I heard somewhere that some type of antifouling paint can be painted over, and others must be completely removed before repainting. Is there any way to tell the difference? Or shoulld I just paint over the old stuff and go sailing?
Bottom paint quesion
- Thread starter olsalt
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I am in the same boat as you are in as far as doing the bottom paint this spring. I recently just purchased my boat and I have no idea what paint has been used. Ed is right, there are charts for what types of paints can be painted over others. There is a chart also in the West Marine catalog. In my case I can not use these charts because I do not know what paint has been used. I just talked with another boat owner who informed me that removing the existing bottom paint is pretty easy. He has a Cal 25 and he removed the bottom paint in about an hour and a half. He said he used a wet abrasive sponge and the bottom paint came off really easy. Becuase the way the anitfouling paint works, it never fully attaches surfaces. This is what I am going to do. I am going to remove the old paint, then start from fesh and from then on in I will know the paint I am using is the right stuff. "Shameless Walberg reference"
Good Luck and have fun
Good Luck and have fun
I would suggest you read both of these articles before making any more assumptions based on hearsay. Removing bottom paint, even ablative, is a tad bit more work than you think.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...11151&catalogId=10001&page=Anti-fouling-Paint
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...storeId=11151&catalogId=10001&page=Boat-Hauls
OldSalt,
Some of the bottom paint sboast about being able to go over any other type of paint. They all have this type, from Petit to SeaHawk. My problem is getting an hard-as-nails bottom paint that has no copper. I trailer so my baby is out of the water within a couple of days of launching. Anything with the misfortune of attaching to my mull is dead in my driveway in a matter of hours anyway. And I need to find something that can easily stand up to trailer rollers. If you're interested, Tom Hoffman of this sight had posted a million photos of his project of repainting his American 25 footer. Look for the "Smurf" post!
Some of the bottom paint sboast about being able to go over any other type of paint. They all have this type, from Petit to SeaHawk. My problem is getting an hard-as-nails bottom paint that has no copper. I trailer so my baby is out of the water within a couple of days of launching. Anything with the misfortune of attaching to my mull is dead in my driveway in a matter of hours anyway. And I need to find something that can easily stand up to trailer rollers. If you're interested, Tom Hoffman of this sight had posted a million photos of his project of repainting his American 25 footer. Look for the "Smurf" post!
Power washing with a sprayer that has some decent PSI took off 90% of my ablatitive bottom paint, that last 10% was a real beyotch to say the least. I had no idea what the last owner used so I had to get it to bare bones. I wrote the exact type I used in the inside side of my desk drawer.
If you are in fresh water, it's probably VC 17 M. I never heard of a boat from that part of the world using anything else. In that case, nothing except VC 17 can put put over it without complete removal. The good news is that it is an incredibly easy paint to coat over.
No sanding. Get one of those handles that holds a half sheet of sandpaper and put a piece of the green foam like Scotch-Brite in it. Rub the hull down with that rinsing the scrubber in a 5 gallon bucket and dispose of that properly. Very little should rip off but put down plastic to keep drips off the ground. You aren't trying to remove but just smooth and clean.
Try hard to verify what is on the boat though.
There was an excellent article in the most recent issue of Northern Breezes by Bill Hooper about the subject of bottom painting. I would highly recommend reading it first!
POTL
POTL
Just wonder why the bottom paint if you are using the boat like this?
I also feel it is somewhat hard to make suggestions on removing old bottom paint as there are a lot of different types out there. The bottom paint we have on the boat now seems to be way harder than what people post about their ablative paints. I would also assume that if it had to be removed it would also be harder.
That was the reason I wanted to put a barrier coat under it now so that hopefully I won't ever have to completely remove it.
Here is a link to when I painted the bottom last fall, might help someone.....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/outside-39.html
Good luck,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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Sum,
Are you saying that I don't need it that hard? My thought (I only have one, it's lonely) is that ablative will rub off upon handling, so I don't want that. And I like to stay away from any kind of gunk-a-cide, if I can. I've looked at a number of paints and often the self-polishing ablative is touted as just the paint for a day sailor. I'm not sold. I have ablative on Phoenix right now and I get smurf blue paint on me all the time because of it. I'm actually leaning toward Easypoxy. It's fairly reasonable in price (about $90 shipped) but it still has the biocide in it. I'm not a tree hugger, but I would like to avoid using stuff I don't need. Think of the harmless effects of Thalidomide, DDT, Aerosol, and asbestos, to name a few.
