Temporary Alternative for Bottom Paint?

[Wayward 36s7]

Hello to the forum!

I have an unusual question regarding bottom painting. Is there an alternative to bottom painting for a season? I just purchased my sailboat and plan on using it all this year in San Diego. I am not buying a boat to have it as a luxury condo on the water like many in my marina. I would like to sail it all over so my question is can you just keep your bottom clean by just maintaining it yourself once a month as you sail? Everything I have read explains that bottom paint is important to prevent growth. Eventually, I will haul out and have a yard paint the bottom since there is no real savings in California by doing it yourself. My needs list has other items like new sails so postponing the bottom paint for a season would be beneficial and allow the purchase of new sails for my boat for this Summer. I guess it comes down to choosing one over the other but I do not have not problem keeping the bottom clean all year. I am scuba certified and have my own equipment. Before everyone chastises me I am only asking for alternatives since boatyards seem to want an arm and leg for anything in California. Even your haul out is over $500.00 and now you have to pay extra for just a power wash. I will look forward to hearing from anyone that can be helpful and understanding, we are not all millionaires but can have the same dreams.

[wholybee]

Presumably it is already painted, but due for a recoat? The paint doesn't only prevent growth, but makes it easier to clean. Depending on the local conditions and how bad the paint is, it could be the difference between wiping it with a piece of scrap carpet vs scraping it with a metal paint scraper.

It should be ok to put it off a season, and it might or might not be difficult to clean. It might turn into a biweekly thing instead of a monthly thing.

[boatman61]

What paint is currently on the bottom now.. Hard or Ablative?
Either way it does not really matter if you sail her a lot as moving through the water slows growth accumulating.
I would dive and clean the bottom at the start of the season then sail regularly till you get her lifted out.
Bought a boat in the Caribe with at least 3yr old (if not more) bottom paint.. I anchored in Grand Case in January and scrubbed the bottom free diving and it was good for 4.5 more months in the Caribe, an Atlantic crossing to the UK and she only had some small barnacles when she was lifted in September.

[fstbttms]

There is no alternative to bottom paint, temporary or otherwise. If your boat has no paint on the hull now, you will soon wish that it did. You will find that even weekly cleanings will not keep the fouling growth at bay. If it does have paint but it is ineffective, it will be an unending (and very frequent) battle to keep the hull in anything approaching a state of seaworthiness. Even if your anti fouling paint is in decent condition, monthly cleanings (at a minimum) are in order.

[psk125]

Ditto fstbttms; he beat me to it. We have antifouling and STILL have a diver come every two weeks to wash off growth, despite heading out several times a week in season. Weekly washes would be better, but costs add up fast.

We tried no antifouling with our Soling. It needed to be hoisted & bottom washed at least once a week to keep it clean enough to race, and it was sailed frequently too.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Wayward 36s7

Hello to the forum!

Welcome

I have an unusual question regarding bottom painting. Is there an alternative to bottom painting for a season? I just purchased my sailboat and plan on using it all this year in San Diego. I am not buying a boat to have it as a luxury condo on the water like many in my marina. I would like to sail it all over so my question is can you just keep your bottom clean by just maintaining it yourself once a month as you sail?

I think in terms of bottom paint lasting one year per coat. That is, if I apply one coat of bottom paint, it will work for a year. If I apply two coats, it will last two years. Beyond that there is a point of diminishing returns, and of course it does vary somewhat depending on which paint you use and where you keep your boat.


I would think that in San Diego you would consider a coat of bottom paint to be part of the annual expenses of having a boat with the possibility that high-quality paint could perhaps last two years especially if multiple coats were applied. This would be in addition to hull scrubbing.


Without any antifouling, one year's growth in that area could result in hard fouling that requires considerable labor to remove, possibly followed by a new epoxy barrier coat.

[mvweebles]

You might want to consider sailing to Ensenada, 80 nms south. Talk to Guillermo at La Costa Boatworks and let him know Weebles sent you. Baja Naval is also a decent alternative and a much nicer yard to live in. Under no circumstances consider Niza Marine. They've padded their reviews but I assure you, they are quite incompetent despite speaking excellent English.

Cruiseport marina is about 40% less expensive than SD marinas. And it's convenient to downtown with some great ceviche. Check-in/out can be a bit expensive. I think it was around $125 each way when I did it a year ago. But it's a cool experience, especially if you can work remote.

