Can anyone tell me what kind (brand) of Bottom Paint this might be?

[Project_Mayhem]

If using VC17, a single full recoat is better than touch ups. I noticed a difference in the boat's performance

 

[jssailem]

My thoughts. I like the outline provided in post # 16 by @Captain Larry-DH . It captures many of the other comments provided. It would be a good one to follow.

Pettit Paint says to take these steps:
Contact the company and look for the compatibility charts (Pettit, Interlux/International, Sea Hawk, TotalBoat, etc.) that show exactly what you can apply over their competitors’ products and what prep is needed. Download the one for your new paint brand and cross-reference your old paint (or take a photo/sample to the boatyard/chandlery). A test patch on a small area can reveal issues early.

1. What would you do? Follow the instructions of the new paint brand.

2. What would happen if I just painted VC 17 over the old paint? CHECK THE COMPATIBILITY CHART

3. Could I do a light sanding/cleaning to just get the ablative bottom paint off, then paint on something like VC 17 ?
(If so what exactly... cleaning and sanding protocol should I follow?)

You could but I would CHECK THE COMPATIBILITY CHART and do a test area before I did the whole boat.

4. Does the light blue color give away what it is or no?

NO.

This is a DIY project. It is something that you can fix if you find it is not what you like.

 

[Carl Wonderful]

I've used Petit's Vivid Bottom Paint for nearly 20 years. It's a hard ablative solvent-based paint. When out of the water, the finish is matte and and quite hard...not chalky like most ablatives. If you wipe it with your finger, you WILL see some paint wipe off but you have to press pretty hard. I'd stick with this product if that's what's there. However...your receipt was for Vivid WHITE paint. Your photo looks like BLUE so this could be a different paint, OR the owner, thoughtfully, put on a base coat of White Vivid and overcoated with Blue Vivid so that he could see when he was down to the White layer and where he needed to repaint.

With any bottom paint, it's important to avoid excess buildup. Years ago I barrier-coated my hull with gray barrier paint. Now, whenever I see a little gray showing through, I only repaint those areas... always the water line, the leading edge of the keel and most of the rudder, but rarely the flat part of the bottom.

Vivid is a pricey paint, but it goes on in thin layers and you don't need to recoat every square inch of bottom every year.

I do think Ill stick with the Petit Vivid.

1. The receipt was from 2015, so he sailed it at least 5 seasons after that. I'm guessing in 2016 or 2017 he probably just re-coated with the blue Vivid? And then maybe continued just using the blue each year, and when we saw white he knew he needed another coating of blue? Does this make sense?

2. How much Vivid would I need to do the hull and keel? {I don't want to order a whole gallon if for some reason the vivid wasn't what he had on there last, ya know)

 

[Carl Wonderful]

Checked the charts and it just says to sand the apply the new Vivid over {the old Vivid}. I do not have a "RANDOM" orbital sander. Can I just use a regular orbital electric sander for this job?

 

[Carl Wonderful]

One last Q

So this chart is saying I can just sand and apply any of those bottom paints (on the left) as long as a sand first. If they are all the compatible)...Can anyone recommend one of them over VIVID to save me some money. I'm in freshwater 7months of the year then stored in driveway. I do not care about racing or high speeds.

 

[Davidasailor26]

1. The receipt was from 2015, so he sailed it at least 5 seasons after that. I'm guessing in 2016 or 2017 he probably just re-coated with the blue Vivid? And then maybe continued just using the blue each year, and when we saw white he knew he needed another coating of blue? Does this make sense?

That’s a possibility. Unfortunately it’s also possible he switched to a different brand or line of paint. Not much way to tell.

How much Vivid would I need to do the hull and keel? {I don't want to order a whole gallon if for some reason the vivid wasn't what he had on there last, ya know)

I know a 28’ boat can be done in under 3 quarts as long as the bottom is smooth. I don’t know about 22’. Usually antifouling by the quart isn’t very economical compared to the gallon, so you might find that if you need 2 or 2.5 quarts you’re better off buying a gallon, and saving some for next year.

Checked the charts and it just says to sand the apply the new Vivid over {the old Vivid}. I do not have a "RANDOM" orbital sander. Can I just use a regular orbital electric sander for this job?

You can try. It won’t hurt anything. But a plain orbital might not remove the existing paint as quickly as you’d like. This isn’t really a job that you want taking any longer than it has to. But if the existing paint is in good shape that might be good enough.

One last Q

So this chart is saying I can just sand and apply any of those bottom paints (on the left) as long as a sand first. If they are all the compatible)...Can anyone recommend one of them over VIVID to save me some money. I'm in freshwater 7months of the year then stored in driveway. I do not care about racing or high speeds.

