Bottom Paint

[buxomwench8]

Have to haul out to fix our prop. Just had the bottom painted 2 years ago but wonder if we should slap some more on while it's on the hard. How often do you all paint the bottom? We live in San Diego so water is cold, if that makes a difference.

[HopCar]

I bet you have a diver clean the bottom pretty often. The diver is doing the work of the paint so you don't need paint. If you put on some high quality bottom paint, you shouldn't need the diver for a year or more. A friend of mine left his boat in the water for ten years and just let the diver maintain the bottom.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by buxomwench8

Have to haul out to fix our prop. Just had the bottom painted 2 years ago but wonder if we should slap some more on while it's on the hard. How often do you all paint the bottom? We live in San Diego so water is cold, if that makes a difference.

A quality anti fouling paint, properly maintained will last 2-3 years. By "properly maintained" I mean having it cleaned frequently enough that it never becomes even moderately foul. In San Diego, this means every 3-4 weeks. Anybody who tells you you don't need ani fouling paint doesn't know what he's talking about and has certainly never attempted to bring a dirty bottom with poor, or no, anti fouling paint back to something approaching clean. Even cleaned weekly, a bottom with no paint will soon become uncleanable.

Don't cheap-out. Paint when the bottom needs it (rely on your diver for this information) and have it cleaned frequently and gently. You will save money over the long run and enjoy your boat's performance more as well.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by HopCar

If you put on some high quality bottom paint, you shouldn't need the diver for a year or more.

Where do you come up with this nonsense? In California, the first cleaning should typically occur 3 months after splashing.

Originally Posted by HopCar

The diver is doing the work of the paint so you don't need paint. A friend of mine left his boat in the water for ten years and just let the diver maintain the bottom.

Jeezus. Friggin' unbeleiveable that an (alleged) marine industry professional would recommend something like this.

[highseas]

The more you rub or scrub paint,the more you pollute the water,and the sooner you have to paint it again.Good paint should last more than 3 months before cleaning.If the boat never leaves the dock,growth happens sooner.Some places are worse than others and paint is specific to the area it's used in.Really big boats don't get hauled as often due to expense.Once a year is typical bottom paint schedule.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by highseas

The more you rub or scrub paint,the more you pollute the water,and the sooner you have to paint it again.Good paint should last more than 3 months before cleaning.If the boat never leaves the dock,growth happens sooner.Some places are worse than others and paint is specific to the area it's used in.Really big boats don't get hauled as often due to expense.

We're talking about San Diego here, not British Columbia. Boats are cleaned 15 times a year there and they need it. Further, frequent gentle cleaning will dramatically lengthen any bottom paint's lifespan as opposed to less frequent, more abrasive. Use of in-water hull cleaning Best Management Practices will reduce pollution, not increase it. Also, 3 months is the manufacturer's recommendation for initial cleaning after new paint is applied.

[Cheechako]

I've rarely had the bottom cleaned in less than a year in Seattle. Not sure if San Diego is that much worse...? I would put a coat of paint on if your are out of the water. 2 years is about right In colder water i think.

Jeezus. Friggin' unbeleiveable that an (alleged) marine industry professional would recommend something like this.
Uh Oh...the sales agenda is back!

[highseas]

I said specific to your location,who said B.C.?It is recommended soft paints NOT be cleaned while boat in water.Interlux does say to lightly clean slime from surface when it develops.What if this hasn't been done?Surely more agressive methods must be used.I use a dish cloth about every 2 months in Mexico,the prop. needs it every 2 weeks.That is 6 times per year.Of course I don't tie up in stagnant marinas.

[roverhi]

I've been using Interlux Micron Extra, first in Alameda, CA and Hawaii for the last 2 years. Can see why they don't reccomend aggressive scrubbing as it results in red clouds in the water. Had the bottom wiped down with fine scotchbrite pads about once a year in California. Went two years here because I was too lazy to do the bottom and it wasn't so badly fouled. Does seem to get a slime coating but that was about all till the paint got to be 3 plus years old. Bare spots began showing up around the water line that took vigorous scrubbing with a rough Scotch Brite pad to clean off the coral. Prop, on the other hand takes twice monthly scrubs to keep the coral from growing on it. The prop turns into a useless mass of marine growth in a couple of months if I don't stay on top of it.

[Tom1340]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Even cleaned weekly, a bottom with no paint will soon become uncleanable.

Uncleanable?? I am looking at 38ft centerboard boat on the market. The bottom is painted every 2 - 3 years, but the centerboard well has not been painted or cleaned in a long long time, and is coated with hard growth. Is this likely to be uncleanable? Is the gel coat going to come out with the organisms? (I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but it seems a pretty wide ranging discussion)

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Jeezus. Friggin' unbeleiveable that an (alleged) marine industry professional would recommend something like this.
Uh Oh...the sales agenda is back!

Not a sales agenda, just proper boat maintenance. I couldn't give two sh*ts if you think leaving a boat unpainted for ten years is a good idea or not. I wouldnt have someone who did as a customer.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Tom1340

Uncleanable?? I am looking at 38ft centerboard boat on the market. The bottom is painted every 2 - 3 years, but the centerboard well has not been painted or cleaned in a long long time, and is coated with hard growth. Is this likely to be uncleanable? Is the gel coat going to come out with the organisms? (I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but it seems a pretty wide ranging discussion)

I'm talking about in-water cleaning. Unpainted gel coat can easily be impossible to truly clean with the tools avsilable to a diver. But there's nothing a pressure washer in the boatyard won't take off. Will your gel cost be damaged? Maybe. Depends on what was growing on it and for how long.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Had the bottom wiped down with fine scotchbrite pads about once a year in California.

I guarantee on that cleaning frequency, your bottom got foul enough to have a big effect on performance both under sail and power, and when it was cleaned, required an abrasive enough scrubbing that you removed much more paint than you wanted to and shortened your paint's lifespan. Guaranteed.

[highseas]

I can see racers wanting to keep their bottom like a babies bum,paying for biweekly cleanings.On the other hand paying upwards of $250. per gallon for paint that needs cleaning that much is ridiculous.

[roverhi]

I'll take 4 years on a single coat of Micron Extra bottom paint any day. When I scrubbed mine just before hauling, was surprized how easy it was to clean. Let me restate that, it took a lot less effort to clean it than I expected.

My center board well cleaned up nicely. Used a putty knife on a stick to knock off the hard stuff. If you've got heavy barnacle growth, you may just have to settle for knocking off the protruding shells and paint over what you can't knock off quickly and easily. Trunk won't be baby butt smooth will be clean enough to house the board. Does a muriatic acid washdown dissolve the barnacle feet or what ever they glue to the hull??