Bottom Paints for the Upper Chesapeake

[bawlmer]

Fellow Sailors. I am getting ready to paint the bottom of my boat. We sail on the upper Chesapeake. I would like to know what your experiences are for recommending the best bottom paints for this area. Is their a bottom paint you used that you were not happy with? I am planning to leave it in for 2 years at a time and haul every third year. All wisdom is greatly appreciated.

 

[4arch]

I've been pleased with Hydrocoat as it's easier to apply and easier to clean up than solvent-based paints with no noticeable loss of performance. There is no bottom paint that will perform well without maintenance cleanings at least twice a season and I've found that sailing the boat at least once a week during the warmer months makes a huge difference in keeping the bottom clean, especially the running gear.

 

[Gunni]

I have had good results with Hydrocoat, better results with Hydrocoat SR, and now that the biocide ingarol has been removed, I suppose I am back to Hydrocoat. It will work well multi year. Suggest you also use aluminum anodes, not zinc, and have them changed annually by diver or short-haul.

 

[bawlmer]

The old salt I met in the boatyard today said hydrocoat also. I think I will go with that. Thank you 4arch and Gunni for your wisdom.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I used Pettit Ultima SR-40 last year and it didn't do badly, so I'm using it again this year. This will be the last year for that though, since I seem to have gotten one of the last few cans with Ingarol. After this year I'll probably change to Vivid, which I've heard does alright in our area. I've also heard good things about the performance of hydrocoat in the northern Chesapeake. The only complaint I heard was from a racer who said that it seemed like it got very rough (i.e. Slow) as it ablated.

 

[Ukeluthier]

Add me to the list of Hydrocoat fans.