Help Steel sloop- paint under water line

[gio1973]

Hello there,
My first steel boat... I am in Martinique.
Just got her. Today I cleaned the bottom. I am at anchor. I went down with mask, gloves, etc
The paint went completely off, showing the naked steel in four points under the water line. Four little points.... 5 cm (2 inches). How bad it is? I cannot lift her up before a month.... any suggestions or comments are welcomed
Thank you
Giorgio

[coopec43]

Maybe this would work?

https://www.go2marine.com/product/79...oxy-putty.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QCIo0iBEiE

https://www.google.com.au/search?sou....0.J9iy9EyGMWs

Clive

[RaymondR]

As long as you have sufficient anodes they will protect the steel from corrosion and you can touch up the paint when you next slip the boat. You need to check the anodes regularly as they will be consumed quicker when there are bare spots in the underwater hull.

[Wotname]

Did you lift the boat before purchase?
If so, what was the condition of the anodes and the rest of the paint at that time?

I wouldn't worry about the delay of 4 weeks before lifting but I would be concerned general condition of the paint if it looked OK at purchase and now a short time later, it is failing.

[gio1973]

I did not lift the boat at purchase three weeks ago. I went underwater, the hull was covered by an entire microcosm of shells, corals aand under water vegetation. The anods are ok. The paint... she's a 32ft steel boat she was very cheap, I had 3 long term liveboard captains inspecting her (they told me she is a good solid boat in need of TLC), gew rust points here and there on the deck, hull needed a refreshment.

[gio1973]

Thank you all. I will try the epoxy putty.

[conachair]

A download for you >

https://www.amazon.com/Metal-boat-ma.../dp/B0070QRME4

[Mithril Bham]

Sounds like you need to haul, sandblast, primer and bottom paint or else you will be dealing with this constantly.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Mithril Bham

Sounds like you need to haul, sandblast, primer and bottom paint or else you will be dealing with this constantly.

I am afraid this is correct. If a few spots are down the metal you need to start from scratch.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, gio,

It will help to read up on the paint systems needed for steelies. You need a barrier coat, a primer, and then the layers of bottom paint.

Ann

[Mike Banks]

Steel hulls need to be lifted, blasted, flame washed section by section to dry each square metre or so of hull of all moisture and while still warm (unless it can be done in a controlled environment) generously epoxy-zinc primed. Once the huill has its initial zinc-rich epoxy primer, then a proper series of quality epoxy paint coats finishing with a finishing epoxy primer specially for providing a key surface for the top coat, and then a two-pack polyurethane finish. Over this top coat is applied a chlorinated rubber barrier coat, and then a minimum of two layers of quality anti fouling. I use a different colour for the last layers of anti fouling--as soon as I see the first layer has ablated to the second (colour changes)--I have only six months more or less of protection remaining and book the slip.

[hpeer]

Zinc primer in steel boat is like arguing about anchors, there are devout adherents for and against.

Without the boat on the hard and time to evaluate properly no one truly knows your situation.

Get her out, take a look, read.

Boatpaintstuff In St Martin sells Ameron products like their 235. The paint needs a rough surface to mechanically attach and coats should not be too thick. Hot coat, second coat goes on before first coat is completely hard. Ditto first coat anti fouling.

Steel boats are a thing unto themselves, separate from production boats.

Good luck. Don’t panic.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Zinc primer in steel boat is like arguing about anchors, there are devout adherents for and against.

Without the boat on the hard and time to evaluate properly no one truly knows your situation.

Get her out, take a look, read.

Boatpaintstuff In St Martin sells Ameron products like their 235. The paint needs a rough surface to mechanically attach and coats should not be too thick. Hot coat, second coat goes on before first coat is completely hard. Ditto first coat anti fouling.

Steel boats are a thing unto themselves, separate from production boats.



Good luck. Don’t panic.

I agree, I would go just with epoxy primer and two part epoxy finish coat. Then the anti- fouling. Worked for me.

[sand6000]

I would get a marine electrician or tech person from a paint company to put a 1/2 cell meter over the side before coming out of the water. This will tell you all all about the anodes and if there are any stray currents causing paint to come off.

[JPA Cate]

Imo, the OP has shiny spots because someone simply scraped the bottom. A barnacle used to live there. We have no reason to think there is an anode problem: he does not mention other places where paint is blown off, just shiny because it was scraped and washed.

A.