What type of bottom paint?

Bilbo · Oct 17, 2010

My boat came with a protective epoxy on the bottom put on at the dealership I believe. The epoxy barrier coat prevents gelcoat blisters pretty well.
I took off whatever anti-fouling paint that was on it before I got the boat and coated the bottom with VC-17M ....-which is fine for Freshwater.
The VC17M is a very smooth coating and is nice for keeping it in the water for the summer.
If you use the VC17M paint, a thin foam roller works best here I think & 1 quart is enough to cover the bottom and the keel if you are just a bit stingy but it shold be done annually. I don't paint the rudder because I don't leave the rudder in the water when I'm not at the boat.

Don't inhale the copper dust that is the biocide in the VC-17M when mixing the paint.
Also, If you trailer sail, then anti-fouling paint maybe isn't so necessary.

KJH · Oct 17, 2010

A somewhat related question. Given that my boat winters on it's trailer and given that I have NO potential for raising it off the trailer to
a. apply paint to where the bottom meets the trailer bunks, nor
b. lower the keel to evenly apply bottom paint
what are some/any suggested methods of tackling this issue? Would these areas just be "skipped" over?
I would appreciate your advice.

Bilbo · Oct 18, 2010

KJH, If you have absolutely no potential for raising the boat any then you, by default have to skip the areas that you can't get unless you have a local marina that does this sort of work. I'd advise this more expensive way if you have any concerns about doing this safety.

I'm not sure what not painting with anti-foulding will do in your situation but if boats are getting any sort of organic growth like algae, barnacles, Zebra Mussels or any other sort of growth then it may be best to find a way to do this.

At home here, I use the trailer itself and jacks to raise my boat a few inches off the bunks at the stern through placing a sturdy support back by the stern so that I can lower the keel a few inches, get most of the keel painted and the areas of the hull that rest on the bunks.

Another issue that causes me to raise the boat off the bunks just a bit is that I want to check the swing keel hardware and system for wear. I'm not sure if you boat is a S/K but not doing that maintenance periodically is potentially a fairly serious safety concern.

Barry B. · Oct 18, 2010

The best way to bottom paint a C22 on the trailer is to get 2 10' long 2x6 boards and cut them into 8" to 12" pads. Than get a 10' 4x4 Cut it 1' longer than the widest part of the trailer and place it across the top of the trailer frame right in front of the rear bunk supports. Place a small (2 ton) hydraulic bottle jack on the 4x4 just inside of the bunk board on one side, make sure the cylinder is down as far as it will go and the screw is down all the way also. Sit one of the 2x6 pads on top of the jack and measure the distance to the hull of the boat next to the inside of the bunk board directly above the jack. Cut the leftover piece of 4x4 1/2" to 1" less than that measurement. Remove the 2x6 and place the 4x4 on end on top of the jack and place the 2x6 pad on top between the hull and the 4x4 and screw out the extension on the top of the jack cylinder to snug everything up to the hull. now slowly jack up the boat placing a 2x6 pad between the bunk board and the hull as soon as there is enough room, continue jacking and blocking until you have 4 pads in place giving you 6" of space between the hull and the bunk boards. Move jack setup to other side and repeat. If you block as soon as there is room, the most the boat can drop is 1.5" and will usually not do any damage, if the jack or 4x4 kick out, if you wait until it is jacked all the way up damage could be extensive. You can do this from the center instead next to the bunk boards and block both sides as you go but this setup is not as stable. Once both sides are blocked up at least 6" at the rear than move the 4x4 and jack up next to the front bunk board supports front or back side of support works, this time jack from center as hull is narrower and bunk boards are closer together. You may need to trim the 4x4 or cut another piece to fit the front and jack and block until you have 4 2x6 pads in place on both sides. Now you can prep and paint the bottom, once the paint dries jack the boat up again from each of the three points and move the blocking to expose the unpainted areas and set it back down on the relocated blocks and prep and pant the exposed patches. when the patches are dry reverse the process and sit the boat back down on the bunk boards, starting in the front. This method also works well to service and remove the keel, but I use 6 2x6 blocks at each point for keel removal.

Ken · Oct 19, 2010

steve4643 said:
What type of bottom paint do you use , if any? Epoxy, ablative, ??

Also , based on the paint you use, how often do you repaint/remove, etc.

Epoxy barrier coat we used (Interlux 2000) covered with VC Offshore.
Three of the people I sail with have it on their boats, one is on year 10 and still looking very good, the other two are on year 8. I can only hope I have the same results.

VC Offshore goes on pretty easy, is a hard vinyl paint so any other bottom paint MUST be completely removed before it can be applied.

gdanza · Oct 21, 2010

Barry, do you have video of this procedure? Sounds like something I would try, but would like to see how a master does it!

Barry B. · Oct 22, 2010

Sorry no video or pictures, I will probably video tape it next time I do it.

gdanza · Oct 23, 2010

Dang! I still enjoy the one of flipping the boat to repair the deck! That is a classic!!!

Barry B. · Oct 25, 2010

Thanks! Believe it or not I am still working on that recore job. I keep getting sidetracked than extreme weather sets in, and I don't like working with that much epoxy in hot weather due to the short pot life and it won't set up right in really cold weather. But I am about 80% done and hope to finish it this fall. I got a lot accomplished this weekend.

watercolors II · Oct 25, 2010

A few additional pointers on VC 17 paint;

Does not need to be sanded, just wash the hull down with soap and water with a sponge to remove minor scum and road dirt before applying.

Do not work your roller to far over where you just applied the paint, the new paint will soften the old paint and you’ll be picking up some of your new paint on the roller as you go back over it.

After a number of years of coating I have gotten a second year out of the paint. I’m moored in fresh water 6 months a year.