Mt Sinai, NY Ablative Bottom Paint Recommendation?

[Mickstr]

I've had an O'Day 322 in Mt Sinai for 4 years now, using West Marine CPP bottom paint. I'm not loving the results. A friend recommended Interlux ACT. Does anyone in the Pt Jeff/Mount Sinai area have a bottom paint that's really worked for them? I'm also considering Jamestown Total Boat Keel Hauler ablative... Not a racer BTW, just like to get from Point A to Point B in as best a time as possible...

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Western LIS is an antifouling challenge. The only paint I've used that really works in western LIS is Interlux Micron 66. However, it has 3 disadvantages: 1) It's very soft and will rub off if an anchor rode rubs on the hull, and the color will then stain the deck if that line comes in contact with the deck. 2) It will permanently deactivate if the boat goes up a river into fresh water, and may also lose its adherence to the substrate 3) it's expensive.
I have settled on Pettit Hydrocoat SR for the past 5+ years. It's about equal in effectiveness to Interlux Micron Extra, but is water based and slightly lower cost. It gets little or no hard growth, but it gets some slime and needs to have the bottom wiped every 4-6 weeks (more frequently if you're a serious racer).

 

[capta]

I'm not in your area, but having more than 5 decades of messin' about on boats of all types, talking to literally hundreds of owners and skippers, the conclusion I've come to is no one makes an antifouling paint that actually antifouls any more. Therefore, go as cheap as possible and buy a quality deck snorkel and scrub your boat's bottom regularly or hire someone to do it.
The last paint I put on was us$7.50 a gallon (out of date) and it worked just as well as any us$350.00 a gallon antifouling I've used in the last 35 years.

 

[Mickstr]

I'm not in your area, but having more than 5 decades of messin' about on boats of all types, talking to literally hundreds of owners and skippers, the conclusion I've come to is no one makes an antifouling paint that actually antifouls any more. Therefore, go as cheap as possible and buy a quality deck snorkel and scrub your boat's bottom regularly or hire someone to do it.
The last paint I put on was us$7.50 a gallon (out of date) and it worked just as well as any us$350.00 a gallon antifouling I've used in the last 35 years.

Yea, that's what I'm starting to think... Thanks.

 

[shemandr]

When I had a boat on Peconic Bay I used Interlux Bottomkoat (It had the anti-slime component ACT, I think). I found it to be acceptable but I did clean it regularly. Now it has NT "Technology." I also liked the VC product I had on my Ranger. But it is a hard paint which meant I would have had to strip all the abalative paint off and I wasn't willing to do that or pay someone to. I would go more than one season with either. In some yards, but not all, they would spot paint areas that needed it. We weren't allow to apply our own paint for the last years I was there in any yard.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

As a former dealer may I suggest to everyone to check the local yards that do bottom painting in your local waters to see what works the best for your application

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

As a former dealer may I suggest to everyone to check the local yards that do bottom painting in your local waters to see what works the best for your application

The local dealers tend to choose a brand and stick with it for everything, whether RIB, Sailboat, trawler or runabout. They all like Hydrocoat because it's water based and does a fair job all around (or for other reasons and biases) but this does not address the specific questions of the OP (I did that above) but I can tell you from first-hand knowledge Greenport and Eastern LIS and southern New England do not rival the anti-fouling problems of Western LIS, which is a cesspool by comparison. Western LIS is troubled by urban/suburban pollution and fertilizer runoff from manicured lawns, golf courses and playing fields, with poor circulation to/from the ocean. Not to mention the many towns with inadequate sewage treatment plants that spill millions of gallons of untreated sewage into LIS without penalty when their sewers overflow. Its harbors and bays are regularly trawled by commercial shellfish dredge and vacuum harvester rigs, which drag everything up from the bottom and drop it down again. Its turbid waters are nutrient-rich for fouling organisms.

 

[NYSail]

I've had an O'Day 322 in Mt Sinai for 4 years now, using West Marine CPP bottom paint. I'm not loving the results. A friend recommended Interlux ACT. Does anyone in the Pt Jeff/Mount Sinai area have a bottom paint that's really worked for them? I'm also considering Jamestown Total Boat Keel Hauler ablative... Not a racer BTW, just like to get from Point A to Point B in as best a time as possible...