[Wayward 36s7]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

You might want to consider sailing to Ensenada, 80 nms south. Talk to Guillermo at La Costa Boatworks and let him know Weebles sent you. Baja Naval is also a decent alternative and a much nicer yard to live in. Under no circumstances consider Niza Marine. They've padded their reviews but I assure you, they are quite incompetent despite speaking excellent English.

Cruiseport marina is about 40% less expensive than SD marinas. And it's convenient to downtown with some great ceviche. Check-in/out can be a bit expensive. I think it was around $125 each way when I did it a year ago. But it's a cool experience, especially if you can work remote.

Hey Thank you MVWEEBLES. I was think of that alternative to the San Diego boatyards. I am sure they all do good work but the prices are extremely high in San Diego and I have asked some of my marina neighbors and some have just decided to forgo bottom painting on a regular basis. Even if I use a DIY yard it will cost me more than if I just pay them because of lay day expenses. I have a Catalina 25 that is sailed on a freshwater lake in Arizona so this is not my first sailboat. I am sure there is some bottom paint left and my guess would be that it is hard epoxy type that was done in 2021. I truly appreciate everyone's advice and will consider each reply to my post so Thank You.

[Calif.Ted]

I get about three years from Petit Trinidad Pro with a diver monthly using either carpet scraps or towels to wipe growth off. Never should you let it get bad enough for the green 3M abrasive pads or scrapers, that really shortens paint life. Usual is 2 coats with a third at the water line and on leading edges (bow, rudder and keel). The paint will wear off at these places to be easily seen by eye. You cannot keep it clean by sailing, when the water gets REAL warm the hull turns green while you watch. Without seeing your paint, I don't think anyone could say if you could wait until next winter. What did if look like when you hauled? Lots of missing spots or just a little faded. What does your diver say about the paint? Mine gives me a report on paint, running gear, zincs etc. every month.
Have you gotten any estimates from yards? I'd think $2000 would get you painted with some pretty good stuff. Formulations have changed here; copper contents are considerably lower than in the past.

[Wayward 36s7]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

I get about three years from Petit Trinidad Pro with a diver monthly using either carpet scraps or towels to wipe growth off. Never should you let it get bad enough for the green 3M abrasive pads or scrapers, that really shortens paint life. Usual is 2 coats with a third at the water line and on leading edges (bow, rudder and keel). The paint will wear off at these places to be easily seen by eye. You cannot keep it clean by sailing, when the water gets REAL warm the hull turns green while you watch. Without seeing your paint, I don't think anyone could say if you could wait until next winter. What did if look like when you hauled? Lots of missing spots or just a little faded. What does your diver say about the paint? Mine gives me a report on paint, running gear, zincs etc. every month.
Have you gotten any estimates from yards? I'd think $2000 would get you painted with some pretty good stuff. Formulations have changed here; copper contents are considerably lower than in the past.

Thanks, I will be meeting with a diver this weekend who can provide underwater pictures of before and after cleaning. We are also replacing shaft and prop zincs at the same time. I have received quotes from $2,000 to $2,600 for bottom paint so I will have to make a decision about how to proceed. I have many priorities to address over the next few months so I may have to wait before committing to bottom paint. Either way it will get done I just wish there were more options for DIY in my area.

[Mickeyrouse]

Well, none of us really have to use bottom paint- only those of us that want our boats to sail better. You could use house paint- or nothing- if you can conveniently, cheaply, and easily find a way to clean your hull frequently. Like every ten days. Depending on where your boat is, you would be shocked at just how fast marine growth can propagate. Algae- scum- starts in just a few days. First signs of barnacles as soon as a couple weeks. Depending on where you are, oysters could start to attach in six weeks. All is affected by water conditions of salinity, temperature, season, latitude, pollution, tidal exchange, etc etc.

[NorthCoastJoe]

Where in California can you get hauled for $500 ? That would be a bargain basement price. I paid a lot more for my Pearson 30 last year.

[Wayward 36s7]

Originally Posted by NorthCoastJoe

Where in California can you get hauled for $500 ? That would be a bargain basement price. I paid a lot more for my Pearson 30 last year.

Koehler Kraft quoted $530.00 for haul out and relaunch. They seem to be very reasonable compared to other boatyards.

[FrankC_OR]

I paid $571 at Seaside Boatyard & Marina in Oxnard last month. This was for a 45' ($516) haul and hold and a $55 hazmat fee.

[MicHughV]

Be mindful that there is a big difference in performance from various bottom paint manufacturers.
Same holds true for number of coats applied.
You get what you pay for...