Don
Are you saying that I don't need it that hard? My thought (I only have one, it's lonely) is that ablative will rub off upon handling, so I don't want that. And I like to stay away from any kind of gunk-a-cide, if I can. I've looked at a number of paints and often the self-polishing ablative is touted as just the paint for a day sailor. I'm not sold. I have ablative on Phoenix right now and I get smurf blue paint on me all the time because of it. I'm actually leaning toward Easypoxy. It's fairly reasonable in price (about $90 shipped) but it still has the biocide in it. I'm not a tree hugger, but I would like to avoid using stuff I don't need. Think of the harmless effects of Thalidomide, DDT, Aerosol, and asbestos, to name a few.
Don
I'm wondering why if you only have the boat in the water for a few days or even a week or two why put on the bottom paint to prevent growth?
If it is to prevent blistering then a bottom paint won't help for that.
Maybe I misunderstood and the boat is going to be in for much longer periods,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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If you don't know, or can't find out from a PO, what kind of bottom paint you have on your boat, one suggestion might be to do a rough sanding with 60-80 grit paper to get rid of loose or poorly adhered existing paint. Then overcoat the bottom with Interlux Primocon. After that, you can pretty much apply any kind of bottom paint you prefer. I'm in brackish salty water so I prefer ablatives like Petit Hyrdrocoat or West CPP, both of which are medium priced multi-season paints with good performance.
Are you sure you even need to bottom paint? How long will the boat be in the water at a stretch?dscribner said:
We'll be in for a day or two most of the time. If we get adventurous this year, maybe a week. Not long, that's why I'm trying to avoid bottom paint, or at least poisonous bottom paint. If I could paint it something shiny that is hard as nails and grows moss like a chia-pet, what do I care? I'll wash it off when I get home in a couple of days.
Get a vacuum cleaner attachment for your sander; you'll be glad. Safer, cleaner, and the paper fouls less.
I see. In order to put on something like that you will probably have to go down to the gelcoat. I sympathise with the desire to avoid the poisonous stuff and on a used boat you're more than likely going to have to deal with it. When we bought our boat I considered switching from ablative to Teflon but the amount of work involved was too much. And for those who like to powerwash their bottom paint off, I believe more marinas are banning the practice because of the environmental impact of washing copper into the watershed. However, if you do go with Teflon (I'm pretty sure that's VC 17), you will find that you can wash the bottom right off, probably pretty easily too after just a few days in the water.dscribner said:
If that is the case and you have bottom paint on it now, just leave it and let it wear off over time or take it off like described above down to the gel coat.
Then, since you have opened up the gel coat by sanding I'd put on a barrier coat (epoxy) to seal it once and then for all. Something like we used, Sea Hawk's Tuff Stuff or something similar.
Next use the paint of your choice that is designed for below water, not bottom paint. It won't prevent growth, but will look pretty when on the trailer.
If the boat has bottom paint for growth on it now maybe a barrier coat was applied under it. Also if there is a bottom paint on it now chances are it was sanded prior to application. That could increase the chance of blistering, but since you aren't in the water that long your chances of that occurring are reduced.
To sum it up I see no reason for you to put any bottom paint on it, ablative or otherwise. That should make you feel better.
Good luck and sorry for the diversion olsalt,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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Har! Great to see there is such consesus out here.
All I know is the paint is blue, slightly worn in a few spots, and feels as rough as very coarse sandpaper. It seems hard and is well adhered.
One reaon for asking is I want to apply an ultra slick race formula in an attempt to improve our dismal race record. While not a fast boat, I have a feeling hte little deuce can be more competitive and am looking to make a few improvements. We did sail all season with a bent mast step, unknowingly until haulout when we went "HUH?" which also explains why the headstay was too short (and the backstay was pretty slack). By correcting the mast rake, we will lose some ferocious weather helm and maybe point a degree higher.
The thread about burnishing hte paint is interesting too, I'mm gonna try that too.
All I know is the paint is blue, slightly worn in a few spots, and feels as rough as very coarse sandpaper. It seems hard and is well adhered.
One reaon for asking is I want to apply an ultra slick race formula in an attempt to improve our dismal race record. While not a fast boat, I have a feeling hte little deuce can be more competitive and am looking to make a few improvements. We did sail all season with a bent mast step, unknowingly until haulout when we went "HUH?" which also explains why the headstay was too short (and the backstay was pretty slack). By correcting the mast rake, we will lose some ferocious weather helm and maybe point a degree higher.
The thread about burnishing hte paint is interesting too, I'mm gonna try that too.
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