Which bottom paint?

[dancing bear]

I keep my Mac 25 the Lake Michigan (Waukegan), but trailer it back and forth at the beginning and end of the season. I might haul it out to take it somewhere else once or twice a year too. I was thinking of using VC-17, but evidently, it needs to stay wet. I would like to think I would not have to re-do the bottom paint every year.Can you propose a multi-year bottom paint for a trailerable sailboat? Interlux Micron (I am thinking Micron CSC or Micron Extra) paints seem to fit the bill. What about other brands? Any opinions on the Micron paints?

 

[Jim]

D Bear

do yourself a favor and use a multi-year bottom. You will not be sorry....

 

[Brian M H23]

I've heard

good things about petit vivid and (a cheaper clone) bluewater paints copper pro hard. -------------Bottom paints that are 100% effective in some waters give miserable results in other waters. My advice on bottom paint choice is always to ask other boaters in your area what they use and if it keeps the bottom clean for a season or longer. Buy the paint that gets the most local praise. In the latest Practical Sailor evaluation, Micron Extra, Micron Optima, and Micron 66 all received excellent ratings for fouling tests conducted in Florida waters. Petit Premium Performance, Petit Vivid, and Blue Water Copper Pro were equally effective. Petit Trinidad did not show as well in this test but nearly always does test well and is a long-time favorite of thousands of Florida boaters. Ask around. My thinking on cayenne pepper is if improved the antifouling properties of bottom paint, all the paint companies would add it, but try it if you like. It shouldn't hurt anything. As for doing it yourself, you sell yourself short if you think you may not be as competent as the people the yard normally hires to paint bottoms. There is nothing difficult or exacting about painting the bottom. With just the original coat of paint to contend with, assuming it is well adhered, all you need to do is lightly wet-sand the bottom with a medium-grit sanding sponge, tape off the waterline, and roll on the new paint. Follow the instructions on the can for number of coats. Don't paint zinc anodes or running gear. Don Casey-------------

 

[mtwolf13]

Which bottom paint.

Try this site. www.supershipbottom.com I plan on using this next season. Good for 15 to 18 months??? Can be taken in and out of water.

 

[Dragonfly6689]

Interlux Micron Extra

Our dealer recommended it when we bought Dragonfly new. We pulled this fall after 5 seasons in the water. Looked great except for the waterline. We power washed, sanded with 80 grit paper on a cheap pad sander, wiped with Interlux solvent 216 and rolled on 2 coats following Interlux recommendations.Very easy to do. Mark

 

[higgs]

Great Lakes

VC is the overwhelming choice of GL sailors, myself included. You would need a recoat once a year, but with youar boat, one can ought todo it - $40.The nice thing about VC is that you will never have to sand your bottom again.

 

[T37 Phil]

VC17

Do you VC17 users on the Great Lakes repaint the whole bottom every year, or just do touch ups on the high wear areas and do the full recoat less often?

 

[jimq26]

Yes - the bottom every spring just before launch.

nm

 

[dean koontz]

vc17

oday240. I repaint every other year with vc17 2 cans about $84.00.works good slime comes off with little work.

 

[dancing bear]

3-5 years

The problem I have with VC17 every year, is I am only going to have this boat 3-5 years. If I pick the right paint, I will only have to do it once, ever. On the otherhand, it does not cost as much up front and might be the best for an extra half knot or so. Except for under the bunks and the keel trunk, it is not much boat to paint.

 

[Jim]

RE extra half knot

it is the man not the paint!

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Dancing Bear

Ken- I am a VC-17 fan. I know your question is about an ablative paint. But why in the hell would you want to put on a soft paint. OK, it last more than one year! I can put a coat of VC on my 25'er in thirty minutes, I dont sand, I just tape and roll. No build up, great fouling results, less product. I know you say that you will only own your boat for 3-5 years. Its not about the extra half knot, its about the ease. What is on the boats in Chicago, VC is all over the place!!!!!! Why, because it is what works!!!I do exactly what you do, boat in the water, trailer here and there. Im in freshwater just like you. The paint is fine out of the water as you bop around the countryside finding ponds that suit you.You have a "virgin" hull, dont F- it up, use VC. Im sure I will get torched for this, but I know what Im talking about. Rob Hessenius

