Painting hull on Seanorita !

[Bob Pullen HC-33 1981]

I have been hauled out and on blocks for the past 6mos, and will be needing to redo the bottom paintjob -- from the looks of it, just a couple spots need touch ups but I am looking for advice, since I did the last one, my first, just when we got the boat (2+ yrs ago in Titusville, Fl), and I have very little DIY background.
We used Interspeed, which we picked up at the discount marine salvage place in St. Augustine, for $200/5gal bucket -- 46%CuOxide, I think. Added a ton of finely ground Cayenne pepper, as per a suggestion from a friend, and have definitely had a lot less growth than the surrounding boats. A couple of the places where the old support pads on the blocks were, apparently did not dry enough before our first splash-in, and have flaked off, as well as the spots where we sat in the cradle overnight have ruffles, so we are decidely going to paint. The previous owner had just recently done a very nice bottom job, including a sealant coat of Micron66, so it seems I am in good shape??
My questions are about what would be the best approach, balancing cost effectiveness with durability? Seanorita is a 1981 Hunter Cherubini 33, on which we live & sail for at least 4 months out of the year in the Caribbean.
We are also going to paint the freeboard, since we did the decks, cockpit, etc. before leaving last year.
We are sourcing our paint and materials out of south Florida, having a friend sail them down in early Nov. --> Any suggestions of where to get the paint?
Any advice, suggestions, ideas will be gladly appreciated.
I'll check the archives as well. :dance:
As always, many thanks for the help.
Bob
S/V Seanorita
Yucatan, Mexico

 

[Maine Sail]

Paint

I have been hauled out and on blocks for the past 6mos, and will be needing to redo the bottom paintjob -- from the looks of it, just a couple spots need touch ups but I am looking for advice, since I did the last one, my first, just when we got the boat (2+ yrs ago in Titusville, Fl), and I have very little DIY background.

Even if only a couple of spots need it you'll need to paint the entire bottom. Interspeed is a single season hard bottom paint. It can't successfully be hauled and re-launched or it will lose its efficacy. If you haul & store for long periods, six months?, you will want a multi-season Ablative like West Marine PCA, Petit Ultima SR or Interlux Micron Extra.

Added a ton of finely ground Cayenne pepper, as per a suggestion from a friend, and have definitely had a lot less growth than the surrounding boats.

The fact you have less growth is probably because of your paint vs. theirs not the pepper. Practical Sailor just dispelled the "pepper" myth in this months issue..

The previous owner had just recently done a very nice bottom job, including a sealant coat of Micron66, so it seems I am in good shape??

Micron 66 is not a "sealant coat" it is Interlux's top of the line multi-season, launch and re-launc with no ill effects ablative paint,. Unfortunatly for you it sounds like you've lost all it's benefit by painting over it with a single season hard paint. It is not generally advisable to overcoat ablatives with hard paints as ablatives are designed to slough off with use and expose fresh anti-fouling.. It is probably one reason you have the peeling and adhesion isues..

Micron 66
"Is the longest lasting, multi season antifouling and is on the top of the Micron range with patented self polishing copolymer technology with Biolux® SPC. It has the best antifouling performance in the harshest fouling conditions for two years and beyond. Micron 66 is a multi season antifouling with the ability to haul and re-launch without repainting"

My questions are about what would be the best approach, balancing cost effectiveness with durability?

A multi-season ablative is the best option but I would not overcoat an ablative at this point over an ablative base/hard finish combo. If you had a hard paint as your base coat then it's fine to apply an ablative but you have a hard paint over an ablative.

Even a $200.00 a gallon multi-season ablative will cost you less, in the long run, than a can of $45.00 hard single season paint. Been there, done that, and the only paints I use now are multi-season ablatives. This year I only had to buy a pint to touch up vs. a gallon.... Bottom jobs are time consuming and expensive$$$ and in the long run "cheap deals" on hard single season paints save you nothing.. I've been using West Marine PCA for the last tow seasons and it's been great and I pay $159.00 per gallon on sale. It is the same basic paint as Pettit Ultima SR but for less $$..

We are also going to paint the freeboard, since we did the decks, cockpit, etc. before leaving last year.
We are sourcing our paint and materials out of south Florida, having a friend sail them down in early Nov. --> Any suggestions of where to get the paint?