I'm also in Mt. Sinai.... The yard has been using Hydrocoat past few years. So far its done pretty good (as to be expected). I skipped last year and growth was no different that when paint was fresh. Also, I dive on the water line and prop to check and clean as necessary. Also I have a diver clean the bottom in mid July.... I am going to try painting every other year and see how it goes. Did a good bottom prep this year.... Don't like the excess build-up.
btw... are you a member of the Mount Sinai Sailing Association? Good club with nice activities.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

As a former dealer while in business in North Carolina, the yards I dealt with advised many what worked well on different applications for the area which may not be true in other areas. Therefore to some extent I disagree. A lot of good Marine yards in North Carolina on advice.

 

[DrJudyB]

Ask a local diver. They really know what paint works the best in your waters. (Shout out to Matt @fstbttms)

Our waters promote hard growth (barnacles) as well as green and red furry-slime and lord-only-knows what that leafy stuff is officially named. I can tell you from experience that without AF paint, baby barnacles start growing in a week if you don’t sail the boat.

In SF Bay, California, we can leave outer boats in the water year round. the best hard performing paint is Petitt’s Trinidad SR. I get almost two season with it. When I have to call the diver more frequently than every 8: weeks, it’s time to repaint.

The best trailerable paint around here is Micron 66, which is semi hard and can be left in or out of water for long periods of time. This is my first time keeping a trailerable in a slip, so I can’t tell you how long until I have to repaint.

My trailerable came with Hydrocoat on it and I put another coat on before I put in in a slip. The paint wasn’t lasting 3 months between dives after about 10 months. My diver Matt advised me to try Micron 66, and so far it’s been in the water 10 months and it’s still looking good on a three month diving schedule. We aren’t sailing much since the Covid-19 restrictions were enacted, so it is a bit slimy looking, but I expect that will come off when we sail. There are no barnacles.

 

[Mickstr]

I'm also in Mt. Sinai.... The yard has been using Hydrocoat past few years. So far its done pretty good (as to be expected). I skipped last year and growth was no different that when paint was fresh. Also, I dive on the water line and prop to check and clean as necessary. Also I have a diver clean the bottom in mid July.... I am going to try painting every other year and see how it goes. Did a good bottom prep this year.... Don't like the excess build-up.
btw... are you a member of the Mount Sinai Sailing Association? Good club with nice activities.

Hey Larry. No, I haven't joined MSSA yet, although I have a friend or two there. I dive on the boat for prop and waterline, but getting all of the bottom is a bit of a job. I hire a local diver once or twice a season as well. Just trying to see if anyone had a "magic bullet" for our neck of the woods... When I was on the south shore with my 272, I'd get in 4-5' of water and anchor and scrub the whole thing..
Can you recommend a place with a sandy bottom and maybe 5' or so low tide near Mt Sinai? Maybe just outside the harbor and west along the shore?

 

[BarryL]

Hello,

Like NYSAIL I also have a boat in NY. Over the years I have tried a lot of difference paints. For the last 5+ years I have used Pettit SR paint. I use either SR40 or SR60, depending in the price. I get two years from 2 coats of SR60. In year one I dive the boat and clean the bottom in July, Aug, and Sept. In year two I need to dive and clean it more often - every 3 weeks so, and I will clean it before an important race.

I also recommend you join the MSSA. The schedule this year is in flux, but we will have a sailing season.

Barry

 

[NYSail]

Hey Larry. No, I haven't joined MSSA yet, although I have a friend or two there. I dive on the boat for prop and waterline, but getting all of the bottom is a bit of a job. I hire a local diver once or twice a season as well. Just trying to see if anyone had a "magic bullet" for our neck of the woods... When I was on the south shore with my 272, I'd get in 4-5' of water and anchor and scrub the whole thing..
Can you recommend a place with a sandy bottom and maybe 5' or so low tide near Mt Sinai? Maybe just outside the harbor and west along the shore?

Actually Greg..... but Larry is a nice and smart guy too!

not really sure where you could bring your boat to clean in 5 ft with sandy bottom..... mostly stones. Pull her close to the beach when there is a gentle southerly breeze.

good luck!
Greg