Hard or Soft - Paint

[Dr. D]

Early last December it was time to finish the winterization as we were not going to be out on the water until the weather got warm again. I can see from the finger pier a section of the hull under the water and it was clear there was some growth on it. What the heck, one last motor outing. Maybe 10 nm at 6 to 7 knots. Back in the slip and all the growth was gone.

That is how ablative paints are supposed to work.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Dr. D

That is how ablative paints are supposed to work.

Umm... hate to break it to you, but the fact that the growth you saw was apparently gone after you took the boat out has nothing to do with your use of an ablative paint. "Ablation" refers to the way the paint exposes fresh biocides to the surface, not that it somehow sheds already attached fouling growth.

[Dr. D]

Say it ain't so!

There is some connection. If any growth prevented any further ablation, then the effectiveness of the ablative paint would be nill upon any growth on the bottom.

Oh, well, at least at nine months after the bottom being painted there is no discernable growth on the bottom. I know only hauling the boat and inspecting the entire bottom will tell the tale. Short of that, all seems well.

[sailorboy1]

If you just read the thread from the start and toss out the “noise” very few people answered the question. So since I’m still interested in the crowd response:

And cruisers mostly using hard or soft bottom paint?

[Benz]

Hard paint

[thinwater]

If the growth fell of with the drop in water temperature, this is normal, like leaves falling from the trees in winter. It should come back in May. Hard growth stays, but the grass and slime fall off.

I've always used a soft paint, mostly to avoid stripping. I do not haul in the winter. Used it up and there should be very little build-up, just a good scratch sanding (a bit more than that if you want it to stay).

Micron 66, SR-60, and PCA Gold, in order of price and effectiveness. PCA Gold is a real deal if you hit the sales.

[robert sailor]

Sailorboy 1...
Been doing this a long time and after tin was no longer available I've used ablative paint. The best I've ever done in the tropics was 2 full years with Micron 66, that included an Atlantic crossing.ķ. I've tried others and none of them worked as well in the tropics.
That said..we have decided this last season to go with hard paint as we have no oceans to cross in our immediate plans and will be spending longer periods at anchor. Every time you clean ablative paint no matter how gentle you treat it you are removing paint so we want to experiment with hard paint. Removed all original paint and primer and started fresh with Interlux 2000 Epoxy primer and before it got too hard got the first coat of Petit Trinidad SR and then final coat. Some extra paint at the waterline and front of keel and rudder and bow sections.
So far(It's too early really) so good. Haven't had a barnacle anywhere in 4 months and we have cleaned the bottom once which was very easy, just a light scum. I realize that the first year is going to be easier and it will continue to take more maintenance over time. Some of my friends who are diligent with the cleaning are getting 3 years and the odd one has gotten a bit more but they are cleaning their bottoms every month and some every 3 weeks during the last year.

[JPA Cate]

Soft. 12 l. Lasts about 1 year. Can eke it out another 6 mo with weekly cleaning with the hookah.

Most recent experiment, still soft, 19 l. sprayed on. It is only 6 months old now, but still clean. We tend to move about once a week, visiting different spots. Like to move when we can get over 6 kn. out of the boat. And, I think speeds of over 8 kn. do help keep it clean, blows off a lot. However, like our dinghy, which can go over 15, but has no antifoul, does collect slime and other growth, and requires cleaning often (varies according to whatever's in bloom).

Ann

[Training Wheels]

Ablative. In So Cal we went 6 years and the paint was still good. Now we’re in Mexico, so we’ll see!

[Tayana42]

We have had good experience with a hard paint, Pettit Trinidad. We’ve used it on different boats in Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, North Florida and now Southern California. Fouling may vary in different locations. It usually lasts us 2-3 years and we do have a diver wipe the bottom monthly. Living aboard and traveling we sometimes go two months between cleanings and notice more soft growth when we do.