thick. I can imagine the work needed at the end of the season with an unpainted bottom.

 

[jcrumpley]

I with George on this one, but I guess it depends on the lake and the area. My boat (2005 Hunter 25) stays in the water in Lake Travis (Austin, TX) year round with no bottom paint. I pull it out in March each year and power wash it, scrub the harder stuff off and it looks new again. I am in a Marina with a good bit of wave action though, so that probably helps. The only somewhat difficult part to clean is the somewhat crusty area right at the water line.