Bottom Paint For Caribbean

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

I'm just waiting for someone to tell this guy to go with a Sea Hawk tin paint

I have no problem doing that. Worked great for us for 3 years. To bad can't get it here. We know a lot of folks down there use Micron 66 and we did for a while and worked great for about 2 years.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

. After it initially lost effectiveness after about 6 months, I was regretting putting on that much. But is seems to have stabilized and is working as good at 18 months as it was at 6.

That pretty much describes my experience with all bottom paints.

Mark

[allanbranch]

Is Sea Hawk a poor quality brand? (newbie question)

[fstbttms]

Sea Hawk produces a tributyl tin-based anti fouling paint. Tributyl tin has been banned for use in anti fouling paints worldwide because it is one of the most damaging poisons ever intentionally introduced into the marine environment. That said, there are still a very few nations (mostly in the Carribbean) that allow its use. And, as you can see from this thread, there are still sailors who put their personal convenience over any other consideration.

Last year, the top Sea Hawk executives were convicted of felonies involving illegally selling their tin-based paint in this country and misleading their customers and the USEPA about this. The executives went to prison and the company paid a large fine.

In addition, recently there have been numerous complaints about Sea Hawk products performing poorly, paint adhesion problems etc. There has been speculation that these quality issues are related to the recent legal problems the company has suffered.

Aside from all that, as a marine service provider with extensive experience with anti fouling paints in California, I have never found any Sea Hawk paint to be worthy of recommending to a client. Poor quality? I don't know that I can say that. Unable to match the competition? Most definitely.

[a64pilot]

OK, silly question, but an ablative paint won't build up over time like a hard paint will?
I was under the impression that it essentially wore away and was soft enough that pretty much all of it was removed before another bottom job?
So three coats say will give you more time between haul out than two, without building up excess paint over time?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

OK, silly question, but an ablative paint won't build up over time like a hard paint will?
I was under the impression that it essentially wore away and was soft enough that pretty much all of it was removed before another bottom job?

Ablative paints are designed to wear away much like a bar of soap. That said, I have never seen an ablative wear entirely away, regardless of how long the boat has been in the water.

Originally Posted by a64pilot

So three coats say will give you more time between haul out than two, without building up excess paint over time?

More product (within limits) absolutely means longer time between haulouts. But again, while there may not be long-term buildup of layers like with a hard paint, the ablative isn't going to completely disappear by the end of its lifespan, regardless of how much or how little you apply.

[tomfl]

The boat I bought had ABC on it and it seemed to work fine for at least three years. I will get the boat hauled for a bottom job next month. The yards I have talked to mentioned the FWC and USCG uses ABC on their boats. My understanding is that ABC is designed to flake off, along with any growth over it, if the boat speed gets up to about 10 knots. The FWC and USCG (small boats) go 10 knots or faster on a regular basis. Some multihulls (and a few monohulls) are able to do this as well, making ABC a good choice. ABC seems to be cheaper than a lot of other options. To some extent I have been told that this is because it is used by many commercial and government boats so economies of scale come into play. There are pros and cons to both hard and ablative paints but, at least for me, an important factor is the ability of a boat to get up to 10 knots. If your boat is that fast ABC seems like a good choice for me.

[travellerw]

Anyone want to comment on Super Ships Bottom.. I have heard that name from cruiser friends. Many say its a hybrid between ablative and hard paint.

[DMCantor]

We used Pettit Ultima SR60 for a few seasons. It was OK, but we did get some hard growth after 5 months in the Caribbean. We switched to Micron 66 a few years ago, and it has been flawless. Last season we basically sat on a mooring the whole season, very little sailing, and we still had a perfectly clean bottom when we hauled.

David
s/v Callisto
Outbound 46

[Roniszoro]

I've been in Miami with my sloop since 2007 and have used Micron 66 with great success.

[douglong]

Super Ship bottom paint
Best in all the land

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by douglong

Super Ship bottom paint
Best in all the land

All right.. I can't tell if your being facetious/flippant!

Really.. I want to hear experiences with it!

[2Hulls]

Originally Posted by allanbranch

Is Sea Hawk a poor quality brand? (newbie question)

Not in my opinion. I've been using Seahawk Cukote Biocide + (ablative and street legal) for many years commuting between the Ches Bay and E Carib or Bahamas for 7 month winter cruises. I typically paint one coat right before launching in mid October for an early November passage (not this year - doing refit) and need to lightly brush it by around March. Some brown soft fuzzies start growing then, but I can stay ahead of them. If I haul soon after returning in late May I can escape barnacles altogether. Haul every summer and paint one coat.

But the bad news for me is that Sea Hawk is no longer making Cukote Biocide + because of some ingredient they can no longer get. So I'm switching to Biocop TF. No experience yet.

Dave

[David B]

Originally Posted by Krakato

Any recommendations for what type (brand?) of bottom paint to use in the Caribbean?

We will be basically island hoppers (costal cruisers) on a 36ft cat.


Cheers,
Mike
s/v Krakato

Have a look at www.coppercoat.com. We use it in the Med and smile quietly when we see yachts being hauled every year for slapping on yet more antifouling paint.
Another link I came across is Sail Away With Us

They are travelling the world, and specifically wanted to avoid the cost of haul outs etc

Here's another couple going around the world who are very happy with their choice of Coppercoat. Tom and Susie | Yacht Adina

Worth a look, and hope that helps.

[fstbttms]

Please, someone tell me what it is with Aussies and their infatuation with hauling to paint every year. We do not do this on the West Coast and I am at a loss as to why it would be done anywhere where cold weather isn't an issue.