Bottom Paint

[Tom Hoffman]

Thank you all for the imput on my previous question on how to get the boat off the trailer for maintenance. I have figured out a way to suspend the boat in the air with blocks under only two spots on the keel temporarily.

Now I need help on deciding which kind and brand of bottom paint to go with. The boat will be in fresh water for at least the next 2 years, after that all bets are off.

From your experience, what would be the prefered kind and brand of bottom paint. For an older fiberglass boat.

Good - Better - Best ?

Easiest to apply etc.

Thanks,

Tom...

 

[sailingdog]

Considering that the boat is a trailerable, it might be wise to go with a multi-season ablative that can withstand being hauled out just in case you have to haul the boat out and leave it on the trailer for any reason.

 

[Joe]

go to the west marine website and select the advisor section. There you will find a primer on bottom paint and many other maintenance issue. We're all happy to help you.... but the information you seek is readily available and more consistant at the location I mentioned. Here's the link: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/topcategory/10001/-1/10001/4

Since you're trailering the boat, ablative paint will be your best choice. I encourage you to do some quick research so you'll understand just what that means.

 

[Tom Hoffman]

Thanks, Joe, I have been doing the research since I received the first reply. I had never heard of ablitive paint before. I have been reading and watching videos this morning. Some times I an completely amazed at the scope of information available on the internet just using a search engine like google.

Thanks again. Joe...

 

[Sumner]

Here are three links to recent posts on this subject on here.....

http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=115320

http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=115362

http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=115320

You can see the last couple were mine as we were going through the same decision making process.

If I was going to stay in fresh water for a time I probably would of picked Pettit's Vivid. It is a hybrid somewhere between the ablative and hard paints and they say it doesn't wear off on the trailer bunks as bad as say the SR and other true ablatives. It is also a dual-biocide which appeals to me.

For you it will probably come down to how often you launch on and off the trailer. If you put the boat in say for the summer then a cheaper paint that rubs off on the bunks and you might be just fine. We wanted something a little harder to keep it on during the long trips that the boat is on the trailer and rubbing on the bunks.

Since we wanted to go to Florida we decided on Seahawk's Dark Blue Cukote Biocide Plus Self-Polishing Bottom Paint. It is not as hard as the Pettit, but harder than most ablatives. The last link above tells where we ordered it from. They had a free shipping deal at the time which still might be going on.

We also are using Seahawk's Tuff Stuff for the barrier coat. It was more economical than some of the others and I liked the procedure for applying it. The barrier coat might be something for you to consider also. Our bottom has never been painted and is in perfect shape, but the boat has never been in water for extended periods as far as we can tell. Since it will be in the future there is that possibility for blistering. I figured I had to sand the bottom now for the bottom paint and for $120 more I could apply the barrier coat and be done with that. It would be much easier than having to sand the bottom coats back off and fixing blisters in the future.

I have a pdf file of tests on different bottom paints that a friend e-mailed to me and I could send it to you (or anyone else) if you were interested. It is pretty good.

Good luck with your decision,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

 

[Tom Hoffman]

Sum, You must not have gotten my PM, I loved your website and all the modifications you have made to your boat. I plan on doing some of those myself.

Thanks for the links and yes, I would like the pdfs too.

My direct email address is. tvhoffman@jtt.net

I would like to keep in contact with you, you guys seem to have similar goals for your small boat. I wanted to buy a 36' - 40' but budget and dreams did not jibe. Also after finding out about summer slip fees and winter storage fees for big boats that can't be trailered, I chickend out. Got me a little boat to start and may move up to a 32' on a trailer later on.

We are (at least I am) thinking about going down the Mississippi to the Kentucy River and going through the Tenn-Tom waterway down to Mobile and around on the Circle cruise, back up the ICW (here is a link to a good book on a cruise take by a man UP the ICW) http://www.myfathersworld.com/book.htm to Hudson Bay and into the Great lakes and back down to Lake Michigan and pick the boat up there in Waukegun Ill.

Here is the link.

http://www.greatcirclecruise.com/

We only live about 250 miles from Lake Mich, and only 90 from the Mississippi. Probably not reasonable to do it all in a few months, maybe not even possible at 6 kts. either. It would be fun to do it in stages, especially the upper Miss. and the Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile.

Keep in touch. I would invite you to be a friend if I knew how to do it. Seems to technical for an old bird like me.

Tom...
319-231-7705 Cell

 

[Sumner]

...........Thanks for the links and yes, I would like the pdfs too.........................

Glad you like the web site, thanks.

I just sent you the pdf file. It is 2 meg, so if you are on dial-up it will take some time to download. One other thing on the Pettit Vivid that might make it good for you is in one of those links one of the guys said it really worked well on the Zebra Mussels that are in his lake. Your area might have those. It also comes in some nice colors. For the trips you have planned the limited time you would be in salt water it would be fine. Also non of the bottom paints are going to last forever, so if salt water is a couple years down the road you would most likely be repainting by then anyway and could switch. You would just have to check compatibilities, but on the bottom paints they seem pretty flexible. Also be sure the paint you get is good for fresh water. I didn't know that and was looking at one for a while that is only a salt water paint. Also the two paints that are in my other post are both recommended for trailered boats and will work after the boat has been out of the water for extended periods like Sailingdog mentioned. That is important.

We have looked at those trips you mentioned. They sound nice, but like you mentioned a lot of motoring. We would like to go to Buffalo, NY at some point and do the Erie Canal over to the Hudson and then down the NYC and up into the Long Island Sound. My sister lives just a few miles off of the sound in Conn. We looked at this year, but we have to much to do to the boat to make that feasible, so it is on hold.

I googled the Mississippi lake you are near and that looks nice. I'm sure it will be fun. Let me know when is a good time to call and I'll give you a ring,

Sum

 

[Tom Hoffman]

Normally early morinings is good. At that time, my home number is:

319-827-1515. I am normally up by 6:AM CST. I normally head out to work 2-3 days a week around 8:30-9:00 AM CST. Then the cell number works best. We are so remote in our house that we have almost no Cell signal in the house.

Tom...

 

[Sumner]

Normally early mornings is good. At that time, my home number is:

319-827-1515. I am normally up by 6:AM CST. I normally head out to work 2-3 days a week around 8:30-9:00 AM CST. Then the cell number works best. We are so remote in our house that we have almost no Cell signal in the house.

Tom...

Well 6 am your time is 5 am my time :cry: . How about evenings? I wouldn't post your number or e-mail on these boards. You can tell us guys that come from pretty low crime areas of the country where you can still trust your neighbor.

Talk to you soon,

Sum