Paint for 20' racing catamaran

[sharkcatamaranguy]

Hello everyone,
I race a 20'x10' shark catamaran. Hulls are fiberglass and the boat is trailered in and out of the water each time it is sailed. 90% of our sailing is in freshwater. I am looking for a paint that I can apply to the hulls, the boat currently has rustolium enamel (yes yes I know its horrible). The winningest boats currently have alexseal, awlgrip or spray on car paint coatings that are wet sanded glass smooth. I do not need an ablative paint. I am looking for a somewhat affordable coating that I can accomplish a smoother surface with. I am hoping to pick up a little boat speed as my bottoms are rough. I am looking to coat my fathers, my and my sisters boats this winter. What coatings would you reccomend?

 

[dlochner]

Try this stuff from Interlux. The biggest improvement will come from fairing and lots of sanding ultimately ending up with a very high number of wet sanding, like 600-1000. Be sure to use a long board to get the smoothest fairest bottom.

VC Performance Epoxy | Interlux

VC Performance Epoxy is a two part fluoro microadditive bearing epoxy that has a hard, slick finish.

www.interlux.com

 

[Davidasailor26]

Is there gelcoat under the Rustoleum? If so can you just sand off the enamel back to gelcoat, then sand that with some higher grit paper for a smooth surface? You don’t need any antifouling properties so while the VC Performance Dave recommends would work I think it’d be overkill.

If what’s under the enamel isn’t gelcoat or is otherwise unserviceable you could use something like TotalBoat Wet Edge. That might not quite have the durability of Alexseal as a 1 part, but it is about half the price. TotalBoat says WetEdge shouldn’t be underwater for more than 24 hours at at time; I’m not sure about Alexseal.

 

[Joe]

Definitely remove the rustoleum. Then fair the hulls before finishing with a good quality topside paint. I like Interlux products, so if you have the funds then the 2 part Perfection would be a good choice. If you want to spend less, and desire an easier application process, then the Brightside, one part epoxy, is another option. I used Brightside when I refinished my Nacra 5.2 a few years back and have been very pleased. It was a fun project. Trailerable catamarans are a joy to work on. You can easily disassemble the pontoons to place them at a convenient working level. Good for the back, if you know what I mean. The epoxy topside paints are durable and easy to maintain.
Besides Interlux, you may check out the Total Boat product line. I have not used them yet, but would not hesitate to try their paints based on what I've seen from others. good luck.