I would like to refinish the bottom of my Catalina 22. I am particularly intrigued with repainting it with a color. I keep it on a trailer and I don't really need an anti-fouling paint. I have contacted a couple of paint manufacturers and they have not been very helpful. Their products are for deck paint or anti-fouling paint. They will not recommend a paint for the bottom of a boat that will be on a trailer. So what kind of paint is everyone using on the boats that I see in red, green, blue, etc? Any suggestions or comments in this area would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Dave
VC Offshore
I used VC-Offshore on my Hunter 23.5. No Problems launching and recovering with trailer. Very hard bottom paint. Also, very fast paint when applied correctly, also not very anti-fouling.
I used VC-Offshore on my Hunter 23.5. No Problems launching and recovering with trailer. Very hard bottom paint. Also, very fast paint when applied correctly, also not very anti-fouling.
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Jim A
WHY!!!!
Just was it up real good! Painting stinks! Once you paint it, you'll have to paint it again! Save you time and redo your teak.
Just was it up real good! Painting stinks! Once you paint it, you'll have to paint it again! Save you time and redo your teak.
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Bob Howie
Bottom colors
Your typical bottom paints are in various colors and that's what you are seeing. As to painting the bottom of your boat that sits on a trailer, why would you do that? Bottoms are painted typically on boats that live their lives sitting in the water and contain products that prevent barnacles and algae attaching to the gelcoat and causing damage to the gelcoat. Over time, conditions of the bottom result in some slight loss of speed and boats that are kept out of the water benefit from owners being able to wash and wax them occassionally and, ergo, maintaining a slightly better performance margin. Look around your marina or whatever; all the race boats that live on trailers have bare bottoms and there's a lot of reasons for it. If you just have an ugly bottom for some reason and are considering painting it for purely aesthetic reasons, save your money and don't do that. It's a maintenance item you'll have to deal with all the time. That being said, take a look at Interlux products. They've been around forever and I get good service from them. BTW, the reason none of the manufacturers would get into long discussions on using topside paint below the waterline is that they simply won't last underwater or from the abuse of on the trailer/off the trailer. Good luck.
Your typical bottom paints are in various colors and that's what you are seeing. As to painting the bottom of your boat that sits on a trailer, why would you do that? Bottoms are painted typically on boats that live their lives sitting in the water and contain products that prevent barnacles and algae attaching to the gelcoat and causing damage to the gelcoat. Over time, conditions of the bottom result in some slight loss of speed and boats that are kept out of the water benefit from owners being able to wash and wax them occassionally and, ergo, maintaining a slightly better performance margin. Look around your marina or whatever; all the race boats that live on trailers have bare bottoms and there's a lot of reasons for it. If you just have an ugly bottom for some reason and are considering painting it for purely aesthetic reasons, save your money and don't do that. It's a maintenance item you'll have to deal with all the time. That being said, take a look at Interlux products. They've been around forever and I get good service from them. BTW, the reason none of the manufacturers would get into long discussions on using topside paint below the waterline is that they simply won't last underwater or from the abuse of on the trailer/off the trailer. Good luck.
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Dave
Do you mean hull?
In your posting, you said you wanted to paint the bottom of your Catalina and most of the responses are targeted at the bottom. Did you really mean hull? If you meant bottom, I agree with the folks who are asking 'Why?' and suggest you not do it. If you mean the hull up to the deck, that's another story.
In your posting, you said you wanted to paint the bottom of your Catalina and most of the responses are targeted at the bottom. Did you really mean hull? If you meant bottom, I agree with the folks who are asking 'Why?' and suggest you not do it. If you mean the hull up to the deck, that's another story.
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LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners.com
Don't bother
As the rest mentioned, the colored paint IS bottom paint. If your boat lives on a trailor, you don't need bottom paint and any other paint will just rub off, get scraped and sooner (rather than later) will look ugly. LaDonna
As the rest mentioned, the colored paint IS bottom paint. If your boat lives on a trailor, you don't need bottom paint and any other paint will just rub off, get scraped and sooner (rather than later) will look ugly. LaDonna
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Ken Koons
Previously in the water now on the trailer
I'm in a similar situation as J Boothe. I have a 1998 Hunter 240 that was previously kept in a slip. The previous owner therefore painted the bottom. I keep the boat on the trailer in a secured dry dock facility. The bottom paint from the previous owner is wearing off unevenly and quite ugly-ly. I would love to get the bottom....and rudder and centerboard on my boat back to factory white. I've been told that it's not easy stripping it all the way back to white. So I am also pondering the same question. What paint is best for sliding on and off the bunks? Or will I just be fighting the constant wear off battle?
