Hi Guys,
Long Island Sound sailor here (same harbor at NYSail). Sailing season is from May - October. I use the boat for casual racing, day sails, and some weekend cruises.
Over the years I have use a number of different bottom paints. Some worked well, others not so much.
Being a cheap sailor, what works for me is:
Paint the bottom with Pettit Ultima SR60. Two coats all around, a third coat on the water line and leading edge of keel and rudder. i use 2 gallons
Sail as often as possible.
Spend the winter in a slip.
Sail the the next season as often as possible
Have the boat hauled out at the end of season two.
In the spring, sand / scrub any remaining paint off and repaint before the boat goes in.
In year one I drive the boat 2-3 times. There will be some light slime that comes off very easily. I just use a dobe pad type scrubber. Very little paint is removed when I clean the bottom. In year two I have to clean the bottom a little more often. By the end of the second season most of the paint has worn away.
Some miscellaneous information:
-On my boat the paint definitely ablates when I sail.
-A friend and I bought a hookah rig. Best investment I ever made. It paid for itself in year one.
-I used to paint every year. What a pain it was / is to sand the bottom. Since the paint is over $200 / gallon I was sanding off a lot a money!
-Other paints used - Pettit Hydrocoat - a single season ablative - worked very poorly. Lots of growth. Cheap to buy. Never used again. Pettit Ultra SSA - better than Hydrocoat but only a single season. For me, Ultima SR60 (or 40) is the best deal.
Barry