Barnacles - More Good Than Harm?

[stickyscissors]

Having a nice, clean, growth-free hull is obviously the best. But, if you had to choose, which is the best of the two:

- a barnacle free hull with missing spots of bottom paint?
- a barnacle encrusted water line with all paint intact?

I bought a boat, 1969 Morgan 30, in the water in NY. I am told the bottom paint was last done in Spring 2019, and the boat's been in the water since. Now, there are some pretty mature barnacles along the water line, on the rudder, keel, etc. I tried to removing some along the water line and scraping the barnacles took the paint right with them.

I already have enough projects and items to deal with, and limited funds, so I wasn't planning on hauling and painting her until late fall 2020. Some people tell me:

1. Leave'm alone, removing the barnacles and taking the bottom paint off is worse than leaving the barnacles on.
2. Scrape the barnacles off, your boat isn't being protected anyway, and the loss in cruising speed will be so drastic that you'd rather have missing bottom paint in spots and just deal with the increased need to scrub the bottom.

Missing paint is ugly and fraught with other problems. Barnacles slow me down. Not sure which is the worse of two evils?

Thank you in advance for any and all advice.

[rslifkin]

If you could find a good way to do it in the water, you could probably grind the barnacles down instead of scraping them off. It would probably take a good bit of time, but wouldn't remove the paint.

[a64pilot]

Barnacles stick like nothing else, removing them will most likely remove any paint as the barnacles bond is stronger than the paint, I believe that’s normal.
Regular cleaning will prevent them from becoming mature, and mature barnacles are likely an indicator that’s its time to repaint anyway.
I’d scrape them off and then clean monthly until time to repaint myself

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Barnacles stick like nothing else, removing them will most likely remove any paint as the barnacles bond is stronger than the paint, I believe that’s normal.
Regular cleaning will prevent them from becoming mature, and mature barnacles are likely an indicator that’s its time to repaint anyway.
I’d scrape them off and then clean monthly until time to repaint myself

^^This. You're just going to have to do some scraping all summer.


The notion that you could save the paint under they is irrelevant, because that paint is covered by the barnacle and new barnacles will grow on the old ones Also, if they are growing, the paint isn't doing much, is it?

[taxwizz]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

If you could find a good way to do it in the water, you could probably grind the barnacles down instead of scraping them off. It would probably take a good bit of time, but wouldn't remove the paint.

But you would have to be able to hold your breath a looooong time. LOL

[SV Bacchus]

We are in a bit of the same quandary and as A64 said, we just scrape away and keep on it every 2 or 3 weeks in Florida. Things grow fast here..

[Calif.Ted]

First thing I do with a new boat is haul it and take care of everything below the waterline, that's the REALLY important part. What project have you decided is more important ?

[guyrj33]

scrape them off, they'll slow you down so much you won't be able maneuver.

[Gaia]

If possible move the boat up river some place where the water is fresh for awhile and they might fall off. Then clean all summer long as required. Good exercise.

Jim sv Gaia

[taxwizz]

What is the consesus on the best bottom paint for barnacles?

[stickyscissors]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

First thing I do with a new boat is haul it and take care of everything below the waterline, that's the REALLY important part. What project have you decided is more important ?

Yes, you sound like you do things the right way.

This may not be logical, or wise, long-term, but the primary project right now is sailing. The through-hulls were professionally redone not too long ago, so I am confident in those.

Below the water line, I need to redo the stuffing box (not that I have a cause for alarm now), repaint, possibly put in a depth finder transducer, redo the centerboard stuffing box. A fair bit of work, and probably more. Right now, with all the marinas trying to get boats in and work done that's already on the ticket, I'm concerned that if I haul now I won't get back in for a long time. I know I am hauling out in the fall, and I am just trying to be cheap and not have to haul out twice if it can wait.

Above the water line stuff is probably less "important", but I can keep sailing and getting the boat more comfortable for my family.

I admit, I am probably not doing things the smartest way, just the way that let's me put off the below the water line stuff until the fall when I am hauling anyway.

[stickyscissors]

Originally Posted by Gaia

If possible move the boat up river some place where the water is fresh for awhile and they might fall off. Then clean all summer long as required. Good exercise.

Jim sv Gaia

I love this idea. Unfortunately, I don't have any rivers nearby that would help without traveling a decent distance.

I wonder how long it would take for the fresh water to do its job?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by taxwizz

What is the consesus on the best bottom paint for barnacles?

Well the “best” we are not supposed to speak of, but of the ones we are allowed to discuss it seems to be location specific

[stickyscissors]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

scrape them off, they'll slow you down so much you won't be able maneuver.

Thanks!

Yeah, it sounds like the consensus is I can remove the barnacles, have missing bottom paint, and just keep it clean until I haul out and the bottom shouldn't suffer too much if I keep up with the cleaning.

[sail sfbay]

If the barnacles are not removed now you will risk antifoulant coating and barrier coating failure, propeller corrosion which risks gel coat damage and will result in significant added cost to sand and apply barrier coat and antifoulant paint and replace the propeller. That is what happened to my Hunter 46 when I purchased it in December 2018. Boat was hauled immediately after purchase and keel sanded and new barrier epoxy applied followed by painting and propeller replaced. Fortunately there was no barnacles on the hull, so the damage was limited.

In addition, they will get into your thru hulls and even engine seawater strainer, which risks over heating the engine. Take a look at the article and thread below.

https://www.boats.com/how-to/bad-barnacles/

https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?thr...roblem.363667/