cost of a good bottom job

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Tom Monroe

I'm looking for a new boat, and I'm real interested in the H25.5. One that I'm looking at is a 1984 shoal draft with a good bit of rusting on the iron keel and a bottom where it looks like someone put a layer of incompatible paint over the old stuff. No blisters that I can detect, but I'll have the thing surveyed before I would purchase. I've read all the archive material on iron keels and am no longer concerned about the rust. Question ... what have any of you paid to have the keel taken down to bare metal, epoxyed, and painted, and the bottom taken down to gelcoat, barrier coated, and painted? I'd like to have some numbers as I begin to negotiate price. Thanks, Tom Monroe Carlyle Lake
 
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Mark Sanford

Depends on your patience

If you have the ability and time you can strip your own bottom. I'm currently doing my H25.5 and for the hull the only tools required is a straight blade scraper. The build up of bottom paint is actually flaking off. I will not need to sand at all. However, I do know that some situations may need extensive sanding and or chemical paint removers. I expect my total botom job cost to be less than 250 dollars as I am doing it myself. This is basically the materials cost for the project.
 
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Ed Schenck

C'mon Tom.

If this 60+ year old can do an H37C by himself then a 25.5 should be a piece of cake. Cost me nothing to scrape and sand to bare gelcoat. Six gallons of Interlux 2000E for about $360. and three gallons of Trinidad SR, also for $360., were the only major expenses. If I had it to do over(I never will) I would rent a vacuum sander for the final finish.
 
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Rick Macdonald

Only for salt water, right?

I bought my H23.5 on the coast but moved it inland to a fresh water lake. I doubt I'd ever haul it back to the ocean. It has bottom paint, but I assume this is really just for salt water? I thought i'd just ignore it and let it peel off, or maybe scrape it off someday. Would I need to do anything to the hull after removing the paint?
 
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Tom Monroe

to Ed and Rick ...

Rick ... made the same mistake in thinking a few years back. Fresh water, no need for bottom paint. You just would not believe how much grass will grow on the bottom of an unprotected boat in fresh water. At dock, the grass carp would come up and peck at the hull. Paint keeps the grass off, and allows you to scrub for slime buildup every few weeks. Ed ... well sir, you caught me out. I really plan to do the bottom myself, but I want the "pro" price for negotiating reasons. By the way, in reading the archives on the subject of taking off the old stuff, a couple of the guys were talking about using respirators, full protective suits, sanders that collect the dust, etc. Is all that necessary? I did a bottom one other time with a disc sander and a surgical mask. Tom
 
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Ed Schenck

Pro price.

Around here the professionals would get about $5000. for mine. Like you I have always worked with the surgical mask and goggles over my glasses. The scraping took it off in large chunks without much dust. But for sanding, even with a vacuum, a respirator is probably a good idea. I always wear one of those throwaway suits when working on the bottom.
 
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Jeff D

Differn't thought

Since you are on a fresh water lake and the boat is most likely pulled each year I would not put a lot money into a bottom job. No blisters, why put on a barrier coat at this stage of the game? If it hasn't blistered by now, it is doubtful it will in the future. The most comprehensive articles I have read point to blisters as being a result of layup issues. That is why the same vintage, same manufacurer do not always blister even in the same environment. Bottom paint. Are you racing? If not then just sand lightly and apply the cheapest stuff you can, Interlux Fiberglass Bottom Kote applied just before putting in. Touch up just prior to putting in. The most you will get on your lake anyway is some slime which can be powerwashed off when pulled out. Rust on the keel. That is just chasing your tail. Too much money into a losing cause, especially in freshwater. Once the boat is in, you won't see the keel again until you pull it out. There are numerous other ways to sink money into a boat, most of which are far more gratifying. Hope the boat surveys out well. Happy sailing.
 
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Rob Morton

Ablative Bottom paint

Hi Tom One more thought to your bottom paint. We have a h23 and we had to bottom sanded down and painted with an ablative paint and it was $700.00 up in Portland OR. I did the bottom of our catalina 22 we had and never want to paint the bottom of another boat again. I would definitly wear a resperator when sanding. Fresh water will grow things as was mentioned. If you are planning on pulling your boat out in the winter time with the ablative paint it basiclly wears off and this helps keep a new coat on and keeps it somewhat clean. The other paints will become ineffective after the haul out. Hope you get the new boat. I've seen other posts from guys on this same lake so you should have good company. Rob Morton
 
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Bill

Local bottom job - St. Louis

In the St. Louis area I've been told (by the broker in St. Louis county) that they charge $48 / foot for prep, barrier coat and bottom paint. So for a 25.5 the entire job would cost about $1200.
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Klean up the keel and paint the bottom.

Tom: Why mess with a barrier coat at this stage in the boats life. If you don't have blisters, there is a good chance that you never will. The keel job can easier be done while the boat is hauled for the season (assuming they will let you do it yourself). There are good instructions on the Interlux site to do this. The main thing is to get it down to brite metal and then slap the primer on to keep it from oxidizing. Then you can paint it just before you splash next season.
 
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