You could consider something like Pettit Hydrocoat. It’s compatible with lots of other paints so even if the previous owner switched to something other than Vivid you’d probably be ok. In freshwater slime and algae growth will be the biggest issues, or maybe zebra mussels if they’re in your area. How much antifouling protection you need will depend on lots of factors like water temperature, sun exposure, and water nutrients. It’s hard to say what will work well in your waters specifically. Ask around if you can, or search the archives here for more experiences in waters like yours.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

I certainly take some exceptions to some of the advice written above. It is difficult to determine certainly the brand of bottom paint but, maybe take a good guess at the type. Because it looks thick and somewhat soft, it appears that it MIGHT be a multi-season (ablative) paint. That means that the paint and the toxicants (in the paint) slough off at the same rate so that at some point it will all be gone and you know it is time to recoat. Think of it like a bar of soap. As you wash your hands, the soap bar gets smaller, but keeps cleaning your hands. Single season paints are harder and the toxicants generally leach away leaving the paint behind. So, if you look at bottom paint on a single season type, you cannot assume the paint will amply keep stuff from growing on your hull. It needs to be recoated annually if the boat is pulled for the winter. Same goes with trailerable boats. Single season paints are not good options where multi season paints are good and that is because multi season paints do not use copper and hence can be pulled, the hull dried and put back into the water again without loss of antifouling properties.
Single season paints usually have a cuprous oxide biocide (copper) which works great as long as you leave it in the water. But once you remove the boat, a chemical change takes place and the antifouling properties don't work as well. The paint builds up each time you apply more coats to the point where you will need to remove the thick coats and start over again. YOU CANNOT APPLY VC17 over other paint types. Bad idea. A waste of your hard-earned bucks. You have to remove all of the existing paint first before you can use VC17. And you don't want to put other types of paint over VC17 either as eventually they will fall off.
So, copper based paints should not be used on trailerable boats that go in and out of the water regularly. If the boat is kept on the trailer most of the time wth occassional sails, why bother with any antifouling paint, unless the boat will sit in the water long enough for stuff to grow on it. Therefore, muli-season paints are better for trailerable boats - especially if left n the water for any length of time.
Hard, cuprous oxide type paints are single season and need to be applied each spring for best results.

 

[Carl Wonderful]

I certainly take some exceptions to some of the advice written above. It is difficult to determine certainly the brand of bottom paint but, maybe take a good guess at the type. Because it looks thick and somewhat soft, it appears that it MIGHT be a multi-season (ablative) paint. That means that the paint and the toxicants (in the paint) slough off at the same rate so that at some point it will all be gone and you know it is time to recoat. Think of it like a bar of soap. As you wash your hands, the soap bar gets smaller, but keeps cleaning your hands. Single season paints are harder and the toxicants generally leach away leaving the paint behind. So, if you look at bottom paint on a single season type, you cannot assume the paint will amply keep stuff from growing on your hull. It needs to be recoated annually if the boat is pulled for the winter. Same goes with trailerable boats. Single season paints are not good options where multi season paints are good and that is because multi season paints do not use copper and hence can be pulled, the hull dried and put back into the water again without loss of antifouling properties.
Single season paints usually have a cuprous oxide biocide (copper) which works great as long as you leave it in the water. But once you remove the boat, a chemical change takes place and the antifouling properties don't work as well. The paint builds up each time you apply more coats to the point where you will need to remove the thick coats and start over again. YOU CANNOT APPLY VC17 over other paint types. Bad idea. A waste of your hard-earned bucks. You have to remove all of the existing paint first before you can use VC17. And you don't want to put other types of paint over VC17 either as eventually they will fall off.
So, copper based paints should not be used on trailerable boats that go in and out of the water regularly. If the boat is kept on the trailer most of the time wth occassional sails, why bother with any antifouling paint, unless the boat will sit in the water long enough for stuff to grow on it. Therefore, muli-season paints are better for trailerable boats - especially if left n the water for any length of time.
Hard, cuprous oxide type paints are single season and need to be applied each spring for best results.

Good info, thanks!

I decided to go with Pettit Hydrocoat. Can you walk me through, step by step how I go about this in my scenario? I also keep getting caught up on cleaning and prep and confused to what kind/brands and in what order to clean/prep. I have a orbital sander (not random). Thanks a bunch!

This is where my head is sort of spinning still...
-Do I just sand and apply...
-or clean then sand then clean (what cleaner/solvent) again then apply.
-Do I use acetone at any point or not?
-I do not have any way to pressure wash...But I guess I could buy one if I need it. Is my orbital sander sufficient to use.
- How do I know how much to sand since I don't know what is under this paint.

Thanks