Maybe it's just me but The vast majority of boats I see have blue bottom paint. Why? It can't be the copper content. Most formulas have the same amount of copper, regardless of color (although some manufactureres claim their RED paints have the highest copper). It can't be for looks...99% of the time the bottom paint can't be seen because...it's under the water. It can't be to aid visibility in an emergency. What could be harder for a Coast Guard rescue pilot to see in the ocean than the upturned blue hull of a capsized sailboat? Anybody have any ideas?? Peter H23 "Raven" (red bottom paint)
Why is blue bottom paint so popular??
- Thread starter Wanderer138
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Contrast???
..with white topsides, maybe, who knows. I use white because its easier to see the slim when diving the bottom and it stays cooler than colored paints so slime grows more slowly. Also the foam cored rudders can over heat and warp with colored paint and is far less likely to with white.
..with white topsides, maybe, who knows. I use white because its easier to see the slim when diving the bottom and it stays cooler than colored paints so slime grows more slowly. Also the foam cored rudders can over heat and warp with colored paint and is far less likely to with white.
I just painted mine red
and will never go back to blue. I have a blue hull so of course the contrast looks alot better than the blue it used to be. I would consider red even if I had a white hull since I thinks it's nice to not be a me too.
and will never go back to blue. I have a blue hull so of course the contrast looks alot better than the blue it used to be. I would consider red even if I had a white hull since I thinks it's nice to not be a me too.
Maybe if you were in the RED sea......
Peter: Maybe if you were in the Red Sea you would SEE more Red bottom paint. In the past most of the bottom paints had a higher copper content with Red paint, but I think that this is a thing of the past. Many (not all) of the paints have no difference in the formulation any longer. Another thing that is common is a coat of red or blue over the blue or red bottom. This way you can see as the ablative paint is wearing off.
Peter: Maybe if you were in the Red Sea you would SEE more Red bottom paint. In the past most of the bottom paints had a higher copper content with Red paint, but I think that this is a thing of the past. Many (not all) of the paints have no difference in the formulation any longer. Another thing that is common is a coat of red or blue over the blue or red bottom. This way you can see as the ablative paint is wearing off.
)Bronze is coolest.
I prefer bronze. Pettit makes what they call 'Hard Racing Bronze' which when polished looks fantastic. Also, from my days selling marine supplies I recall that bronze has the highest copper content, followed by red. White has the least. If you think about it, whatever color can support the most actual copper (which is actually the color of... COPPER) will most likely be highest in metallic biocides. JC ^--- whose boat has blue on it but I hate it because it clashes with the light-blue bootstripe. Next chance I get it's changing color.
I prefer bronze. Pettit makes what they call 'Hard Racing Bronze' which when polished looks fantastic. Also, from my days selling marine supplies I recall that bronze has the highest copper content, followed by red. White has the least. If you think about it, whatever color can support the most actual copper (which is actually the color of... COPPER) will most likely be highest in metallic biocides. JC ^--- whose boat has blue on it but I hate it because it clashes with the light-blue bootstripe. Next chance I get it's changing color.
Tarnished copper is green
.. I prefer it to look like old tarnished copper. At 2 gal per season I can point to my green bottom and say "... its my $225 copper clad bottom".
.. I prefer it to look like old tarnished copper. At 2 gal per season I can point to my green bottom and say "... its my $225 copper clad bottom".
I prefer black
I prefer black myself, at least for the present boat, which is trimmed in black and I have sail, hatch and winch covers in black. I suspect blue is so popular because most white boats are trimmed in blue (looks more nautical?).
I prefer black myself, at least for the present boat, which is trimmed in black and I have sail, hatch and winch covers in black. I suspect blue is so popular because most white boats are trimmed in blue (looks more nautical?).
We need a "Scum" color........
No matter what color I use, it always turns a scum color at the water line. Why can't they develop a paint that color? It will avoid all that discoloration. Hayden
No matter what color I use, it always turns a scum color at the water line. Why can't they develop a paint that color? It will avoid all that discoloration. Hayden
They have!
