Caribbean Gold Bottom Paint

[rja]

Hello everyone,

We're planning to have R&B boatyard (Spanish Wells, Bahamas) do our bottom and they're recommending "Caribbean Gold" paint. They also offer "Sea Hawk - Islands 44" but are strongly pointing me to the Caribbean Gold, saying they've had great luck with it. Has anyone used this paint? A search of the forums didn't come up with much.

While we're on the subject, any comments on R&B? We're currently in Nassau and a few other cruisers have recommended them. We don't have a ton of options due to our beam (25').

Thanks,
R. Jason Adams

[rja]

Darn... no one has tried this paint.. I'm getting a little nervous about using it now.

[bstreep]

You probably aren't getting much input as the product appears to have TBT in it (tin for short). This isn't legal in the US and many other countries.

That being said, tin is a MUCH better product than copper for anti-fouling, and it is likely that it causes less environmental impact than ablative copper paint, since it lasts so long. If I were in your shoes, I'd choose a product with TBT in it.

[HopCar]

Caribean Gold has 45% Copper and 15% Tri Butyl Tin (TBT). The copper is what keeps hard growth like barnacles and oysters from growing on your boat. The TBT stops slimy stuff from growing on your boat. When TBT was outlawed in the US some time ago, there was a huge rush to find a replacement and they did. Interlux uses their Biolux and Pettit uses Irgarol to replace TBT. The paints available in the USA are now just as good or better than the old TBT bearing paints.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Oh for the good old days when you could get real bottom paint and cgeap too..