Is there a good reason to repaint this......

[Lafayette Mike]

My boat is a 1987. Always sailed in fresh water. Almost always spends the night(s) on a trailer. During it's lifetime, it has probably only had 6-8 weeks of sitting in the water (overnight) while cruising lakes in the midwest. Otherwise it comes out on the trailer and gets parked till the next weekend.
I have it indoors this winter!!! First time for me....and I have time to work on it.....
So I need your advice. The white gelcoat and the blue striping on the hull clean up very nicely using either a Magic Eraser pad or a Scotchbrite pad. But the blue/green bottom paint doesn't clean up so well. There is a lot of chalking and spotting on the bottom paint, but no major dings or anything. If I Scotchbrite it hard enough to get the crud off, the bottom paint goes with it.
From an aesthetic point of view, I could care less about the bottom, as I never see it! But seriously, is this something I should attack? Other than hurting the boats feelings (!), will it hurt anything else if I let this go?

Thanks.......Mike

 

[Simon Sexton]

When was the last time you had a hull job done...? Down here in Texas, new hull paint goes on every two years; not for aesthetics, but so that the seawater doesn't eat away the gelcoat and get to the fiberglass of the hull.

 

[Lafayette Mike]

When was the last time you had a hull job done...? Down here in Texas, new hull paint goes on every two years; not for aesthetics, but so that the seawater doesn't eat away the gelcoat and get to the fiberglass of the hull.

Unknown. I bought the boat two years ago. If I had to venture a guess, its been a decade or so. Does it look like it's been repainted? I can't tell.....I kinda see two colors in the bottom paint, but maybe I am seeing things! This boat never touches saltwater.....at least for now. I'm kinda pressed for time this spring. If I let it go for this summer I'll probably paint it late next fall before hard winter sets in.
Mike

 

[Gene Neill]

If the boat lives on a trailer, sails in fresh water, I wouldn't be at all concerned.

 

[Simon Sexton]

This boat never touches saltwater

Ahh, then you're probably fine. Sanding those spots down and then buffing/waxing the hull would improve performance a bit, but other than that I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[Meriachee]

Seawater eats gelcoat. You heard it here first kids.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Although it may not apply to a trailer boat but I thought fresh water is more likely to create blisters than salt water, particularly when the gel coat is exposed.

Regardless, the purpose of bottom paint isn't aesthetic but to retard growth. What bottom paint for fresh water which doesn't lose its efficacy when dried is a mystery to me but it seems there must be some.

To state the obvious, whatever you do, the smoother, the better.

 

[Lafayette Mike]

If the boat lives on a trailer, sails in fresh water, I wouldn't be at all concerned.

Thanks Gene....appreciate the input......and loved your video about the Dry Tortugas!
Mike

 

[Lafayette Mike]

To state the obvious, whatever you do, the smoother, the better.

I'll probably buff it out this time, and repaint it next year then.......thanks

Mike

 

[BigEasy]

Mike,
As others have mentioned, not a problem to let it remain as is considering, the way the boat is used. Again, the only purpose of antifouling paint (“bottom paint”) is to retard / prevent marine growth. Technically It doesn’t protect the gelcoat; only stops marine crud & critters from attaching! That said, if you allow a lot of growth to attach, you’re likely going to remove some gelcoat when aggressively sanding to remove the crud. When you decide to repaint, I would consult with product reps from Petit & Inerlux to determine the best paint for your application. Lots of trailer sailors here who can also help with paint selection that works for them. Another consideration is that antfouling paint needs to be applied within a specific temperature range; that could be a problem this winter, if your indoor storage area is not heated .

 

[Ward H]

Mike, I wouldn’t bother with it.
As others have said, bottom paint is for reducing marine growth on the bottom. The only time it looks good is when it is a fresh new coat.
If you really want to make the boat look great, stop with the scotch pads/magic eraser and do a buff/polish and wax on the topsides.
There is a great tutorial here:
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/tips-for-a-great-buff-wax.117266/

 

[Joe]

Down here in Texas, new hull paint goes on every two years; not for aesthetics, but so that the seawater doesn't eat away the gelcoat and get to the fiberglass of the hull.

Who in the world told you that? Perhaps a little research before making such a comment.
----------------------------------
Re: Lafayette Mike's concerns... Is there a good reason..... well yes... it makes it look better and a clean smooth bottom will improve performance. If it was me I would clean the algae and other crud off the bottom with a diluted acid based solution like toilet bowl cleaner... and repaint ... probably just topside paint rather than anti fouling bottom paint. It you can wax and polish to bring it back to life... got for it..

I never bottom painted my trailer sailors... but I did wash them down with the inexpensive toilet bowl cleaner to remove the brown crud (algae) that often appeared. A long handled, plastic bristled pot brush was as aggressive as I ever got. Never used scouring pads and the like.

If you go to the West Marine Advisor you can find a couple of informative articles on this subject... enlighten yourself by paying a visit to that excellent resource.

 

[jerry]

Fresh Water, does not set in water for weeks or longer? Clean it to gel coat and WAX it. To remove brown stains, use a weak acid solution like CLR or oxalic acid. I have fond memories of waxing in 95 degree August sun laying under the boat on the trailer sweating off a few pounds.

 

[BigEasy]

Many years ago (35 yrs) I made the stupid mistake of leaving a fiberglass flat boat (no antifouling paint) in saltwater for about 10 days unattended under a boat shed during summer. Water temp was in mid 80’s. When I hauled the boat to place it on the trailer it was a disaster. I also “have fond memories of scouring and scraping in 95 degree August sun laying under the boat on the trailer sweating off a few pounds. “ Pressure washing at the local car wash didn’t do anything. The bottom was never like new after that and I learned a lesson, the hard way!

 

[pclarksurf]

Science stolen from here: (the inventors of Smiths Penetrating epoxy -- now CPES)

http://www.smithandcompany.org/GRP/GRP.html

This is the fundamental principle: If water evaporates off the inner hull surface of a fiberglass hull boat faster than it can diffuse through the barrier paint coating, this results in a very low moisture content in the laminate. Theoretically, if it leaves faster than it comes in, the resulting water concentration in the laminate should approach zero,

 

[Doug4bass]

Seawater eats gelcoat. You heard it here first kids.

I just knew thats why I liked Lake Superior!!!

If my boat lived on a trailer I would paint that bottom just for aesthetics alone.....but thats
just anal me.

 

[LakeShark]

Your a trailer sailer in the upper midwest. Leave it alone as there are other projects that would be a better use of time. To put it in perspective most of the C22 racers have no bottom paint but do wax the hull to improve performance and the boats are left in the water for almost a week solid (at nationals at least) . I am a trailer sailer as well and my boat is bottom painted but it came that way. If it were up to me it would have been original Gelcoat and I have no plans to repaint it ever. In fact I am looking forward to when it gets as thin as yours so I can remove it in a few years.

 

[Meriachee]

I just knew thats why I liked Lake Superior!!!

If my boat lived on a trailer I would paint that bottom just for aesthetics alone.....but thats
just anal me.

Nothing quite like nice shiny glasswork.