Fresh to Salt Water: Bottom Coat Transition

[Sailon1]

Greetings,

I will be heading from Lake Erie, east then down Hudson River and to Caribbean for 6-9 months. Suggestions for removing current fresh water bottom coat and applying salt water protection.
Should the process begin in Lake Erie home port, or wait until I hit salt water at some point?
40-year-old Pearson 30, never touched salty water, has ?? layers of bottom paint.
Perhaps less expensive (DIY) to hold off until in or near the Carib?

[rslifkin]

What paint does it have on it now? And is the paint flaking, chipping or anything?

[Sailon1]

Generic brand copper/ablative coat, applied 3 years ago.
Still holding well-very little growth on hull last season.

[rslifkin]

With ablative paint and not something like VC-17, it's not necessarily unsuitable for salt water. If it's had ablative for a long time and hasn't had way too much globbed on there, it may not have all that much paint buildup. And if the current paint isn't overly worn and is working well, it may not need immediate painting anyway.



With well adhered paint, no sign of excessive buildup, etc. I'd let the yard powerwash it extra well at your next haulout (which will remove some paint). Then give it a coat or 2 of another ablative paint of your choice (just not Micron 66, as that won't survive fresh water before you depart).

[Sailon1]

Thanks for the advice. So, at this point I don’t need to be overly concerned about the work and expense of removing old paint.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Sailon1

Thanks for the advice. So, at this point I don’t need to be overly concerned about the work and expense of removing old paint.

Not so fast. You may have an ablative paint that is completely unsuitable for the fouling conditions found in your intended destination. In any event, at three years of age, it is near (or beyond) the end of its useful lifespan. Unless you plan to paint immediately after reaching the Caribbean, you might want to consider doing it sooner rather than later.