Hi.I am going to replace/renew my existing bottom paint. It just my firs time bottom paint. There are a lot of bottom paints on market, and per advertising each one better then others. Could somebody recommend me the best solution for fresh water bottom paint.Thank you in advance.TymVega#1183 Brizo
Bottom Pain
- Thread starter tymish_z
- Start date
Tym, I am an old sailor that has put a lot of paint on bottoms over
the years. I have a choice different than most but it works for me
here on the Chesapeake bay. I buy cheap ablative copper paint. IT's
a soft copper that slowly washes off . IT is not as poisons as the
more expensive paints. I paint in the fall of the year. Barnacles
strike in the summer and grow through the winter. I paint in the
fall to get rid of them so there are none to grow during the long
winter. The bottom stays clean until about mid June. I have a
little oiless compressor and dive mask so I dive over and scrape the
bottom. I do it again in late summer. I also like the opportunity
to look at zincs and through hulls at the same time. One good thing
is you don't ever have to sand the bottom down to glass because most
of the bottom paint has washed off by painting time. This may not
suit you but it is an option. Doug
On 03/05/2015 10:04 AM,
tymish_z@... [AlbinVega] wrote:
the years. I have a choice different than most but it works for me
here on the Chesapeake bay. I buy cheap ablative copper paint. IT's
a soft copper that slowly washes off . IT is not as poisons as the
more expensive paints. I paint in the fall of the year. Barnacles
strike in the summer and grow through the winter. I paint in the
fall to get rid of them so there are none to grow during the long
winter. The bottom stays clean until about mid June. I have a
little oiless compressor and dive mask so I dive over and scrape the
bottom. I do it again in late summer. I also like the opportunity
to look at zincs and through hulls at the same time. One good thing
is you don't ever have to sand the bottom down to glass because most
of the bottom paint has washed off by painting time. This may not
suit you but it is an option. Doug
On 03/05/2015 10:04 AM,
tymish_z@... [AlbinVega] wrote:
Also, some paint works better in one area of the map and does not work in another area.
I also like the ablative, chalky paint. It seems easier.
You may take a survey and ask people in your area what they like.
When I pick the paint correctly, I can go 2 summers without diving. I always have to dive under
for the propeller a couple of times in the summer.
Salt water grows more barnacles than fresh water.
groundhog
I also like the ablative, chalky paint. It seems easier.
You may take a survey and ask people in your area what they like.
When I pick the paint correctly, I can go 2 summers without diving. I always have to dive under
for the propeller a couple of times in the summer.
Salt water grows more barnacles than fresh water.
groundhog
Nice subject title.I sail in very cold freshwater and use Interlux VC-17m.It goes on very thin and dries fast.I usually just wipe down the bottom when I have the boat out for traveling to a race.Every spring, I touch up any thin spots. I don't expect that I will ever have to strip it and redo it.Tim
Tym,Two important things about bottom paint. Are you going to be removing the boat from the water, i.e. putting it on a trailer? If so, an aberlative paint is the way to go. Besides wearing off, it doesn't loose its biocide when subjected to air. Most hard bottom paints loose their effectiveness once they are removed from the water. The other issue is if it's rated for fresh water. Many of the bottom paints aren't allowed in fresh water lakes and don't perform well in that environment. I'm using Interlux Micron 66 on my boat, which is Interlux's top end bottom paint, but it's rated for saltwater only. If you have access to Practical Sailor, they have been doing extended testing on the top brands and they provide a lot of insight.Rics/v Blue Max#2692www.ric-maxfield.net
Tym, I likely have a different outlook than most about bottom paint
and it may well be wrong. As a boy growing up in the 193o's and
40's we had a wooden sharpie and we made our own copper bottom
paint. WE went to the hardware store and bought a bag of copper
oxide we mixed it with Gasoline and a couple other things and I
can't remember what they were. I have the felling and maybe wrongly
that ablative paint is about the same thing. In some years later I
was horrified that we were putting paints with poisons in them on
boat bottoms. WE didn't conider copper a poison. Back then it was
widely belived copper was more like the minerals we take for heath
and in small doses was good for sea life.
I am sure that is wrong. Still I can't help but feel some the the
$300.00 a gallon paints that last 3or4 years must be really bad
stuff. For about 8 years I worked as a dock master and new several
young men who I Knew were yard workers. Two of them are dead from
large cell lung cancer today. Every time I saw them sanding they
were wearing respirators and I don't know if they a;eways did? So
for my own safty I use ablative copper because I never have to sand
it off if I sail the boat a reasonable amount and my understanding
is that it doesn't have any aditional poisons in it. Right or
wrong that has been my thinking. Doug
On 03/06/2015 01:55 AM, n6ric@...
[AlbinVega] wrote
and it may well be wrong. As a boy growing up in the 193o's and
40's we had a wooden sharpie and we made our own copper bottom
paint. WE went to the hardware store and bought a bag of copper
oxide we mixed it with Gasoline and a couple other things and I
can't remember what they were. I have the felling and maybe wrongly
that ablative paint is about the same thing. In some years later I
was horrified that we were putting paints with poisons in them on
boat bottoms. WE didn't conider copper a poison. Back then it was
widely belived copper was more like the minerals we take for heath
and in small doses was good for sea life.
I am sure that is wrong. Still I can't help but feel some the the
$300.00 a gallon paints that last 3or4 years must be really bad
stuff. For about 8 years I worked as a dock master and new several
young men who I Knew were yard workers. Two of them are dead from
large cell lung cancer today. Every time I saw them sanding they
were wearing respirators and I don't know if they a;eways did? So
for my own safty I use ablative copper because I never have to sand
it off if I sail the boat a reasonable amount and my understanding
is that it doesn't have any aditional poisons in it. Right or
wrong that has been my thinking. Doug
On 03/06/2015 01:55 AM, n6ric@...
