Bottom paint question

Roland5048 · Nov 21, 2015

Dave, I'm here in Tarpon Springs and have been using Seahawk ablative for years with very good results. It's made here in Clearwater, I believe. If you use your boat frequently, ablative is the way to go, IMO. I can get up to about seven years between bottom jobs. No more scrubbing the bottom. In the summer when the water's warm, I run up in shallow water and and check the bottom and zincs. Maybe a few barnacles from time to time and scrub, lightly, the waterline but that's it. My h30 takes two gallons. Two coats on the bottom and three at the waterline. Also have a dripless PSS but haven't had to replace it yet. I'm hoping that when the time comes I don't have to remove the shaft.

Warren Milberg · Nov 21, 2015

The general rule of thumb for figuring bottom paint is:
LWL x max beam x.85. This will get you pretty close depending on paint type used and the method of application. It was quite accurate for my H28.5 using a 1/4" roller applying Petit Hydrocoat Ablative.

njlarry · Nov 21, 2015

The first time we did our 34 with two coats we used 1 1/2 gallons Pettit Hydrocoat. Last year we used close to one to do one very heavy coat. It is very easy clean up and has kept growth to zero. Of course our waters are very different from yours and our season is shorter.

seadaddler · Nov 21, 2015

How much room do you have to slide the shaft with prop before hitting the rudder,don't need alot of room to slip pss bellows off and on.
I just changed my bellows on my 07 and it was still great shape and could have gone longer.

jsalley · Nov 22, 2015

You will need to drop the rudder to remove the prop shaft on the C309. The shaft seal bellows can be replaced without removing the shaft; problem is that the shaft flange will need to be removed, which is an adventure in itself, and likely replaced with a new one; this requires machining the face of the new flange while it is installed on the shaft, which obviously requires shaft removal. I did this job on my 309 several years ago before I sold it; there should be a write up somewhere in the archives.

Stu Jackson · Nov 22, 2015

Warren Milberg said:
The general rule of thumb for figuring bottom paint is:
LWL x max beam x.85. This will get you pretty close depending on paint type used and the method of application. It was quite accurate for my H28.5 using a 1/4" roller applying Petit Hydrocoat Ablative.

Warren, is that to gallons?

Warren Milberg · Jan 16, 2016

The formula results in approx. square feet you need to cover. Most bottom paints will cover about 400 sq ft per gal.

The Garbone · Jan 17, 2016

We put on two gallons of Mar Pro Ablative. That said our diver advised us to put on non ablative next haul out as it will last longer.

Warren Milberg · Jan 17, 2016

Non-ablative paint, I assume you mean a modified hard epoxy, may last longer, but will be much harder to remove when that inevitable time arrives to remove paint build-up with this paint type. In my case, I use one very thin coat of ablative paint per season. That coat is nearly entirely worn off by the fall haul out time. No dead matrix paint build up to deal with next season. A quick scrub with an abrasive pad, a power wash, and I'm ready to put on another thin coat of ablative next year. I would go with ablative every time.

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Jan 22, 2016

Dave,

We just painted the bottom of our C310. Using foam rollers for thin, even coats we got 3 full coats and 3 coats at the waterline only from 2 gallons.

As far as paint, what's the salinaty of your home port? I like the interlux micron 66 for an ablative. But this is a chemical reaction ablative and you need high salinity water or you ruin the paint. I went with Micron CSC because we are doing the ICW and couldn't use the Micron 66. The other consideration is a hard paint. This depends on how often you have it cleaned by a diver. If you tend to have it cleaned then get a hard paint.

On the shaft, with the C310 you can remove the prop, turn the rudder and just barely slide the shaft past. But if you have a solid coupling then your probably at least going to have to replace the coupling if not the shaft too. There are a couple write ups on this in the C310 forum and on my blog.

Good luck,

Jesse

fstbttms · Jan 23, 2016

Warren Milberg said:
Non-ablative paint, I assume you mean a modified hard epoxy, may last longer, but will be much harder to remove when that inevitable time arrives to remove paint build-up with this paint type. In my case, I use one very thin coat of ablative paint per season. That coat is nearly entirely worn off by the fall haul out time. No dead matrix paint build up to deal with next season. A quick scrub with an abrasive pad, a power wash, and I'm ready to put on another thin coat of ablative next year. I would go with ablative every time.

A high quality, high copper, modified epoxy anti fouling paint, properly applied and maintained, will provide 3+ years of good performance. The OP is in Florida, so he isn't hauling annually to paint.

fstbttms · Jan 23, 2016

JK_Boston_Catalina310 said:
If you tend to have it cleaned then get a hard paint.

An experienced diver will not shorten the life of most ablatives by cleaning them. And all ablatives need cleaning. At least they do in California.

Roland5048 · Jan 23, 2016

Ablatives will need to be cleaned regularly if they just sit at the dock. I use mine at least once a week year round and during the summer when the water gets to about 90 degrees I run into four feet of water on low tide get out and walk around knocking any barnacles off. Usually there are no more than a dozen or so and mainly at the waterline. The running gear will have a bit more but are easily scraped off. As a disclaimer, even though we sail in very salty water my marina is located up river where there is a good mix of fresh water. That is sure to have an impact. I haven't cleaned the bottom in six months and just hauled. Less than a dozen barnacles on the hull and a few more on the prop and shaft. That said, IMHO, if you let your boat sit at the dock, go for the hard paint. If you use your boat frequently, ablative is the way to go.

Roland5048 · Jan 23, 2016

Dave, by the way, Sea Hawk makes an ablative paint specifically for our area. Manufactured in Clearwater. Been using it for years. See post number 2.

fstbttms · Jan 23, 2016

Roland5048 said:
Dave, by the way, Sea Hawk makes an ablative paint specifically for our area. Manufactured in Clearwater. Been using it for years. See post number 2.

But know going in that the owner and his management team at Seahawk recently went to prison for cooking the books and deceiving not only the USEPA about the use of tributyl tin in paints they sold in the U.S., but the their boatyard and boat owning customers as well. On top of the prison terms, the company had to pay millions in fines. Now there is some question about slipping product quality standards as numerous Seahawk users complain of product failures.

If this is the kind of company with which you like to do business, knock yourself out. Me- I wouldn't touch these guys with a ten-foot pole.

Roland5048 · Jan 23, 2016

I did not know that. Will investigate. Thanks for the heads up.

fstbttms · Jan 23, 2016

Roland5048 said:
I did not know that. Will investigate. Thanks for the heads up.

http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2014/12/sea-hawk-paints-executives-prison-terms-banned-coating-case/
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/2014/12/sea-hawk-paints-executives-prison-terms-banned-coating-case/
http://www.paintsquare.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=12106
http://www.paintsquare.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=11074
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/895C33ED7C02D6C185257D69006716BD

Roland5048 · Jan 26, 2016

Thanks for the info. Seahawk Cukote Blue was applied before I read this. Maybe they've changed the formula or maybe just the name. I'll find out in time. Meanwhile, it has been holding up well.