Extensive barnacles on bottom paint that's 10 months old

[Squanderbucks]

The way I do it and many others here in south Florida is to barrier cost the bottom with e2000, two coats of hard paint like Trinidad, and then two coats of ablative.
Then the ablative can be cleaned from time to time with no worry about spots of wear through. Also if hauled on a regular basis it only requires Minuit touch up after pressure wash until the 3rd year then light sand and new ablative.

[skipbern]

The last couple of times I painted my boat I had the yard add a 16 oz bottle of paprika for a gallon or two. I had amazing results, the bottom was quite clean after being in Norfolk and Gloucester, MA for about equal time over a year. There are many differences of opinion on this. A friend claims all the boats in Panama use the technique. The only proper experiment is to paint the forward half with and aft without paprika and look at the results. Not one side since you need to evaluate the sun impact. It can't hurt. I learned this from a tuna fisherman in the slip next to me who has owned/run boats all over the world and swore by it, he spent much less on paint than my Micron 66 or the equivalent that is good in fresh water if that is your situation. Good luck.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by iansan5653

Hello, I bought a daysailer (Freedom 21) back in May. The guy I bought it from said he had it hauled out and painted in December (not exactly sure what kind of paint but I'm sure it's ablative) and had the bottom cleaned by a diver in April. I believe him as he gave me the receipts.

I haven't paid much attention to the bottom since then because I knew it was painted and cleaned recently. I saw barnacles on the rudder and figured that must not have been painted along with the rest of the boat, so I planned to just take the rudder off and repaint that alone. The water isn't very clear here so I hadn't noticed anything on the bottom while she was sitting in the slip.

However, I took her out today in some breeze and had a look at the bottom as she was heeling, and it turns out there are barnacles everywhere. Not yet a full layer, but getting close.

Obviously I need to haul her out and scrape/sand/repaint, but I wasn't expecting this cost so soon. I mostly want to know why might this have happened so quickly? Could it just be that the ablative wasn't effective because the boat didn't move much? Is it possible that the diver cleaned the bottom with a scraper and destroyed the paint? Any other likely suspects I should look for?

This will be the first time I've hauled a boat and painted it, so any advice at all is appreciated. I have a small budget but I also don't mind spending more now to save money later. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to boat ownership 101. Tugwit response is correct, ablative paint is NOT designed to be scrubbed...the diver took a lot/most of the bottom paint off.

If you want to be able to scrub the bottom use hard paint instead. Do some research on bottom paints before you switch as hard paints are not recommended to go over soft (ablative) paints directly.

Choosing between ablative and hard paints is usually based on how frequently you use your boat and whether you keep your boat in the water year round.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Scaramanga F25]

F25 outboard rudder fouls first.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by MJH

Welcome to boat ownership 101. Tugwit response is correct, ablative paint is NOT designed to be scrubbed...the diver took a lot/most of the bottom paint off.

If you want to be able to scrub the bottom use hard paint instead. Do some research on bottom paints before you switch as hard paints are not recommended to go over soft (ablative) paints directly.

Choosing between ablative and hard paints is usually based on how frequently you use your boat and whether you keep your boat in the water year round.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

Huh……our ablative has been cleaned by a diver once a month for the last year with no ill affects. The key is to scrub as gently as able.

[Nicholson58]

Totally normal. Even the best stuff available only in the Caribbean gets barnacles after about four months. They are very hard to stop with paint. We see the larvae occasionally by the thousands and wipe them gently with a soft sponge. Take your boat to anchor in clear water and bust the adults off occasionally. Do you trailer? Haul and clean.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by MJH

...ablative paint is NOT designed to be scrubbed

In-water hull cleaning is just as necessary with ablatives as it is for any other type of paint.

Originally Posted by MJH

...the diver took a lot/most of the bottom paint off.

That's an assumption on your part. In actuality you don't know why the paint seems to have failed.

