SeaHawk Bottom Paint - **CKS!

[sailorboy1]

I applied 3 gals of Seahawk CuKote and 1 gal of SeaHawk BioCop to my hull between Feb 8-13, 2019. Now it is only April 21, 2019 and I have barnacles all over the hull! So that's 2 months and 1 week on $980 worth on what is suppose to be their upper end and best bottom paints.

While they have a warranty, it is written so it would never cover a DIYer. So even though I send them a comment I expect nothing and even if they covered it, it still would be completely unacceptable.

JUst thought I would share.

[pdxsailordiver]

I just had mine done with AF 33.
Launch tomorrow !

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I applied 3 gals of Seahawk CuKote and 1 gal of SeaHawk BioCop to my hull between Feb 8-13, 2019. Now it is only April 21, 2019 and I have barnacles all over the hull! So that's 2 months and 1 week on $980 worth on what is suppose to be their upper end and best bottom paints.

While they have a warranty, it is written so it would never cover a DIYer. So even though I send them a comment I expect nothing and even if they covered it, it still would be completely unacceptable.

JUst thought I would share.

I just add that when I left Jacksonville on March 10 the bottom was complete clean. So this hard growth took 1 month and 11 days

[billknny]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I applied 3 gals of Seahawk CuKote and 1 gal of SeaHawk BioCop to my hull between Feb 8-13, 2019. Now it is only April 21, 2019 and I have barnacles all over the hull! So that's 2 months and 1 week on $980 worth on what is suppose to be their upper end and best bottom paints.

While they have a warranty, it is written so it would never cover a DIYer. So even though I send them a comment I expect nothing and even if they covered it, it still would be completely unacceptable.

JUst thought I would share.

Wondering if you could share your logic for using two different kinds of paint and how you applied them?

I have been using BioCop for years in the tropics in the winter and temperate areas in the summer and it has worked great.

[Paul L]

That's a pretty brutally short time frame. Was it anchored up a river? We've seen places, like Cartegena Colombia, where 10 days is about the limit of a stay before everyone gets hard growth,
The CuKote is an ablative, so sitting still doesn't help it. If you dive the hull is the growth easy to wipe off or have the buggers got in deep?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by billknny

Wondering if you could share your logic for using two different kinds of paint and how you applied them.

Could but aren’t going to.

Did everything according to directions. The paint is attached to the hull and the barnacles are attached to the paint.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Could but aren’t going to

Well, OK then!

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Did everything according to directions. The paint is attached to the hull and the barnacles are attached to the paint.

"According to directions."

Funny, I don't see using using two different paints in the directions posted on the website.

For all we know you mixed them together and applied a mixture of two different paints. I am hoping that you think that is a dumb idea, but I have seen dumber posted.

Your comment about the performance of the product is pretty worthless without background information.

[sailorboy1]

[QUOTE=billknny;2874884

Funny, I don't see using using two different paints in the directions posted on the website.
.[/QUOTE]

I don’t feel like arguing with you and there is little doubt you are just looking to be some “expert” to the point of doing research looking for your chance.

I can’t help you if you can’t read. I did everything by Seahawks directions and even checked with them ahead of time.

Cukote can be boosted with a pint of BioCop per gal of Cukote. That leaves a lot of BioCop left over and this was applied over the Cukote. Seahawk approved this to me.

The barnacles are growing right on the final coat of BioCop, which is their top paint.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I don’t feel like arguing with you and there is little doubt you are just looking to be some “expert” to the point of doing research looking for your chance.

I can’t help you if you can’t read. I did everything by Seahawks directions and even checked with them ahead of time.

Cukote can be boosted with a pint of BioCop per gal of Cukote. That leaves a lot of BioCop left over and this was applied over the Cukote. Seahawk approved this to me.

The barnacles are growing right on the final coat of BioCop, which is their top paint.

Actually, I am trying to understand WHY this product failed for you when it works so well for so many others. SOMETHING must be different. If we could understood that we'd all learn something. It might be a bad batch of paint, but if it is adhering well, that seems unlikely.

So far you have posted nothing that makes me even considering changing my continued use of BioCop as my only bottom paint.

And your attitude needs a bit of adjustment. Just chill.

