Bottom paint - Required? (in freshwater)
- Thread starter Jamesiv1
- Start date
Depends...........an unprotected hull in a freshwater lake, is vulnerable to both soft growth (algae and slime) and hard growth (shellfish) that contribute to fouling. Do you have fast-growing zebra and quagga mussels, two invasive, fast-growing fouling organisms? Do you clean it regularily? Interesting thread on bootom painting boats in Texas lakes: Boat Painters in Texas Recommend Bottom Paint for Your Boat (nwfiberglass.com).
Last edited:
I have only had the boat 2 months, and its been in the water for one month. My first boat so i know nothing. I’m pulling the boat this week to repair a hole and thought i might paint the bottom… But now that i think about it… how am i even going to do it while on the trailer?? Can’t be done, right?
Every boat sits on stands or trailers when out of the water, and you obviously can't paint when it is in the water....
See link in previous post and also threads on the forum. Many explain how to lift a boat a foot or so off the trailer/cradle.
It can be done. You will need 2 to 4 - 20 ton bottle jacks, steel drums not the plastic ones, (or concrete cinder blocks) and 4x4. You just need enough to lift it off the trailer in order to pull the trailer out. Found this Lifting a C22 off its trailer ?
Thank you @teacherspet --- I'm just not sure I'm brave enough to try that. This is usually the point where I call in the professionals.... I don't know... I'll chew on it a day or two.
Easy peesy.
No Jack's needed. Just need a bunch of 2 x 6s and the trailer tongue jack.
Cut the 2x6 into 18 inch lengths and make a vertical column by stacking/screwing them, laying flat in a square shape. 2 pieces
per layer.
Lower the trailer tongue, stick the wood column under the transom, raise rhe trailer tongue.
Boat will lift off the rear portion of the bunks... Paint under the bunks at the back.
Repeat process for the front.
At no point is the whole boat off the trailer.
Dangerous? So is driving a car... Or sailing a boat... Ĉar is worse.
Using the right paint. It lasts multiple seasons.
No Jack's needed. Just need a bunch of 2 x 6s and the trailer tongue jack.
Cut the 2x6 into 18 inch lengths and make a vertical column by stacking/screwing them, laying flat in a square shape. 2 pieces
per layer.
Lower the trailer tongue, stick the wood column under the transom, raise rhe trailer tongue.
Boat will lift off the rear portion of the bunks... Paint under the bunks at the back.
Repeat process for the front.
At no point is the whole boat off the trailer.
Dangerous? So is driving a car... Or sailing a boat... Ĉar is worse.
Using the right paint. It lasts multiple seasons.
Hi @Leeward Rail -- That does sound pretty easy peesy. Don't have to buy anything but 2x6's.... Can you elaborate on that a little bit? The 2x6 part?
So I think you're saying a layer is two 2x6 pieces... making each layer 12x18, and just make a stack of layers from the ground up to the transom once you've got the tongue of the trailer lowered. Sound right?
That is basically it. By doing one end at a time the boat is stable because half is on the trailer bunks.
Here is a shot of the basic wood design.
This is the one at a mechanical shop that I took the idea from. Easily adjust the height. Just keep screwing new layers on vertically into the layer below
In mine, I made it in 2 sections so I could also use them for other tasks.
Attachments
Nice... I like it. I think even I can handle that LOL I've never been much of a handyman... But I'm learning. I'm kind of limited on power tools, also.
It's all good. I think I'll give this method a try. I really want to get a coat of paint on the bottom.
Last edited:
Leeward Rail is right - this is a do-it-yourself job, if you want to. That said, for about $2,000 it can be done for you by your local boatyard - your choice. In either case, you will need an anti-foul if you intend to leave it in the water - stuff grows in warm fresh water just like in salty. In the Great Lakes, you could pass an entire season (defined as the five warmest months of the year) without bottom scrubbing, but that is not the case in sunny Texas. Fresh paint on your bottom in summer and you will be lucky to get a full month without critters setting up homestead rights.
For paint choices, ask around your dock or local marine supplier what works well for your situation - fresh water, and that particular lake. Some paints stop working if you dry them out, so pulling it up to trailer can stop the benefits. At one point in the distant past, Pettit Vivid was the only hard paint that could tolerate trailering.
For DIY on the trailer, 95% of the painting is just crawling underneath and dripping paint in your hair/eyes. Masking the waterline may be the most difficult Use 1/2 inch painters tape (frog tape is really waterproof) and make a nice smooth line. If it has never been painted, apply a primer/barrier coat after following instructions for preparation (light sanding and wiping with acetone, usually). Getting under the bunks is pretty easy. Use a stack of a couple concrete blocks stacked up with a a couple 4x4 or 2x8's across them athwart the boat to make a sort of table, and drop or raise the trailer jack to get the boat to sit on the table rather than the trailer bunks. Chock the wheels so the trailer does not move without the boat's weight on it. Paint boat on top of the bunks / rollers, and let it dry. Move the trailer jack back up and go launch. You probably will have to repeat for the front and back to get full coverage.
A less tool intensive option is to use concrete blocks. A couple of blocks stacked and maybe a paver or two will be necessary. You'll have to measure. A piece of wood on top will protect the hull from the concrete. Given the price of lumber these days, it may be less expensive too.
You have a point there.
One thing I liked about that setup is that the tower can be made into 2 smaller ones and reused for other things. Due to their large base, and resulting stability, they make perfect step stools when working on pickup trucks, reaching high shelving, etc.
Need to paint the boat again? Screw the 2 "steps tools" together again. Very handy.
I like them so much as step stools, I eventually bought some automotive lift safety stands with jackscrews and modified them for use with the boat.
Last edited:
At my local Home Depot they have 2" x 6" x 8 ft.
Do you mean the standard concrete blocks you see everywhere? About 6" x 6" by a foot long or so? kind of hollow?
So you're saying get enough of those topped with a piece of wood to support the boat in the same manner as Leeward Rail's method?
What is a paver?
Hi @dlochner - Appreciate your reply.
Do you mean the standard concrete blocks you see everywhere? About 6" x 6" by a foot long or so? kind of hollow?
So you're saying get enough of those topped with a piece of wood to support the boat in the same manner as Leeward Rail's method?
What is a paver?
My local Home Depot has 2" x 6" x 8 ft boards for $4.98/ea. If I cut them 16 inches instead of 18 inches I get 6 pieces per board.
Doesn't seem too bad....
Doesn't seem too bad....
The blocks come in different sizes, there are sometimes known as cinder blocks, building blocks, concrete blocks, etc. These are the blocks used to build walls.
A Paver is a solid concrete slab about 2-3" thick used for walkways or to top off a concrete block wall. Take a trip to your local big box hardware store and wander around, you'll see them probably in the outside area.