Being new to sailboats I'm looking for opinions on bottom jobs. Never had done one before, is it a difficult task to do yourself? If anyone has done one before can you provide me with an idea on how long it took, approximate cost, and an idea on what steps you did to complete the task? Is it better to have a marina shop do it?
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Get a marina to do it
(I'm assuming you mean a bottom paint job.) Where you sail determines what kind of paint to apply. I use Interlux Micron CSC. I keep the boat in salt water and there's plenty of possible marine growth. I have three coats applied every three years. The job is messy and time consuming if you don't have the proper facilities. The first time I painted the bottom I did it all myself on the trailer. I sanded and sanded and sanded then painted, waited, painted, waited, painted, then moved it to get the spots I'd missed from the trailer. Pluses - Only paid for paint. Minuses - The sanded paint was hard to contain. Had to lay under boat to get to hard spots. Takes longer. The second time I took it to a marina and had them put it up on stands. Much easier to sand, but I could only put on one coat a week (I live about two hours from where I sail.) Pluses - Only paid for paint and lift fee. Not my property that sand & paint landed on. Easy access to bottom. Minus - Only had weekends to work. I had a marina paint mine last time, and it's the way to go. Yes it's expensive, but they have the facilities and expertise to do it. Drop it off, come back a month later and it's ready to go. My 26S cost about $650 for the three coats. Just be sure to get a written estimate that states all charges that will be applied, including lift and storage fees. Also keep in mind that antifouling paints are toxic by nature. I don't wish to inhale or have that stuff get into the ground where I live. Marinas put down tarps and use vacuun sanders, and wear body suits and masks to contain the paint. In some places it's the law that many of these steps must be taken whether you or a marina does the work. It's one of the few areas where I agree with the enviro-nazis. Bottom line - unless it's a dinghy you can just flip over, my advice is to take it to a pro. Good luck, Doug
(I'm assuming you mean a bottom paint job.) Where you sail determines what kind of paint to apply. I use Interlux Micron CSC. I keep the boat in salt water and there's plenty of possible marine growth. I have three coats applied every three years. The job is messy and time consuming if you don't have the proper facilities. The first time I painted the bottom I did it all myself on the trailer. I sanded and sanded and sanded then painted, waited, painted, waited, painted, then moved it to get the spots I'd missed from the trailer. Pluses - Only paid for paint. Minuses - The sanded paint was hard to contain. Had to lay under boat to get to hard spots. Takes longer. The second time I took it to a marina and had them put it up on stands. Much easier to sand, but I could only put on one coat a week (I live about two hours from where I sail.) Pluses - Only paid for paint and lift fee. Not my property that sand & paint landed on. Easy access to bottom. Minus - Only had weekends to work. I had a marina paint mine last time, and it's the way to go. Yes it's expensive, but they have the facilities and expertise to do it. Drop it off, come back a month later and it's ready to go. My 26S cost about $650 for the three coats. Just be sure to get a written estimate that states all charges that will be applied, including lift and storage fees. Also keep in mind that antifouling paints are toxic by nature. I don't wish to inhale or have that stuff get into the ground where I live. Marinas put down tarps and use vacuun sanders, and wear body suits and masks to contain the paint. In some places it's the law that many of these steps must be taken whether you or a marina does the work. It's one of the few areas where I agree with the enviro-nazis. Bottom line - unless it's a dinghy you can just flip over, my advice is to take it to a pro. Good luck, Doug
No easy task ...
Dave, You didn't mention if your boat is kept in the water all season or trailered. If it's in the water all season, you should go the extra step and do 4 coates of epoxy prior to any bottom paint. This will help prevent blistering or other damage to your gelcoat. Doug is correct... It's alot of hard work. If you have the money, you may consider letting the yard do it. My only concern would be if you pay to have all 6 coates (4 epoxy & 2min. bottom paint)applied, how do you know all the coates have actually been applied? This is why I took the time (off season) to do the job myself. Read up on the time allowed between coates, bottom prepping etc. and plan accordingly. Most of the correct information needed is on the can (paint & epoxy)itself. Happy Painting
Dave, You didn't mention if your boat is kept in the water all season or trailered. If it's in the water all season, you should go the extra step and do 4 coates of epoxy prior to any bottom paint. This will help prevent blistering or other damage to your gelcoat. Doug is correct... It's alot of hard work. If you have the money, you may consider letting the yard do it. My only concern would be if you pay to have all 6 coates (4 epoxy & 2min. bottom paint)applied, how do you know all the coates have actually been applied? This is why I took the time (off season) to do the job myself. Read up on the time allowed between coates, bottom prepping etc. and plan accordingly. Most of the correct information needed is on the can (paint & epoxy)itself. Happy Painting
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