I'm in a similar situation as J Boothe. I have a 1998 Hunter 240 that was previously kept in a slip. The previous owner therefore painted the bottom. I keep the boat on the trailer in a secured dry dock facility. The bottom paint from the previous owner is wearing off unevenly and quite ugly-ly. I would love to get the bottom....and rudder and centerboard on my boat back to factory white. I've been told that it's not easy stripping it all the way back to white. So I am also pondering the same question. What paint is best for sliding on and off the bunks? Or will I just be fighting the constant wear off battle?
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J Boothe
Ken
Ken, You do have the same exact problem as me. For your boat you might try stripping the paint or sanding. That was what was suggested by the paint manufacturers I contacted. Unfortunately for me, my hull will always be ugly and scarred up. My 1976 Catalina has several scrapes, gouges and other ugliness that has been repaired with gelcoat repair kits at many different times during it's life and it shows. Nothing is structural and the boat is actually in pretty good shape, just a little ugly. My best bet is to put it back in the water and not look at it anymore, since apparently you can't paint it and put it on a trailor. Probably the only reason I considered painting it at all was that it was now out of the water and visible. Thanks for everyones help.
Ken, You do have the same exact problem as me. For your boat you might try stripping the paint or sanding. That was what was suggested by the paint manufacturers I contacted. Unfortunately for me, my hull will always be ugly and scarred up. My 1976 Catalina has several scrapes, gouges and other ugliness that has been repaired with gelcoat repair kits at many different times during it's life and it shows. Nothing is structural and the boat is actually in pretty good shape, just a little ugly. My best bet is to put it back in the water and not look at it anymore, since apparently you can't paint it and put it on a trailor. Probably the only reason I considered painting it at all was that it was now out of the water and visible. Thanks for everyones help.
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Bob Howie
Sanding bottoms
A little note here on boat construction and sanding bottoms.... When one passes a boatyard and sees folks sanding the bottom, what they are sanding is the bottom coat and NOT the gelcoat!! Gelcoat is typically only about 1/8th inch thick and is to the fiberglass what the candy coating shell is to M&Ms. If you sand through the gelcoat or thin it appreciably trying to get the bottom all shiny and new, you are letting yourself in for some pretty big problems and some potentially very expensive repairs. Gelcoat is often times stripped away from the fiberglass to make repairs to such structural defects as blisters, but barrier coats and other expoxy-based replacements are used to again seal the fiberglas in and the water out. If one is concerned simply with aesthetics, well, I can understand that, but if it's just ugly on the trailer and you can't see it once it's submerged, then just deal with that and don't go screwing around on the gelcoat simply for the sake of being "pretty". Hey, it's just my opinion, but I've got a lot of experience in repairing boats and the best repair is the ones you can avoid!! Cheers!!
A little note here on boat construction and sanding bottoms.... When one passes a boatyard and sees folks sanding the bottom, what they are sanding is the bottom coat and NOT the gelcoat!! Gelcoat is typically only about 1/8th inch thick and is to the fiberglass what the candy coating shell is to M&Ms. If you sand through the gelcoat or thin it appreciably trying to get the bottom all shiny and new, you are letting yourself in for some pretty big problems and some potentially very expensive repairs. Gelcoat is often times stripped away from the fiberglass to make repairs to such structural defects as blisters, but barrier coats and other expoxy-based replacements are used to again seal the fiberglas in and the water out. If one is concerned simply with aesthetics, well, I can understand that, but if it's just ugly on the trailer and you can't see it once it's submerged, then just deal with that and don't go screwing around on the gelcoat simply for the sake of being "pretty". Hey, it's just my opinion, but I've got a lot of experience in repairing boats and the best repair is the ones you can avoid!! Cheers!!
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