Hauled Out This Morning

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Where goes your boat live and what anti fouling pàint are you using?

I'm actually generalizing from my times in San Leandro 2004-2007, Santa Cruz 1990-1995 and Moss Landing1996-2000, Halfmoon Bay 1986-1990. I was using Petitt Trinadad. Maybe I let it go more that I should. Occasionally had to use a plastic scrapper but it cleaned up quickly.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Z1Krider

Getting new gel coat and paint. Refinishing the spars and all new running rigging. Possible new standing if it's warranted.
It's a good thing I have a few vacation days to work on this.
Hopefully when all is said and done my wife and I will have a decent weekender to play on!

To install new gel coat on the deck, topsides, and bottom would take hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours of work and cost a fortune.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

I'm actually generalizing from my times in San Leandro 2004-2007, Santa Cruz 1990-1995 and Moss Landing1996-2000, Halfmoon Bay 1986-1990. I was using Petitt Trinadad. Maybe I let it go more that I should. Occasionally had to use a plastic scrapper but it cleaned up quickly.

Anytime you have let the hull get foul enough that a piece of carpet or white scrub pad won't easily clean the bottom, you have waited too long. Using anything more (plastic scraper included) is going to remove paint unnecessarily, shortening your expensive anti fouling paint's lifespan. Further, with your hull foul that much of the time you will reduce the boat's performance both under power and sail and increase fuel consumption and carbon emissions. While you may feel that your bottom does not need to be cleaned but every 4-6 months, the reality is that it is actually costing you money and robbing you of performance.

But hey, it's your dime.

[justwaiting]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Anytime you have let the hull get foul enough that a piece of carpet or white scrub pad won't easily clean the bottom, you have waited too long. Using anything more (plastic scraper included) is going to remove paint unnecessarily, shortening your expensive anti fouling paint's lifespan. Further, with your hull foul that much of the time you will reduce the boat's performance both under power and sail and increase fuel consumption and carbon emissions. While you may feel that your bottom does not need to be cleaned but every 4-6 months, the reality is that it is actually costing you money and robbing you of performance.

But hey, it's your dime.

There is a difference between stating "Anytime you have let the hull get foul enough that a piece of carpet or white scrub pad won't easily clean the bottom, you have waited too long" and saying it should be done ever month. There are so many variables - For example a boat in any estuary in NSW at this time will need to be look at very shortly because of flooding down rivers causing oysters and other shell fish to spawn.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by justwaiting

There is a difference between stating "Anytime you have let the hull get foul enough that a piece of carpet or white scrub pad won't easily clean the bottom, you have waited too long" and saying it should be done ever month. There are so many variables - For example a boat in any estuary in NSW at this time will need to be look at very shortly because of flooding down rivers causing oysters and other shell fish to spawn.

I never said every boat should be done monthly. Optimal cleaning frequency is largely dependent on local fouling conditions. In Southern California this means cleaning every 3-4 weeks. In Northern California, 8 weeks works best. In NSW it may different. The point is, whatever your fouling conditions, whatever anti fouling paint you use, frequent, gentle cleanings are better for the boat, better for the environment and better for your pocketbook than less frequent, more abrasive cleanings.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Anytime you have let the hull get foul enough that a piece of carpet or white scrub pad won't easily clean the bottom, you have waited too long. Using anything more (plastic scraper included) is going to remove paint unnecessarily, shortening your expensive anti fouling paint's lifespan. Further, with your hull foul that much of the time you will reduce the boat's performance both under power and sail and increase fuel consumption and carbon emissions. While you may feel that your bottom does not need to be cleaned but every 4-6 months, the reality is that it is actually costing you money and robbing you of performance.

But hey, it's your dime.

While all that sounds good in theory, it seem a bit mute since you say 2-3 years between bottom jobs and using a plastic scraper 4-6 times. When I haul, I never see where I've scrapped through. Let me clarify...If my bottom looks to need more attention as the paint ages, I do clean the bottom sooner. But it is an indicator I need to haul and re-paint.

[familycruisers]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Why don't you let your bottom go for two or three months? Be sure to let us know how that worked out for you.

Originally Posted by fstbttms

So what's your point? You said that you had your bottom cleaned once and now you need new paint. I don't get it. Paint longevity is going to determined in large part by the frequency of cleaning. But regardless of that, 2-3 years is all you can expect. That's just the nature of the beast.

Originally Posted by fstbttms

. Using anything more (plastic scraper included) is going to remove paint unnecessarily, shortening your expensive anti fouling paint's lifespan.
But hey, it's your dime.

You sure scraping a couple barnacles shortened it to a greater extent than the 3-4 "recommended" maintenance scrubs?


Man dude, always with the condescending, sarcastic remarks. Always on the bottom topics.
As a commercial member you should try to keep your responces professional, non confrontational, and especially courteous. Most forums limit this kind of behavior from sponsors.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by familycruisers

You sure scraping a couple barnacles shortened it to a greater extent than the 3-4 "recommended" maintenance scrubs?.

He wasn't knocking off a couple of barnacles. He was cleaning his hull with a scraper. Try to keep up.

Originally Posted by familycruisers

As a commercial member you should try to keep your responces professional, non confrontational, and especially courteous.

Whatever

[familycruisers]

Rolling eyes, you look like my 3 yr old. You have your hand on your hip while typing to finish off the effect.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Try to keep up. Whatever

Do you want to be right...or do you want to be happy?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by familycruisers

Rolling eyes, you look like my 3 yr old. You have your hand on your hip while typing to finish off the effect.

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Do you want to be right...or do you want to be happy?

I'm not particularly concerned with anybody's opinion of me. If the tone of my posts puts you off, well that's just too bad. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. And if you wanna neglect your boat's bottom, again, it's your dime. But the fact remains; if you let your hull get even moderately foul, you are doing yourself (and your boat) a disservice.

[justwaiting]

Originally Posted by Z1Krider

Most of my friends have their bottom cleaned once a month. I will be doing my own once she's back in the water.

Appologies for the interuption to the sceduled programs, some times people around here get a little excited about how their bottoms are cleaned.

The termology can get to you a bit but you will soon pick it up and sound as "salty" as the rest.

Keep us posted about your progess

[Z1Krider]

Wow... This place thread has been busy!

Gel coat... I misunderstood the prep and paint explanation, and before fully understanding what a gel coat was, I posted here. Rookie mistake. Patch, prime, paint is what is happening to my hull, aka bottom ;-)

The boat will be a weekender only because I work Monday through Friday. And until I can get the interior livable, it will be all I can do to get my wife to stay on it, let alone convince her that we could live on it. She is under the firm belief that 40' is her minimum length to live aboard.

Regards,
Clayton

[DSDman]

Is your wife about five six, brown hair, brown eyes cause she sounds exactly like my wife! exactly!

[Ex-Calif]

There are too many variables for a one size fits all scenario. With global locations and a plethora of bottom finishes one can't simply point to a calendar and say "every X weeks."

The point is taken that with ablative coatings they are designed to work most efficiently while under way. Many boats dont get undeerway every week so one has to develop a strategy for that variable as well.

Cean with the least intrusive method possible.

After 3 months away the soft cloth/carpet clean wasn't gonna cut it and I just cleaned my bottom with a (relatively soft) floor scrub brush. It worked great and the hard plastic edge allowed me to knock off the hard critters without using a scraper. Very versatile - YMMV