Painting over vc17

[Casey J]

I am moving a boat that has vc17 paint on the bottom into salt water. I checked the interlux web page and it recommends that only vc offshore paint can be used over it.

Has anyone used this paint and how good is it? Also is the recommendation just that, or can I sand the old vc17 and apply a conventional bottom paint over it?

Thanks for any info or experience.

 

[Roger Long]

Quit a few recent threads here on the subject.

The bad news: You're stuck with it (or VC offshore) until you spend big bucks or a lot of work completely removing it. Nothing will stick to it.

The good news: There's a lot to like about this paint. It works fine here in Maine. It may not work quite so well in the warmer water down there but you can swim and scrub occasionally in the warmer water.

No sanding. That's one of the great things about this paint. It doesn't build up thick coats. Get one of those sandpaper holders with a handle and sandpaper sized pieces of Scotchbrite pad. Go over the bottom with that rinsing occasionally in a bucket of water. Just enough to clean and remove a bit. I can prepare the bottom of my boat in about half an hour. You'll end up with about a gallon of toxic waste that we are all sure you will dispose of in accordance with all applicable state, federal, and local regulations. It's a lot better than a cloud of toxic dust and trying to trap it in plastic sheets and drapes though. Give it a wipe down with the recommended V172 thinner and you are ready to paint.

The stuff almost flash dries. Only put enough in the roller pan for one or two roller loads each time. You have to work to keep it mixed up as you paint or a lot of the copper will be left in the bottom. I'm working on some ideas to make that easier.

Be careful about rolling back over semi-dry paint as the roller may lift it back off. You can burnish it after drying for a smoother racing finish but I've never done that. I'll try it this year but I've got to search back for Rich H's instructions on that step.

 

[agaliha]

Offshore over VC17

I've used VC17 for years in freshwater and LOVE it. But, I'm hoping to sail into salt water in the next couple of years, so this year I asked the yard to convert to Offshore. In their experience, the best method is to sand the VC17 off and apply the Offshore to the bare, sanded bottom. They did recommend Offshore over other paints since it will stick to the small traces of VC17 left after sanding. I just picked the boat up today, so I can't tell you how it will hold up. But I can tell you that it looks great and appeared to adhere very well.
Agaliha

 

[tigerregis]

I put Offshore over VC17 in Jan 2000 and it lasted till now. That was in Fla and the boat was in the Chesapeake the rest of the time. A few scrapes by a diver and there you go.

 

[higgs]

VCn is a cold water paint so if you are in cold water you can continue to use it. Its big advantage is the ease with which you can maintain it. I have used it for 20 years. Earlier post uses a scotchbright pad. No one I know does that. Some wash the bottom - I do a quick wipe it down with thinner - and throw a new coat on and I am done.

As a teflon paint, I seriously doubt anything will adhere to it. However, it is very easy to sand off.