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Dancing Bear

Ken- I am a VC-17 fan. I know your question is about an ablative paint. But why in the hell would you want to put on a soft paint. OK, it last more than one year! I can put a coat of VC on my 25'er in thirty minutes, I dont sand, I just tape and roll and Im slow. No build up, great fouling results, less product. I know you say that you will only own your boat for 3-5 years. Its cheaper in the long run and appropriate for your needs. Its not about the extra half knot, its about the ease. What is on the boats in Chicago, VC is all over the place!!!!!! Why, because it is what works!!!I do exactly what you do, boat in the water, trailer here and there. Im in freshwater just like you. The paint is fine out of the water as you bop around the countryside finding ponds that suit you.You have a "virgin" hull, dont F- it up, use VC. Im sure I will get torched for this, but I know what Im talking about. Rob Hessenius

 

[higgs]

Resale

If you are selling and you have 17 on, it will effect your selling price. If I am a buyer i want a bottom that is clean and ready to go. 17 fits the bill.

 

[VT Fitz]

Limit before bottom paint needed?

Our new-to-us '93 H23.5 had been bottom painted in the past regularly by the original PO. For her first 12 seasons, she was kept wet all season in Maine & pulled to the trailer for the off-season. She hadn't left the trailer for the 2 seasons before this one. This season, she was in fresh water (Lake Champlain) for 16 days in July, then 9 days in salt (LI Sound) in late-August.She's due for a recharging, but my question is what is the outer most range of time before you need to bottom paint AT ALL?Our previous boat (an '81 Sandpiper 565) had never been bottom painted as far as I could tell. We kept her that way for the 3 seasons we sailed her. We never left her in the water longer than 9 days at a time. I assumed that was not enough time for slime or barnacles or such to make much headway & any headway made would die off shortly after being high & dry. Am I thinking correctly here?So what do you imagine would be limit before you MUST bottom paint? 2 weeks, a month? I guess my endgame here is I'm trying to escape the time, effort & cost of repainting next spring!

 

[Doug_Meyer]

Fresh Water = VC17

If the boat is in fresh water, it doesn't seem to make any sense not to use VC-17. Some folks here in Northern Lake Michigan have been able to get a couple of seasons out of one application, if properly prepped.My boat came out of the water this fall, got hosed off, and looks like it cold go another season. I'll just clean it off really well in the spring, mask it, and repaint. The extra material cost more than pays for itself when its time to refinish and launch in the Spring.

 

[Jim]

RE Fresh Water = VC17

I would not use it on a boat. I would not use it on a coat. I would not use it in the rain. I would not take it on a plane.I don't like VC-17. You don't have to paint a fresh water boat period. The bottom paint makes it easy to get the slime off. Think about the salt water guy that might buy your boat in the future. He'll have to stip of the VC-17 before he paints it with good paint.

 

[dancing bear]

Thanks to All, this is Great Stuff

Thanks to all for the great thoughts. I am not too worried about a salt water guy coming to Chicago to buy a Mac 25. I have pretty much come around to VC17 it's reasonably priced, and I can handle the project, and I promise not to get uptight if I have to do it annually.VT Fitz, I had my boat in the water from July 1 through October 20. A few of the algae strands (on the side exposed to sunlight) were 8 inches long, most were less than an inch. Once it gets a hold it grows fast. Blowing the bulk of the algae off with a pressure washer was a breeze, but then there are millions of little green spots left over, these are tougher to get off. I have been using On and Off Hull Cleaner on the spots, and it works ok (but it is horrible toxic stuff).

 

[Rob Hessenius]

Freshwater=VC

Do people really believe that you dont need bottom paint in freshwater? Boats foul in freshwater too. Slime, algae, grass, zebras all build up on the hulls here. I pulled my boat out last Sunday and just washed the bottom and its ready for a coat next spring. Dont worry about resale of your Mac 25 to a saltwater buyer. You live in the perfect area with LOTS of freshwater around you. If someone from the coasts comes to Chicago to buy your boat, there nuts.Use VC it is what is right for you in the VAST freshwater lakes that you play on. Rob Hessenius

 

[dancing bear]

I talked to the wrong guys

I spoke to a couple motor boat guys at work, who said, "no matter what you need to scrub, so why bottom paint". They gave me bad advice, and now I have better resources. I don't mind, a guy loaned me a pressure washer, and the clean up job is not that bad. But certainly, if I bottom painted to begin with, I would have had less work overall.