Shoestring Sailors (Cruising on $500 per month - part II)

[madgunny]

heres a shoestring thought. okay I'm a new guy, but what I hear about most is bottom cleaning/job. so if cleaning the bottom is preventative maintenance, wouldn't it be easier to just dive in once a week regardless and give it a quick scrub?? as opposed to stripping it down every year/two?? I admit I don't understand all there is about ablative? paint versus epoxy coats? so fill me in please.

[zeehag]

dive it monthly. weekly is quite frequently. monthly and just before leaving on a passage
haul and paint every 1-5 yrs.....unless you have to haul every winter

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by madgunny

heres a shoestring thought. okay I'm a new guy, but what I hear about most is bottom cleaning/job. so if cleaning the bottom is preventative maintenance, wouldn't it be easier to just dive in once a week regardless and give it a quick scrub?? as opposed to stripping it down every year/two?? I admit I don't understand all there is about ablative? paint versus epoxy coats? so fill me in please.

Yes but that gets old fast unless the owner can use scuba/comp. No prob if you're a diver already...soon to be dreaded by everyone else.

[w1651]

Originally Posted by madgunny

heres a shoestring thought. okay I'm a new guy, but what I hear about most is bottom cleaning/job. so if cleaning the bottom is preventative maintenance, wouldn't it be easier to just dive in once a week regardless and give it a quick scrub?? as opposed to stripping it down every year/two?? I admit I don't understand all there is about ablative? paint versus epoxy coats? so fill me in please.

I was talking to a guy who dives and cleans bottoms at the marina I am at now. He said that if you add Cayenne Pepper to your paint you won't have to paint the bottom for ten years.
This is him talking not me. Though it does sound dumb enough to be true.

[Blue Crab]

Yep! Funny, no one ever thought of that before.

[Kettlewell]

Here's a shoestring sailing tip, that might be a bit counterintuitive. I have found that in harbors where there is a problem accessing shore, or there is an excessive fee for doing so, it is often possible to row into a yacht club and simply ask if it is OK to tie up for a few hours. It has worked for me several times. Despite the fact that yacht clubs have a snooty reputation, which is earned by some clubs, there are many other small, local, and often downright shoestring clubs that have friendly folks who will often welcome you.

[madgunny]

I too have heard of using cayenne pepper in your bottom paint. thought it sounded stupid myself, and not being a sailor, I asked my friends out in florida who are.. surprise.. 4 out of four. and they all do that. says it extended their bottom job by at least two years,, and one says 5.. guess the spicy flavor isn't to the little buggers liking?

[Blue Crab]

Yeah, nothing new there. I've seen it done a lot, and maybe 30 or 40 years ago with simpler paint chemistry it helped.

To borrow someone else's point: With the research and chem involved, if pepper helped, BIGPAINT would use pepper.

[CatInHand]

I like the yacht club idea. While in the San Juans we asked if we could tie up to a private dock. They said no, only because the area was shallow and the tide was going out, but they let us tie up our dinghy, then gave us a ride to the store, waited, and brought us back to the dink.

You never know what you'll get if you ask.

[Kettlewell]

To borrow someone else's point: With the research and chem involved, if pepper helped, BIGPAINT would use pepper.

I'm not sure it is in BIGPAINT's best interest to have paint that lasts longer than a season.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I'm not sure it is in BIGPAINT's best interest to have paint that lasts longer than a season.

On that note, I can buy a coupla gallons of ablative paint, unsure of brand, $50 per. Said to be "old". Anyone think it's not worth it due to age?

I imagine it will be tough to mix. I only need one gal but don't have to look far ahead.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

On that note, I can buy a coupla gallons of ablative paint, unsure of brand, $50 per. Said to be "old". Anyone think it's not worth it due to age?

I imagine it will be tough to mix. I only need one gal but don't have to look far ahead.

I have been told that old ablative is not much good.

I also agree that if pepper actually worked then, like you said, BigPaint would use some to beat LittlePaint into the ground.

[sailorboy1]

How about some of you "shoestring sailors" post some real life $$$ numbers. By now 1 of you must have been able to do this so maybe the rest of us can believe.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Therapy

I have been told that old ablative is not much good.

I also agree that if pepper actually worked then, like you said, BigPaint would use some to beat LittlePaint into the ground.

OLD ABLATIVE: I did a quick search but it wasn't obvious.

Pepper: I wonder too if that isn't just old fishermen BS. When I was shrimping I was told to do it, but we were using the supercheap oldtimey paint. Fished everyday. Hauled yearly. And those were all wooden boats. There were always barnacles anyway. Maybe a wormicide.

[Kettlewell]

There are several commercial bottom paint additives available. Here's one:

Barnacle Buster