[dreuge]

Here in the FL Gulf area, I use a multi-season ablative Pettit Ultima SR-60. It costs about $300 a gallon, but it is a real performer. When I last hauled out Dec 2017, the bottom paint from Sep 2014 was in pretty good shape. There was only a few barnacles along the waterline, but the what was green bottom, was covered with a black slim. It was late in the day, and the marina was in a rush to get the boat placed in the blocks, so I opted to skip the pressure washing. It was several days before I started working on the bottom, and to my surprise, the black slim had dried and lifted from the hull. I removed it easily with a stiff brush, revealing green bottom paint below. I sanded the whole bottom with 80 grit on an orbital sander, rinsed off the hull, and the next day applied the 1st of 2 coats of the same bottom paint. The boat has now been in the water for nearly 4 years and still looks pretty good. Again, I have the black slim, some barnacle growth along the waterline, which I clean about every 3 months. It looks like I'll get another year or hopefully two. Not all is good. I do have a real problem with hard barnacle and oyster growth on the prop, shaft, and transducers. I tried many of the props paints, lastly being Velox Plus, but nothing seems to last over a year. Open for suggestions. I may break down for some propspeed next time. Bottomline, the $300/gallon Pettit Ultima SR-60 which has 60% copper load may seem expensive, but with 4 year like performance, it is a bargain.

UPDATE: I just searched for Pettit Ultima SR-60 and see that Defender has a special buy (green only) at $185/gallon. It looks like Pettit has replaced SR-60
with Pettit ODYSSEY 60. It is still has 60% copper load but no mention of dual biocides with slime resistant Irgarol. The ODY 60 info does state that it is VOC compliant standard, so the new formula is likely due to recent regulatory changes.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by dreuge

I tried many of the props paints, lastly being Velox Plus, but nothing seems to last over a year. Open for suggestions. I may break down for some propspeed next time.

Propspeed is not a particularly long-lived coating. That said, it is the best I have come across for underwater metals.

[thinwater]

SR-60 has been discontinued because Irgoral is no longer made. It is replaced by Odyssey Triton, at $400/gallon.



https://www.pettitpaint.com/products...e-antifouling/


I'm testing panels now and have some on my boat.

[Seabeau]

The largest determent to effective bottom paint is the EPA. Due to more and more essentially useless restrictions, bottom paint are getting less and less effective. Coastal cites contribute millions of pounds of assorted waste into our coastal waters daily. Millions.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by thinwater

SR-60 has been discontinued because Irgoral is no longer made.

Well, actually it is still made but the EPA and IMO plan to ban it for use in anti fouling paint. I think the paint manufacturers saw the writing on the wall.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Seabeau

The largest determent to effective bottom paint is the EPA.

So if you had your way, we'd still be using tributyl tin-based paints. You know, TbT being one of the worst poisons ever intentionally introduced into our waterways and all.

Originally Posted by Seabeau

Coastal cites contribute millions of pounds of assorted waste into our coastal waters daily. Millions.

Nice strawman argument.

[dreuge]

In looking into the Pettit replacements, there is also a new multi-season ablative Odyssey Triton. Which claims to be the best new bottom paint "to hit the market in almost 30 years"
See: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...301157321.html

It is interesting that Triton can label is hyped up more than the ODY-60.

ODYSSEY TRITON
EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE MULTI-SEASON ABLATIVE ANTIFOULING BOTTOM PAINT
MAXIMUM PROTECTION
Against All Types Of Marine Growth


ODYSSEY 60
MULTI-SEASON ABLATIVE ANTIFOULING BOTTOM PAINT
High-Copper Ablative Protection In All Waters


I think I'll buy a couple cans of the remaining discounted Ultima SR-60 for next year's haul-out and see what the long term performance is for the replacement paints.

[smacksman]

Why bother with any paint? In bad areas none of them work. Careen your 21 foot boat in shallow water and wipe the gel coat clean.