Sea Hawk Bottom Paint Peeling at Thru Hulls

[colemj]

Originally Posted by nolagal

We know that SH 77 is not at TBT paint. Really!! The SH77 was applied by a certified SH applier he knew what was on the boat previously and acted accordingly. Besides the problem is too pervasive to be an application problem. The boats we are in contact with have had their work done at a variety of boatyards (Nanny Cay in the BVIs ,Peakes in Trinidad and Spice Island in Grenada to name a few) all under SH certified appliers and both SH 77 and SH 44 are showing the same issues. The issue is Sea Hawk and their warranty.

OK, sorry. From your original post, it appeared you grouped 44 and 77 together and mentioned using the tin booster with them. I wasn't clear about that.

When was the paint manufactured? I know several boats painted with Islands 44 in 2014 in Panama and Guatemala that have had no issues with it. Probably >50% of the boats in these areas use this paint and I haven't heard of any significant problems with it there.

Islands 77 is in wider use than Islands 44 (which can't be sold in the US and many other countries). Have you heard from anyone outside the Eastern Caribe having problems with it?

I've tried googling for problems with these paints and the Grenada group problem is the only thing I find.

I'm not defending Seahawk - just trying to understand if the problem is local, or limited to a certain batch run, or due to storage conditions or old stock.

Mark

[nolagal]

I have no idea when the paint was manufactured. We hired a reputable applier, Eric Ramos, who works out of a reputable marina, Puerto Del Ray in Puerto Rico. As Sea Hawk doesn't warranty work done by a certified applier this would be the correct thing to do. In our case he supplied the paint.

What I do know is that Eric Ramos will no longer use any Sea Hawk products because of recent issues and Sea Hawk's lack of response. Peakes in Trinidad will no longer apply Sea Hawk 44.

What my original post was warning was - there is this issue with Sea Hawk.

Until we see how these issues play out be careful of this company. As another poster noted, execs went to jail. Wish someone had warned us.

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by nolagal

I have no idea when the paint was manufactured. We hired a reputable applier, Eric Ramos, who works out of a reputable marina, Puerto Del Ray in Puerto Rico. As Sea Hawk doesn't warranty work done by a certified applier this would be the correct thing to do. In our case he supplied the paint.



What I do know is that Eric Ramos will no longer use any Sea Hawk products because of recent issues and Sea Hawk's lack of response. Peakes in Trinidad will no longer apply Sea Hawk 44.



What my original post was warning was - there is this issue with Sea Hawk.



Until we see how these issues play out be careful of this company. As another poster noted, execs went to jail. Wish someone had warned us.

We also applied Seahawk 44 at Balboa Yacht club and after a few months went to Ecuador. Within 3 weeks of arriving there the bottom was totally covered with barnacles. As you can image we were not happy campers. We have been struggling having to clean the bottom every 2 weeks now and will most likely will haul out next year in Tahiti. Grrrrrr.

If we were close to a major Yachtie center with haul out facilities I would have been on to Sea Hawk but impossible where we were and now in the Marquesas no place to hail.





www.jacarandajourney.com

[Dulcesuenos]

We too bad a recent problem. With seahawk, a 3" line of hard growth at the waterline around both hulls and scattered hard growth in various other places and 3 patches of adhesion problems , 45 days after painting and re launch. I think 2 things have happened. Seahawk has downgraded their quality, either for profit( they owe millions right?) 42nd the yard doing the work did a crappy job of prep application and in my opinion used old highly thinned paint for the first coat. The yard, not seahawk have up a few gallons of better paint. This was our 3rd boat with same product/ same slip and no issues before.


Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Yeah, I don't know how that can be, considering West Marine Bottom Pro Gold has a copper content of only 40% and Pettit Trinidad is 65%-75%, depending on which flavor you pick.

Trinidad Hard Antifouling

WEST MARINE Bottom Pro Gold Bottom Paint, Gallon | West Marine

We tried this paint and it had growth in 2 months. Not as bad as their eco crap but close.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[nolagal]

Here's an update on our continuing Sea Hawk bottom paint issues. Sea Hawk will honour their warranty by supplying 3 galleons of their paint OR if we return to the yard where it was applied, in our case Puerto Del Ray, PR, make us whole by paying all charges for a complete job. We are currently in Grenada!

What they are offering is what's stated in the warranty but obviously that warranty takes advantage of the fact that cruising sailboats are no longer near the original yard.

We, however, will return to Puerto Rico early next year. In the meantime we will continue to diligently wash our bottom!!

[minaret]

Originally Posted by nolagal

We know that SH 77 is not at TBT paint. Really!! The SH77 was applied by a certified SH applier he knew what was on the boat previously and acted accordingly. Besides the problem is too pervasive to be an application problem. The boats we are in contact with have had their work done at a variety of boatyards (Nanny Cay in the BVIs ,Peakes in Trinidad and Spice Island in Grenada to name a few) all under SH certified appliers and both SH 77 and SH 44 are showing the same issues. The issue is Sea Hawk and their warranty.

We are in communication with them and after months they have offered us 3 gallons of paint. What an insult!!

You are wasting your effort. Have dealt with SH reps much. Just don't use their product.


You should listen to the folks who earlier posted that your thru hulls have very likely not been properly primed. Any very high copper content paint can lead to this result without proper isolation of the fitting via epoxy priming, especially if you throw in some stray current. This may happen to you again with a different product. Either prime with 2000, or coat the thru hulls with a copper free AF before coating the rest of the bottom.

[nolagal]

Originally Posted by minaret

You are wasting your effort. Have dealt with SH reps much. Just don't use their product.


You should listen to the folks who earlier posted that your thru hulls have very likely not been properly primed. Any very high copper content paint can lead to this result without proper isolation of the fitting via epoxy priming, especially if you throw in some stray current. This may happen to you again with a different product. Either prime with 2000, or coat the thru hulls with a copper free AF before coating the rest of the bottom.

Not wasting our time at all. But each of us choses how time is spent.

Thanks to the many cruisers who decided to spend time and keep pressing this issue. Sea Hawk is beginning to respond!! We are past the "rep" stage now and dealing with Cheryl Meadows. We'll see how things eventually play out but so far we have a commitment to have our work redone as does a second boat. For us Sea Hawk is sticking to the letter of their warranty by wanting us to return to our original applier (in Puerto Rico!) but they are willing to allow the other boat to have their warranty work done here in Grenada rather than return to the BVIs. We are pressing that issue now.

We are aware that even a written commitment doesn't "pay the bills" so we are only guardedly optimistic at this time. Both Puerto Del Ray Marina, PR and Spice Island Marina, Grenada are now involved (possibly other marinas I only know of these).

In the interest of the cruising community I will keep you posted.

An aside to the OP about that thru hull thing. What????? I have no thru hull issue perhaps you meant someone else.

Now back to the real reason for cruising - making sure all that sugar cane didn't die in vain, drink rum!!

[Beausoleil]

Originally Posted by nolagal

We know of only I boat, Purrfect, where Sea Hawk has honoured their warranty. This took about a year. We know of at least a dozen other boats that, like us, have been emailing and trying to get something done.

Besides Purrfect, Liberty and our own boat, Beausoleil, had problems with Islands 44 and had new paint supplied by Seahawk under warranty. In ours and Liberty's case, we supplied the labor, but Seahawk honored their warranty and shipped paint to Grenada at no cost. I dealt with Denis via email. This was back in 2013. I believe Liberty had their problems in 2012.

I should add that the paint is still holding up well.