[a64pilot]

Call them, they are a Fl company.
I had cucote on my boat, first year was great, second year I had to really start cleaning it, then we had a family emergency and bottom line it wasn’t until year three before I got another bottom job, and the paint was past gone, way past gone.

Only thing I really didn’t like about cucote was it’s soft, I mean so soft that even gently cleaning had clouds of it coming off.

I can’t imagine why your having such bad results so soon.

Four gallons on a 40’ Boat is a lot of paint, so it’s not that you have a thin layer.
I just had my bottom done last week, four gallons did two coats on the whole boat and four coats on the top two Ft, leading edge of the keel and rudder, and I’m a full keel, so four gallons on your boat is a good, thick coat.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Call them, they are a Fl company.

It’s Sunday! Already send them a message. Even if somehow they do something nothing changes the fact that my boat has the pox and it happened in basically 2 weeks on their top of the line bottom paint.

[maxingout]

We used 40 % copper containing bottom paint in Florida at Fort Pierce, and in six weeks there were thousands of barnacles. That paint was $290 per gallon. The manufacturer made it right by giving us replacement paint that had 60 % copper, and we sat in the Indian River Lagoon in Fort Pierce for two months without barnacle formation using the higher percentage of copper.

Sometimes the manufacturer will give you a break. We still don't know if it was a bad batch of paint, or maybe it was just the lower concentration of copper.

[Orion Jim]

I’ve used Sea Hawk Cukote for several years and I’ve been very happy with its performance. Most of my sailing season is in New England and I sail down to Bermuda and spend a couple months there before returning home to complete the season.
I have frequently recommended it to others and will continue to do so.

[BenBowSirocco]

Hi Sailorboy1,

I have personally met the owner/management team of SeaHawk paints. Had a tour of their facility as well. They really take their product seriously. Its one of the last (known to me) paint companies that is a family owned/operated business. There is one in Washington that makes classic "lead" paint for woodies, but not bottom paint. But my point is that I have no doubt they will respond.

I understand your upset, you spent a lot of money and might have worked really hard to get that expensive fresh paint on the bottom of your boat. But bear in mind that there are many reasons why you might be getting hard growth already.

The company I work for cleans almost 900 boats a month and employs over 30 divers in the summer months in the Tampa Bay area and honestly, even on BRAND NEW paint 2-6 weeks is all you get. At 5 days you should expect some slime even. The more you move, the less you grow, but even then- things grow. The paint SLOWS growth. Its not a growth stopper. The entire point of the paint (besides slowed growth) is the easy of cleaning: do you need a brush or a floor chisel? Leave a board in the water and try cleaning it at 6 weeks- every barnacle butt will be there when your done, but not with good paint, it comes off easily and completely.

On a brand new bottom paint job, you need to brush down the paint after launch, sooner the better in order to open up the toxins in the paints dry shell. Just a light brushing. And in South Florida, you need to clean your boat every 3-4 weeks- end of discussion. We have one of the highest growth rates in the world, its a good climate with LOTS of food from the gulf stream current.

Growth is normal and it sounds like the paint is doing its job.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by BenBowSirocco

Hi Sailorboy1,


The company I work for cleans almost 900 boats a month and employs over 30 divers in the summer months in the Tampa Bay area and honestly, even on BRAND NEW paint 2-6 weeks is all you get. At 5 days you should expect some slime even. The more you move, the less you grow, but even then- things grow. The paint SLOWS growth. Its not a growth stopper. The entire point of the paint (besides slowed growth) is the easy of cleaning: do you need a brush or a floor chisel? Leave a board in the water and try cleaning it at 6 weeks- every barnacle butt will be there when your done, but not with good paint, it comes off easily and completely.


Growth is normal and it sounds like the paint is doing its job.

Interesting. I haven't had the bottom painted on Palarran for 3 years and about 10,000nm. We do only use the boat for 3 or 4 months before haul outs but there isn't a single barnacle on the bottom and barely any slime. No idea what the brand of paint is on the bottom but it was done in Greece and probably was a cheap brand.

I am looking at having the SeaHawk bottom paint put on over this layup period. My understanding is they have a special mix that can't be purchased in the US but since the boat is in the Bahamas I can get it done. Hence the reason to get it applied.