Bottom Paint options: hard verses ablative

[Rob19574]

Hi All - I can't seem to find the exact advice i am seeking in previous posts so here goes re bottom-pain options for my situation.

I have an older Catlaina 30 ('78) that I wet store year round in salt water. I believe the boat came with a hard-bottom paint when i bought it about 8 years ago (which gave me ~3 seasons trouble-free) and I have since been using ablatives. It seems however, I can't get more than 1 season of clean growth out of the ablatives; I need to have a diver clean the bottom by the second season which losses even more paint to cleaning.

If I switch to a hard bottom paint, should I get more seasons between bottom jobs here? I basically do light cruising and do not race so paint build-up is not a concern for me. She is an older boat and pain build-up is the least of my worries. I am trying to go with the option that will keep the bottom cleanest, the longest between hauls. If I hauled every winter for storage I would simply go with an ablative but that is not the case for me...

Thanks - Rob

 

[Randy6414]

Rob,

I use an ablative paint on my boat, and I repaint every year. The ablative is designed to wash away, requiring a recoat for the next season.

I believe the hard paints are designed to give longer life, and can last more than a single season. Some are also quite expensive.

I like the ablative concept as using the boat helps control growth by washing away the paint surface.

Randy

 

[badsanta]

My 25 yo sail boat has 15 coats of ablative paint on it. I see little of it wearing off. This year I am removing all of it with a scraper and sander using great respiratory and skin protection. I will then paint 5 coats of barrier epoxy then am considering a hard bottom anti fowling. I understand the concept of an ablative, but if I still have to have the bottom cleaned I don't understand the advantage.
I too would like to hear opinions for either hard or soft bottom paint.

 

[HukilauMike]

Rob: I think you answered your own question: the hard bottomed paint worked better for you. If you have tried both and you like the results of the hard paint better, then go with it. However, I wouldn't say that paint build up won't ever be an issue for you. Eventually, you will have to strip off all the layers of hard paint; not because you want to race, but because eventually the new paint won't be able to stick to the many layers of old paint. No one can tell you when that will happen, just that it eventually will. I admit that this is one of the main reasons I use ablative paint. I can't see myself stripping the bottom of my boat, and certainly can't afford to pay someone to do it for me.

 

[Warren Milberg]

Getting long life out of bottom paint is function of (1) the quality of the paint you use; (2) how it is applied; (3) how you use your boat, and (4) the characteristics of the water where the boat is used. You should be able to get multi-seasons out of high quality multi-season ablatives (=$$$) with anti-slime/growth additives (i.e., Micron CSC) if you followed the instructions on the can for surface preparation, paint application, and number of coats. If you now choose to return to a high quality hard modified epoxy, like Trinidad for instance, you'll need to remove all the previous layers of relatively soft ablatives first, not a good choice IMHO.

If you are only getting a single season out of your current ablative, perhaps it is only a single season paint? If it is a good quality multi-season paint that has been properly applied and only lasts a single season, I'd call the manufacturer and discuss the situation with them.

But as noted, all bottom paint must eventually come off -- either of its own free will as in the ablatives, or by your efforts to sand/scrape/peel. In my case, I am lazy and really HATE removing bottom paint. So I use a mid-grade multi-season ablative (Hydrocoat) and only put on one very thin coat each year and then touch up where needed the next year. This results in no sanding and most of the paint from the previous year has worn off.

 

[BI40]

You might consider the water conditions where you dock your C30. If there's not much current and the water & temp. encourages a biology experiment each summer; then sticking with a soft paint is most likely best. If the pilings and such remain mostly clean, a hard paint may work well for you.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Just to reinforce one point from above. Even with heavy sanding before application of a hard paint it will still build up. And it will begin to peel leaving big deep holes. Even on a good barrier-coat. It took ten years but I recently spent a bunch of Benjamins to have it soda blasted off.