Bottom paint review

Aug 24, 2016
44
Hunter 25.5 SYR
Interlux ACT bottom paint, for freshwater sailing NY Fingerlake. Did you find it easy to get a smooth application? Did it hold up well after power washing the hull in the fall? Defender is offering a discount price on a gallon.
Thanks.
 
Jul 1, 2010
990
Catalina 350 Port Huron
We're on Cayuga. I have used ACT in the past, though the last several years I have been using Blue Water Marine Copper Shield 45 Ablative. It seems to do a better job keeping off slime than the ACT did. Either will work well to keep the zebra mussels at bay. The Blue Water paint seems to be a little harder and less likely to come off (purely subjective). We usually trailer our boat mid season to other places, and I lose less paint on the trailer bunk areas of the bottom with the Blue Water paint. It holds up well to pressure washing. I recoat it every couple of years, and it still works well on the second season, even though the boat was out of the water for the winter.
 
Dec 1, 1999
2,391
Hunter 28.5 Chesapeake Bay
I used to use ACT, but switched to Petit Hydrocoat some years ago. Works well as a multi-season paint and is fairly hard for an ablative so it can withstand scrubbing and power washing pretty well.