Painting Boat Bottom.....Copper Free Ablative Paint??

Sep 8, 2025
20
Bayfield 36 Lewisporte
Hi,
Any recommendations on which ablative type paint to use? I was looking at the "Total Boat Krypton" which is copper free. But there is also the "Total Boat Spartan" which contains copper. Is there a difference in performance? Would you recommend a different paint?

Is bottom painting a once per year requirement?


Thanks
 
Sep 24, 2018
3,612
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
How often you paint generally depends on how many layers you put on and what kind of use the boat gets. It does need to be cleaned if it's left in the water. Performance will suffer otherwise
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,249
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
Is bottom painting a once per year requirement?
Hows it going buddy ?

AntiFouling paint choice depends on where your boat is, how long it's in the water.

How often it needs to be refreshed depends on the paint, how thick it is, boat use.

You have a Bayfield in Newfoundland aka cold saltwater ? Are you keeping it in the water year around ?

What are the local fishermen there using ? They are pros and would know the local growth conditions.
 
Jan 11, 2014
13,118
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
You won't have to really worry about this until next spring. In the meantime, ask other boat owners in your marina what they use. Each harbor different and what works well in one harbor doesn't work at all in another.
 
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