A Bottom Paint Story

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by stnick

I have a diver every 30 days in winter every 6 weeks. He uses a machine called REMORIA , its a battery operated rotery scrub brush. Its got 6 choice of brushes. Its a gentle scrub. and my water line looks amazing.

The Remora Solo in action:

https://youtu.be/5_b0LWeZwuk

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Please don't use any of the Sea Hawk tin-based paints. That's all I've got on that particular subject.

I imagine you have seen just about every product out there doing what you do.

What is your opinion of Copper Coat? I have heard and read a little bit about it. Supposed to be very durable lasting many years and perform about equal with other hard paints on the anti fouling front?

[sailorboy1]

now you've done it

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

now you've done it

I didn't mean to. Honest

BTW, what did I do?

I was thinking of doing the Copper Coat on my boat, but don't know much about it yet, except for the reported durability.

[Suijin]

I think it’s up to each individual boat owner to decide how often to have their hull cleaned based on tolerance for reduced speed, budget, schedule for other bottom work etc. A few bottom cleanings can net out in cost to a haulout for starters, so it’s not a slam dunk that having your bottom cleaned regularly is the most cost effective approach.

As for variation growth rates, I’ve found that moving up and down the east coast, the rTe can vary wildly and it’s not always obvious why. Water temperature is certainly a big and fairly predictable factor but others are not always so clear. I do think that moving constantly into water of varying salinity can halt growth as you’re continually killing off organisms that can’t survive in the new salinity level.

One of the worst areas for fouling in my experience is the mid-Chesapeake. Brackish water, significant farm runoff, and warm water temperatures lead to shockingly fast and luxuriant growth.

Even with hard paint I’ve found keeping the boat moving keeps growth down, but it may just be that I’m changing salinity a lot.

[Island Time O25]

I've had my mooring at the same spot for 12+ years. Setting aside the variations from season to season in the hull fouling levels, which could be attributed to efficacy or lack thereof of different bottom paints, the waterline beard does vary considerably from year to year. And does not always corrolate with how oftent and how far the boat was sailed.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by mjgill1

I didn't mean to. Honest

BTW, what did I do?

I was thinking of doing the Copper Coat on my boat, but don't know much about it yet, except for the reported durability.

use the search feature, there's numerous Copper Coat threads

[mjgill1]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

use the search feature, there's numerous Copper Coat threads

Roger that. Seemed like a good opportunity to get an informed opinion.

BTW thanks for the monthly expense posts you have made. They are a great help.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

now you've done it

Originally Posted by mjgill1

I didn't mean to. Honest

BTW, what did I do?

Bwhahahaha! As sailorboy1 inferred, my opinion of Coppercoat is fairly well known in this forum. I have voiced it often and loudly. Funny enough, the last boat I cleaned yesterday (a Columbia 5.5) had a Coppercoat bottom. First Coppercoat I’ve cleaned in years. We don’t see it around here much and for good reason. It is not a particularly effective anti fouling coating. It leaches so little biocide that it just doesn’t have the “oomph” it keep fouling growth at bay. Yesterday’s boat was a good example. The bottom was 6 months old and and had previously been cleaned just 3 or 4 weeks ago. While it was not excessively foul by any means, the algaeic growth that was there was very difficult to remove. This echoes my past experiences with this product. I can imagine what a kind of job it would have been had this been summertime and the boat hadn’t been cleaned for a few months. No thanks.

The bottom line is that while Coppercoat is undoubtedly durable, it just does not retard fouling growth as well as a traditional anti fouling paint. For this reason I would never recommend it.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Suijin

A few bottom cleanings can net out in cost to a haulout for starters, so it’s not a slam dunk that having your bottom cleaned regularly is the most cost effective approach.

I don't know what you're used to paying a diver, but if a few hull cleanings equals the cost of a haulout, I'm doing business in the wrong place.

But seriously, this not an "either/or" situation. In-water hull cleaning is not a substitute for anti fouling paint, and the converse is true as well. You need anti fouling paint and regular hull cleaning. Considering where you do your boating, I would think this would be abundantly clear to you.

[stnick]

I have my diver stop in our winter some 3-4 months that start up again.
Im on the Anclote river So when tides comming in water flows in four hours later water flows the other way. The barnicles just love the brackish water. ! Its always moving and they are always hungery. When iwas in just Gulf water salt Trinad did just fine 3.5 years between haul outs. Now the Tridad Just cant go 3.5 even with a diver.
So when I paint I do Three coats , one red, 2 blue . Im down to red now and when the old blue shows up after the red is gone Ill have to pull.

[fred4936]

Thank you Sailorboy for the posts! I always find them very informative. I have been using Micron Extra for many years now and like it. We haul our boat every other year here on Great South Bay, Long Island. It looked like the Micron worked well when you were up north, and did not work well in the south. Is that accurate? I have heard different bottom paints work in varying degrees in different areas. It is not practical to change bottom paints when traveling, so I find your observations fascinating. I will continue to stay tuned!

[jalmberg]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Thanks for the kind words, Stu.

See, what sailorboy1 fails to understand is that by cleaning your bottom infrequently and letting it become foul (as he obviously did), aggressive and abrasive cleaning measures are then needed to remove the fouling growth. This (of course) also removes anti fouling paint, shortening your bottom job's useful lifespan. But by cleaning relatively frequently and never letting the bottom become even moderately foul, the cleaning can always be a gentle one, keeping the paint on the hull where it belongs. This kind of best management practice will ensure that you get maximum paint lifespan and anti fouling performance, not to mention dramatically reducing haulout frequency.

As the owner of a very long-keel boat which must have a clean bottom to sail well, I second this. Frequent gentle cleanings have worked better for us than infrequent aggressive cleaning. I would love to install a hookah so I could dive on my bottom myself, but am content to pay divers. Clean bottoms forever!

[herbhunt]

Everyone has different experience because its not just the product its how it is applied, where you sail, how often its cleaned, whether the boat is hauled etc.

For us coppercoat has worked well. We sail primarily in the Caribbean and haul each hurricane season. We just renewed the coppercoat after 10 years. It has performed well for us. That may be because we use relatively aggressive pads to scrub it when we clean it every 6 weeks or so. This we can do by snorkeling or using a diver when we are in a location wherw the water is cold.

We have had it in the north east on occasion and notice we get different growth there. Not more just different.

Just our experience.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by fred4936

It looked like the Micron worked well when you were up north, and did not work well in the south. Is that accurate?

The bottom got very foul in Fernandina Fl in April 2018 and was cleaned in Beaufort SC May of 2018. The CSC paint was 2 years old at that time and had been diver cleaned 3 times (so that was the 4th cleaning in 2 years). We then went all the way to Maine and back down to Jacksonville Fl (including spending a week in Fernandina Beach again). We hauled out Feb 2019 and the bottom was basically still clean after the cleaning 9 months prior.

So my basic takeaway is that whether your bottom paint works is all in the luck of the weather and conditions. If you get into a place that has some big nutrient thing going on you can really foul in a month. But if not you may go months and months, even on old 2 year old paint.