Coat of bottom jobhello

[seanicroute]

Hello,

New owners to us of a 1980 Morgan 462. We are looking to do a 3 month refit before we launch for the 2019 season. Boat is located on the east coast of Florida.

Part of the refit is a bottom job. We were quoted 5000 dollars for a 2-coat ablative paint job. Maybe it’s just us, but that seems a little high/excessive.

We are willing to do DIY but have never done this kind of work before. Any advise with this regard and/or recommendations for a yard/marina between ft pierce and the cocoa beach area would be welcomed.

Thanks

[Suijin]

That estimate must include taking down the existing bottom to barrier coat or gelcoat, repairing blisters and gouges etc.

There are bottom jobs and then there are bottom jobs. At one end you have a light sanding of a bottom in good shape and slapping a couple of coats of anti fouling on. At the other end you have removing years of buildup cracked flaked paint, repairing and fairing defects to the hull, priming and repainting. Orders of magnitude difference in labor.

None of it is rocket science. It’s just time and having the right tools.

Posting some pictures of your boat’s bottom would go a long way to helping evaluate that estimate and getting sound advice on what you need to do.

[JimsCAL]

Is this a complete job with stripping the old paint off, barrier coat, etc. or just applying 2 coats of new paint? Does indeed sound very high for the latter.

[seanicroute]

By the way, this is what happens when you type on your tiny phone at 0400, been looking for the edit button. I apologize for the subject line and poor grammar, lesson learned the older you get the more you should utilize a real computer

Thanks again

[seanicroute]

Originally Posted by JimsCAL

Is this a complete job with stripping the old paint off, barrier coat, etc. or just applying 2 coats of new paint? Does indeed sound very high for the latter.

This estimate is for light sanding, and applying 2 coats of anti-fouling paint. It also accounts for stripping the running gear of barnacles and repainting it and replacing the zincs. There are no blisters, and its not being taken down to gelcoat.

Yes, it's for a basic 2-coat bottom job.

The boat itself has no blisters, and the second coat can be seen underneath the top coat of the current paint (i.e. it's time for more ablative paint).

[seanicroute]

This is the best I have at the moment. Stillshot from a video.

Rough Breakdown on quote -

1200 - Sanding
360 - Running Gear Prep/Paint
1900 - Paint (Micron csc)
1100 - Labor for paint
150 - RR owner supplied zincs
100 - Remove Debris

[JimsCAL]

This definitely a DIY job if you have the time and the yard will allow it. Estimate is about double what I would expect for something like that. Even the price for the paint looks high. I would guess about 2 gallons per coat, so for 4 or 5 gallons, you are around $1000.

[thomm225]

As an example, I've completed two bottom jobs on my Bristol 27 at a cost of around $350.00. I do it every 3-4 years

I use that expensive Micron CSC Ablative Bottom Paint which is about $235/gl. I usually do maybe a coat and 1/2. The half being a second coat on the bow and keel. (and any other problem area I see after haul out.

I already had the sander.

This does not include the haul or storage fees since all yards are different.

At the yard here, you also need a tarp and/or a sander with vacuum to catch what you sand off

The good news is you can probably skip your gym workouts while you are doing the bottom job especially on a boat the size of yours. The sanding and the painting will be workout enough

[Cheechako]

That seems very high to me. Find a yard that allows external labor. Hire someone. That may be hard now days though. Often the "sanding before coating" is a former burger flipper for 4 hours. Also, make sure any yard you go into will allow you to work on it, even if you hire some of the work. You can take the barnacles off in an hour. One solution is to not go by bid but ask for bottom sanding by the hour. Get the hourly rate. Manage the job and be there yourself.
That way, you can go as you please. You can run up to the office and ask "How much to roll a couple of coats of paint on wednesday?" etc.

[Bill Seal]

150 bucks for r&r zincs??? on the hard?
Our diver did it in the water for an extra $20 during his bi-monthly $40 bottom scrub.

[Cadence]

I would be interesting to see what their labor rate is?

[Cheechako]

If a bottom job was $5000 I would just have a diver down every couple of months. Bottom paint often doesnt stop barnacles from growing, just kills them once they are attached.
So maybe take your time, have it cleaned in the mean time.
The yard just north of the bridge in Ft Pierce, seems to accommodate longer term projects. Riverside Marina?

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by seabicroute

Hello,

New owners to us of a 1980 Morgan 462. We are looking to do a 3 month refit before we launch for the 2019 season. Boat is located on the east coast of Florida.

Part of the refit is a bottom job. We were quoted 5000 dollars for a 2-coat ablative paint job. Maybe it’s just us, but that seems a little high/excessive.

We are willing to do DIY but have never done this kind of work before. Any advise with this regard and/or recommendations for a yard/marina between ft pierce and the cocoa beach area would be welcomed.

Thanks

Hi Seabiroute, welcome to CF! I'm a fellow Morgan 462 owner, mine is a 1980 too. I did a full bottom job on my boat last June, hauled out at Playboy Marine in Fort Lauderdale, and did all the work myself. It's not that bad, as long as you don't mind hard work. Paint and supplies came to around $1000, and I bought rather than rented a 6" random orbit vacuum sander.

As to yards, there are two in Fort Pierce that allow DIY - Riverside and Cracker Boy. I have never used either of them personally. Be aware that generally you have to buy your paint from the yard.

If you want to chat about this job, or anything else Morgan 462-related, just drop me a PM and we can exchange contact info. I'm not that far away, perhaps we could meet up some time and compare notes...

Regards,
David

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by thomm225

The good news is you can probably skip your gym workouts while you are doing the bottom job especially on a boat the size of yours. The sanding and the painting will be workout enough

I can attest to this!! I had my boat on the hard for two weeks last year, and I slept well every night, I was so exhausted. Be prepared to sweat, especially as you'll be covered head-to-toe when sanding. I literally would ring water out of my clothes.

[seanicroute]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Hi Seabiroute, welcome to CF! I'm a fellow Morgan 462 owner, mine is a 1980 too. I did a full bottom job on my boat last June, hauled out at Playboy Marine in Fort Lauderdale, and did all the work myself. It's not that bad, as long as you don't mind hard work. Paint and supplies came to around $1000, and I bought rather than rented a 6" random orbit vacuum sander.

As to yards, there are two in Fort Pierce that allow DIY - Riverside and Cracker Boy. I have never used either of them personally. Be aware that generally you have to buy your paint from the yard.

If you want to chat about this job, or anything else Morgan 462-related, just drop me a PM and we can exchange contact info. I'm not that far away, perhaps we could meet up some time and compare notes...

Regards,
David

PM sent.