I've read here in the forum that this bottom paint will last for quite a few years in fresh water. I've read all the specifications provided by the manufacturer and believe this would be a good choice of bottom paint for my boat on the lake. One thing I would like input on...since this is a hard epoxy paint and requires multiple coats, is there any advantage to putting a barrier coat on prior to painting or would that simply be overkill? Thank you.
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Barrier Coats
IMHO, you don't want to confuse bottom paint, even modified epoxy types, with barrier coats. They are different and each has a unique function. (BTW, Petit Trinidad is a great multi-season bottom paint). I also think that barrier coating has been hyped by the industry to a lot of people who don't need them. The first question you need to ask is what is your need? If you have a number of small gel coat blisters, it's easier to fix them individually. Even a few deep blisters in the laminate are easy to fix. See this month's "Good Old Boat." But if your boat has "the pox" everywhere,you are going to need to strip the entire gelcoat, dry out the hull for a loooooooooong time, and then rebuild it and barrier coat that. Very few boats really need this radical treatment. I hope your's isn't one of them. Another thing to keep in mind is that if your hull is going to blister, it is going to blister whether you have a barrier coat on it or not. The migration of moisture to the surface can be slowed, but not prevented, and it happens inside and outside your boat, and above the water line too. Barrier coats will not help you there.
IMHO, you don't want to confuse bottom paint, even modified epoxy types, with barrier coats. They are different and each has a unique function. (BTW, Petit Trinidad is a great multi-season bottom paint). I also think that barrier coating has been hyped by the industry to a lot of people who don't need them. The first question you need to ask is what is your need? If you have a number of small gel coat blisters, it's easier to fix them individually. Even a few deep blisters in the laminate are easy to fix. See this month's "Good Old Boat." But if your boat has "the pox" everywhere,you are going to need to strip the entire gelcoat, dry out the hull for a loooooooooong time, and then rebuild it and barrier coat that. Very few boats really need this radical treatment. I hope your's isn't one of them. Another thing to keep in mind is that if your hull is going to blister, it is going to blister whether you have a barrier coat on it or not. The migration of moisture to the surface can be slowed, but not prevented, and it happens inside and outside your boat, and above the water line too. Barrier coats will not help you there.
SR Life Expectancy
With regard to how long Trinidad SR will last, I bottom paint our boat which is kept in salt water in Puget Sound every year - not because it *really* needs it but because I like a smooth and clean bottom - it's faster that way. I also have a diver clean it about three times per year and change the zincs. Once I went two years but the slime was really starting to grow fast at that point. If you take the boat out of the water, with Trinidad, it looses it's effective properties very quick. Figure about three days out of the water and you will need to repaint. I mention this because with a 25-footer you probably take the boat out of the water for the off-season. If the boat is out of the water for the off-season then only one coat per season should be sufficient. If you like a smooth bottom then don't use the unused paint from last season. Buy just what you need to paint the bottom and have no left-over paint. The problem is the dried paint starts to take on a gritty finish when you use paint tht has been stored for over a year. With regard to barrier coats - fresh water is worse than salt water when it comes to osmossis so barrier coating the bottom would be a good idea and money well spent especially if the boat is new. If you've got old paint it will have to be removed and the bottom checked for moisture and dried out as appropriate if the moisture is excessive.
With regard to how long Trinidad SR will last, I bottom paint our boat which is kept in salt water in Puget Sound every year - not because it *really* needs it but because I like a smooth and clean bottom - it's faster that way. I also have a diver clean it about three times per year and change the zincs. Once I went two years but the slime was really starting to grow fast at that point. If you take the boat out of the water, with Trinidad, it looses it's effective properties very quick. Figure about three days out of the water and you will need to repaint. I mention this because with a 25-footer you probably take the boat out of the water for the off-season. If the boat is out of the water for the off-season then only one coat per season should be sufficient. If you like a smooth bottom then don't use the unused paint from last season. Buy just what you need to paint the bottom and have no left-over paint. The problem is the dried paint starts to take on a gritty finish when you use paint tht has been stored for over a year. With regard to barrier coats - fresh water is worse than salt water when it comes to osmossis so barrier coating the bottom would be a good idea and money well spent especially if the boat is new. If you've got old paint it will have to be removed and the bottom checked for moisture and dried out as appropriate if the moisture is excessive.
Barier coat, then Trinidad
It never hurts to barrier coat. So, go ahead and do it before applying the Pettit SR paint. You may not get more than one season out of the paint. BUT the second season will be a quick coat just to keep the slime reducing capabilities up. I find that if I scrub the bottom clean right after I pull the boat for the season and apply a diluted bleach solution to the bottom, you will not need hardly any prep when you paint next year. No painting today, 'cuz it's raining (again). Regards, Ted
It never hurts to barrier coat. So, go ahead and do it before applying the Pettit SR paint. You may not get more than one season out of the paint. BUT the second season will be a quick coat just to keep the slime reducing capabilities up. I find that if I scrub the bottom clean right after I pull the boat for the season and apply a diluted bleach solution to the bottom, you will not need hardly any prep when you paint next year. No painting today, 'cuz it's raining (again). Regards, Ted
Experience with Trinidad SR
A few thoughts from my personal experience with Trinidad SR in fresh water.. If you're using a hard paint like Trinidad, I don't see the need for multiple coats of paint unless you scrub the bottom hard and often, It's not an ablative type paint. I don't know if additional underlying layers add much to the antifouling effect. Having said that, The Petite Trinidad SR on my boat is not very hard at all. A diver I hired said they could not legally clean the bottom because the blue color of the paint wiped right off onto his glove indicating it was too soft. My bottom was just brushed along the waterline and clouds of blue water were apparent. The paint was self-applied, but I think I followed the directions, including twenty minutes on a paint shaker. I talked to a Petit paint rep at the boat show, but he had no ideas as to why. Regardless, I will be using the same paint when I do my bottom in a few weeks. The softness has not been a problem in the two rears since the last haulout, other than just being soft. I'm hoping for a harder result this time around. Speaking on Barrier coats, my boat has the blister resistant vinylester gelcoat. My plan is to keep an eye on the bottom. Then at the first sign of blistering I will strip the paint and put on a barrier coat. In this case I'm not inclined to fix it until it's broken.
A few thoughts from my personal experience with Trinidad SR in fresh water.. If you're using a hard paint like Trinidad, I don't see the need for multiple coats of paint unless you scrub the bottom hard and often, It's not an ablative type paint. I don't know if additional underlying layers add much to the antifouling effect. Having said that, The Petite Trinidad SR on my boat is not very hard at all. A diver I hired said they could not legally clean the bottom because the blue color of the paint wiped right off onto his glove indicating it was too soft. My bottom was just brushed along the waterline and clouds of blue water were apparent. The paint was self-applied, but I think I followed the directions, including twenty minutes on a paint shaker. I talked to a Petit paint rep at the boat show, but he had no ideas as to why. Regardless, I will be using the same paint when I do my bottom in a few weeks. The softness has not been a problem in the two rears since the last haulout, other than just being soft. I'm hoping for a harder result this time around. Speaking on Barrier coats, my boat has the blister resistant vinylester gelcoat. My plan is to keep an eye on the bottom. Then at the first sign of blistering I will strip the paint and put on a barrier coat. In this case I'm not inclined to fix it until it's broken.
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