At a minimum, for the carib, I would use Interlux Perfection. it is a very durable two part paint. While not as durable as Awlgrip, Imron, Alexseal or Awlcraft 2000 it is a very good option for the roll & tipper.. With the amount of work you'll put in it's not worth cutting corners and using a single part paint.

Personally, if it's original gel coat, I'd first try to wet sand, compound, polish and wax it. If that does not work try Poli-Glow then, as an absolute last resort, paint it. More often than not DIY paint jobs only hurt the value of a vessel and detract from future re-sale value..


Good luck!

 

[sailaway78]

Bottom Paints

You need to check with whether or not the existing paint can be overpainted with an ablative or a hard paint. You can't put some paints over some other paints. So you need to know what is compatible with what, or take it all off. As to the bottom paint selections, there is quite a bit of difference in the area you are in. What works fine for Mainesail, may not work in the warmer tropical waters. The biggest problem that I see with the multi season ablatives is that if you regularly scrub the hull, and aren't careful, you can actually scrub some of the paint off. My personal preferance is Petit Trinidad, which is a hard paint, and is good for three years in tropical, bad fouling conditions. There is a company in Fla. which makes an ablative bottom paint called Super Ship Bottom. I have talked to them, and they assured me that two coats of their paint would last three years in tropical conditions. But I have not tried it. The only problem with the hard paints is sooner or later you get a build up that has to come off, and it ain't any fun. But I do know for a fact that two coats of Trinidad is good for a minimum of three years in highly fouling, tropical condidtions.

 

[Maine Sail]

But I do know for a fact that two coats of Trinidad is good for a minimum of three years in highly fouling, tropical condidtions.

Trinidad is very good paint just don't haul the boat or it will no longer be effective. If it stays in for three straight years it will still be working but if you haul even for a few weeks it's a no go..

 

[Bob Pullen HC-33 1981]

Re: Paint

Hi & Thanks for the very informative replies.
The P.O. mentioned that he had on "a sealant coat of Micron 66" under 2 layers of bottom paint. The Micron stuff is gray and his coats were blue. I took an orbital sander to his blue coats and took it down until I could barely see the gray. Then I painted on 2 to 3 coats of the red Interspeed loaded with pepper. I have scrubbed it every now and then, finding growth only on the 1'sq piece where there was a jackstand (painted while waiting to be dropped in).
I do notice that it powders off pretty nice when I do scrub it, leading me to believe, in the past, that the Interspeed is an ablative paint, but I guess not according to Mainsail. Who knows, maybe it was the red pepper acting like ablative paint!
I can hire someone to pull off as much as I need to, and I would like to put something back on that will last without having to keep it in the water. Any suggestions as to the number of coats, etc. Hard or ablative, I am indiferrent until told otherwise... Ignorance can be bliss, I guess!
As for the freeboard, I might also hire someone to paint it as well, so just have to get the right materials to take with, so suggestions there would be welcome as well.
Many thanks in advance.
Bob
S/V Seanorita

 

[Tim R.]

Most boatyards will not use your paint to paint your boat. They will want to supply the paint knowing that it has not been neglected by freezing or some other extreme. Painters hate to see their nice shiney paint job fall off prematurely because of unknown paints. Kinda hurts business.

 

[Bob Pullen HC-33 1981]

Not in Mexico. Everyone at this boatyard is basically flying by the seat...
Not much in terms of experience with products. But thanks for the advice all the same, Tim.
Cheers
Bob

 

[Joe]

antifouling paint

First of all....... pay attention closely to Mainsail's advice

Second... since I'm to lazy to elaborate.... read this article.... and peruse the other West Marine Advisor articles to get a sense of what he's talking about.

Where ever you are in the world the products you use should have a description of their uses and instructions for application. Local practice and knowledge help fine tune the process, but your basic knowledge begins with articles such as this.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/westadvisor/10001/-1/10001/AntifoulingPaint.htm

 

[sailaway78]

Mainsail is correct

If you boat does not stay in the water, you need to use an ablative. Trinidad is excellent as long as the boat stays in the water, but if pulled for any period of time, it is no longer active. I was rather impressed with talking to the folks at Super Ship Bottom, and if they are telling the truth, they do have a good product. You might give them a call, but regardless, do your homework. And you are going to hope that you can find another five gallons of paint for 200 bucks. At current prices, that will buy you a gallon, with enough left over for a couple cups of coffee.