Has anybody used this bottom paint?

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by Vasco

This year I'm going with Supershipbottom, an ablative that sounds interesting. The boat is on the hard all summer so I think an ablative will fare better than a modified epoxy hard coating. I know Trinidad seems to be the most popular paint but I haven't had good luck with it.
Super Shipbottom* Hard Ablative Antifouling Paint

I have used Super Ship Bottom several times and have had good results. I like that they ship directly to you. Last price I had was $135 a gallon shipped.

[Just a Tinch]

The "downside" to hard paints like Trinidad.... is that if you haul the boat out of the water...and it stays out for more than about 30 days....the efficacy of the paint "literally" dies. Its useless at that point. In fact there is a "death time" after painting with it. In other words, you paint...but wait to long to launch...paint "dies"...you painted for nothing.

[geoleo]

Last Nov 07 I painted my 36wood ketch with 2 coats SeahawkTropic Biocide + another waterline coat.Its been a huge disapointment!It slimed over heavily in just 2 weeks! I had to get a diver after a month and again 2 weeks ago and now its heavilly slimed again! Last month I painted my other boat -a gulfstar 37 withy Vivid and its totally cleaned ---Beware Seahawk tropic Biocide!!!!By the way -they cost me the same Defender sold the VIVID for $145 and I got the Seahawk direct for 145-----Beware Seahawk!!!!

[MCathcart]

I'm doing research again on bottom paint. I'm uncertain what to use. I wish someone could locate a formula what the Navy uses. We did two boats with the CCP (or was it CPP) West Marine ablative. I added 18 ounces of Cayenne pepper to mine, I used three gallons for a 34' boat. Mine looked like it had chopped hay in it... Rolled it on in '04. This past year while in Wilmington we got both boats cleaned by a diver. Guess which one had the least amount of growth or barnacles? I'm considering using the West Marine paint again but adding more copper (41 micron) powder and might locate some hotter pepper powder. My paint is still in pretty good shape. I might be able to go a year or two more.

[Alan Wheeler]

I wish someone could locate a formula what the Navy uses.

Most likely Tin based. Not good stuff and is banned world wide for all except commercial shipping. And even then it is being phased out.

Be cautious about adding things. If you have had results from the peper, then great. But be careful you are not upsetting the balance within the paint. Adding more copper would only result in adding more dollars to your paint. It doesn't take more copper to do the job, just a presence of copper.
However, it's fun experimenting I know. It may be a good idea to read up on what paint is, how it is made and other finer details. This may help you on maintaining a balance. You don't want you paint falling off early and you don't want the surface so ruff that it slows you down and so on.

[Steve Pope]

TBT was only known to cause problems to the sex life of whelks or some such, If you are a full on cruiser rather than a fixture in a marina you should be able to use it, those who go nowhere or very rarely could use a milder antifoulant that allows the whelks to not get confused about their sexuality.

[Nauticatarcher]

I always find the best way to choose antifoul is to see what most of the commercial operators in your area use and where they get it, as they usually have found the best product at the best price for your area

[Robertcateran]

Originally Posted by Steve Pope

TBT was only known to cause problems to the sex life of whelks or some such, If you are a full on cruiser rather than a fixture in a marina you should be able to use it, those who go nowhere or very rarely could use a milder antifoulant that allows the whelks to not get confused about their sexuality.

The affects of tin compounds were quite dramatic. It affected the shell structure as well as the sexuality of many molluscs. At some time you are going to find yourself in confined waters. It is inconsiderate to use something that causes significant problems to the local marine life. I also prefer to eat my mussels without imbibing tin.
Robert

[Steve Pope]

My remarks were slightly tongue in cheek hence the smilies, as the owner of an aluminium yacht I am always on the look out for a better antifoul, so far nothing has come close to TBT laced products. And of course the rebel in me wonders how Governments allowed and still allow commercial and Navy vessels to still use it,( don't do as I do do as I say!!) my footprint would be tiny in comparison.
On the mussel / fish front wehave a problem of high mercury levels in many species, I'm not sure if there any other heavy metals that show up but i'm sure there are traces of naturally occuring ones.

[Just a Tinch]

Vasco...thanks for the link!! Its sold pretty close to where I live, and I'm going to check this stuff out. I'll probably be painting our boats bottom this next fall when I take some time off...

Super Shipbottom Pricing

[JusDreaming]

trying to decide which product to use, Super Ship Bottom or Seahawk. I want to do the work myself. It sounds like Super Ship is a good product. ANy more first hand reports

[avazquez]

Last time I used Pettit Vivid with horrible results here in the caribbean. That stuff is like fertilizer for grass growth. So much grass, that within a year all the paint is gone in the waterline.

Might as well go with a modified epoxy. I was looking a t the Bottom Pro ....has anyone used it??????