(developed a paint that color) It is CopperPoxy which, when newly applied, shines like a new penny, but after it's been in the water a little while has that same dull gold/dark beige color as bottom scum. It won't ablate, so unless you go out every day or two you will get a little slime build up over time, but it cleans with a light brushing and if you don't clean it, it still looks OK.
(developed a paint that color) It is CopperPoxy which, when newly applied, shines like a new penny, but after it's been in the water a little while has that same dull gold/dark beige color as bottom scum. It won't ablate, so unless you go out every day or two you will get a little slime build up over time, but it cleans with a light brushing and if you don't clean it, it still looks OK.
Whales
I have read that whales stay away from boats with blue bottoms. Mine is red and the whales have yet to hit mine.
I have read that whales stay away from boats with blue bottoms. Mine is red and the whales have yet to hit mine.
Anti Whale Paint???
We had four whales dive directly under our boat at one time and didn't even have so much as a flipper hit. The fourth one is to the far right and only shows up as a ripple but three are clearly visible heading straight for us. Don't know if the blue paint was the reason they didn't touch us and I suspect not. We've had numerous whale encounters up close and they just seem to know where the boat is and avoid hitting it even though they have come really close. The bottom paint is Petit Trinnidad blue with a red marker under.
We had four whales dive directly under our boat at one time and didn't even have so much as a flipper hit. The fourth one is to the far right and only shows up as a ripple but three are clearly visible heading straight for us. Don't know if the blue paint was the reason they didn't touch us and I suspect not. We've had numerous whale encounters up close and they just seem to know where the boat is and avoid hitting it even though they have come really close. The bottom paint is Petit Trinnidad blue with a red marker under.
Attachments
Probably ablatives
With abaltive paints, which wear off after two or more seasons, one needs a fashion to determine when the abaltive paint is wearing thin and an additional coat needs to be applied. The best way to do this is to paint a blue abaltive over a red abaltive. As the top blue layer wears, red will show up underneath it. Why this particualr color scheme? Well while slime would show up better on red than blue, red will show up better than blue as an undercoater and not be mistaken for slime as blue might be. This blue over red scheme seems to be the best contrasting color arrangement for determing wear with abaltives. This year I poorly used blue over green. It is annoying to scrub what I think is slime, but actually green anti-fouling paint. I have used black, but it is a lazy man's color as it does not easily show slime and one does not attend to their bottom as frequently as one should. I have used red, but it just doesn't look as nice as blue, especially as my boat is named Baby Blue, as the hull is blue. And for some reason, I cannot easily find the desirable white at my local West Marine, as I think others have experienced. White is available, but usually at a higher price without any increase in copper content.
With abaltive paints, which wear off after two or more seasons, one needs a fashion to determine when the abaltive paint is wearing thin and an additional coat needs to be applied. The best way to do this is to paint a blue abaltive over a red abaltive. As the top blue layer wears, red will show up underneath it. Why this particualr color scheme? Well while slime would show up better on red than blue, red will show up better than blue as an undercoater and not be mistaken for slime as blue might be. This blue over red scheme seems to be the best contrasting color arrangement for determing wear with abaltives. This year I poorly used blue over green. It is annoying to scrub what I think is slime, but actually green anti-fouling paint. I have used black, but it is a lazy man's color as it does not easily show slime and one does not attend to their bottom as frequently as one should. I have used red, but it just doesn't look as nice as blue, especially as my boat is named Baby Blue, as the hull is blue. And for some reason, I cannot easily find the desirable white at my local West Marine, as I think others have experienced. White is available, but usually at a higher price without any increase in copper content.
An acount of red paint and an attack
Commander William King wrote a book called "Adventure in Depth" G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1975, where he discribes being ramed by what they thought was a great white of the coast of Australia. Almost sunk his sailboat. He had red bottom paint but changed color after that and felt the red paint was what may have caused the attack. He also discribes several other such attacks in the book.
Commander William King wrote a book called "Adventure in Depth" G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1975, where he discribes being ramed by what they thought was a great white of the coast of Australia. Almost sunk his sailboat. He had red bottom paint but changed color after that and felt the red paint was what may have caused the attack. He also discribes several other such attacks in the book.
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