[AlbinVega] wrote
Yes, Im scared of sanding boat bottoms. lol.
I think its dangerous work, but have done it when I have to.
I hate hate hate fiberglass. Little shards and daggers of glass that when inhaled
and dig into your lung tissue, cannot be dissolved or removed from your body. So
the body just forms scar tissue around them as best it can with the glass pieces
stabbing you always.
Then there is the particles of the bottom paint...
Wear lots of stuff.
Do the job as infrequently as possible.
I guess that also is an advantage of often diving under to keep the boat clean.
You don't breathe anything in.
groundhog
I think its dangerous work, but have done it when I have to.
I hate hate hate fiberglass. Little shards and daggers of glass that when inhaled
and dig into your lung tissue, cannot be dissolved or removed from your body. So
the body just forms scar tissue around them as best it can with the glass pieces
stabbing you always.
Then there is the particles of the bottom paint...
Wear lots of stuff.
Do the job as infrequently as possible.
I guess that also is an advantage of often diving under to keep the boat clean.
You don't breathe anything in.
groundhog
When I sanded the paint off the bottom of Flyaway I bought Tyvek coveralls, and heavier rubber gloves. I also bought the best mask I could find, and of course goggles. I taped the seams. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a large DA sander with a vacuum port that I hooked up to my 16 gallon shop vac. I had a bag insert in the shop vac besides the regular filter. It took me two long days to sand her down as there was several layers of old paint; but never went deep into the into the glass. And it totally destroyed the motor in the shop vac from the old copper particles. But I had very little dust escaping.I then put on a couple layers of epoxy, then the bottom paint. I chose a relatively inexpensive, somewhat soft paint. The reason is that the boat is moored in a marina that is right at the entrance of a river to the sound. On a high tide, the salt water enters the marina and on a low tide the river wins with the fresh water. The best of both worlds since everyday the boat is 'cleaned' by the change of the water.Chris BrownThere is
a poetry of sailing as old as the world - Antoine De Sainte-Exupery
a poetry of sailing as old as the world - Antoine De Sainte-Exupery
The last time we removed bottom paint we used a paint stripper. I believe it was Peel Away. It used a system that involved stripper and a paper that was applied to the hull. I don't remember the details but after a specified time you peeled the paper off and the bottom paint came with it. It worked well. There were probably 12 layers of paint on her. It was probably 20 years ago. While Lyric was in dry storage in Mexico she went through a hurricane which did a really good job of sandblasting the bottom. After we brought her home we've been using ablative paint and just scrubbing the bottom prior to reapplying. I've also heard about alternation paint colors as a way to tell when your paint is wearing off. Red on year and blue the next. When you are seeing the red again you know it's time to repaint. Walt To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comFrom: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comDate: Fri, 6 Mar 2015 07:51:21 -0800Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Re: Bottom Pain
When I sanded the paint off the bottom of Flyaway I bought Tyvek coveralls, and heavier rubber gloves. I also bought the best mask I could find, and of course goggles. I taped the seams. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a large DA sander with a vacuum port that I hooked up to my 16 gallon shop vac. I had a bag insert in the shop vac besides the regular filter. It took me two long days to sand her down as there was several layers of old paint; but never went deep into the into the glass. And it totally destroyed the motor in the shop vac from the old copper particles. But I had very little dust escaping.I then put on a couple layers of epoxy, then the bottom paint. I chose a relatively inexpensive, somewhat soft paint. The reason is that the boat is moored in a marina that is right at the entrance of a river to the sound. On a high tide, the salt water enters the marina and on a low tide the river wins with the fresh water. The best of both worlds since everyday the boat is 'cleaned' by the change of the water.Chris BrownThere is
a poetry of sailing as old as the world - Antoine De Sainte-Exupery
When I sanded the paint off the bottom of Flyaway I bought Tyvek coveralls, and heavier rubber gloves. I also bought the best mask I could find, and of course goggles. I taped the seams. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a large DA sander with a vacuum port that I hooked up to my 16 gallon shop vac. I had a bag insert in the shop vac besides the regular filter. It took me two long days to sand her down as there was several layers of old paint; but never went deep into the into the glass. And it totally destroyed the motor in the shop vac from the old copper particles. But I had very little dust escaping.I then put on a couple layers of epoxy, then the bottom paint. I chose a relatively inexpensive, somewhat soft paint. The reason is that the boat is moored in a marina that is right at the entrance of a river to the sound. On a high tide, the salt water enters the marina and on a low tide the river wins with the fresh water. The best of both worlds since everyday the boat is 'cleaned' by the change of the water.Chris BrownThere is
a poetry of sailing as old as the world - Antoine De Sainte-Exupery
All this talk about the dangers of bottom paint is a GOOD excuse to let the yard people do it. At Salt Creek where I used to haul, they had a little short guy that did the bottom painting. He was just the right size for the job. I wonder if he is still alive? Richard
I had my vega painted for me in Charleston this summer.
They used a wet sanding technique where all the guy did was
get what looked like a sponge mop type of thing with sandpaper
on it. He scrubbed around with that a little bit and called it a day.
I was surprised by this, but I am sure it is safer than the full
palm sander method I have used.
They used a wet sanding technique where all the guy did was
get what looked like a sponge mop type of thing with sandpaper
on it. He scrubbed around with that a little bit and called it a day.
I was surprised by this, but I am sure it is safer than the full
palm sander method I have used.