How long can abladive paint be kept in freshwater?

[scoobert]

I will be bottompainting and was going to use micron 66. Says, "do not use in freshwater" i am in the upper hudson until winter gets here.
Will 4 months in fresh ruin it?

[fstbttms]

Yes. There are other ablative paints that are fine for use in freshwater, however.

[scoobert]

Micron extra?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by scoobert

Micron extra?

Suitable for use in all waters.

[Thumbs Up]

I have Micron 66, I have been mostly in Rio Dulce for the last couple of years, most of it is still adhered pretty well and still sloughs off when you scrub it (seems active still). I called Interlux, They say that if you put it in freshwater at all that I will have to completely remove every bit of it before I repaint. They say that if you plan to have your boat in freshwater at all not to use it. Does anyone here have any experience or opinions about Micron 66 to the contrary?

[fstbttms]

I have never seen examples of this personally but have heard anecdotally of Micron 66 bottoms ruined by freshwater.

[RicknSue]

It was on our Ariel when we bought it and was a year old already (we bought in May and boat was in the water). When it came out that year (so 2 seasons in Lake Erie), still looked ok, so let it be. Last fall, it was in need when she was hauled for winter. We repainted this spring (not with 66- as I noticed the 'not for freshwater' when I ordered the paint and saw no signs of anything weird...( and I didn't strip it first)... Pettit ablative went right on, and covered well. Boat always seemed to have less slime on it than other boats during haul out, and even the 'edge' the boats get here over the summer.
Not sure what would have happened if the boat went in salt water after being in fresh, maybe that's the issue? I assumed after seeing the 'not for freshwater' that it was bad for the water, not the boat, but maybe not...

[Thumbs Up]

So you painted over it without removing it and it seems fine. I am going to call Interlux again and talk to someone else. Maybe I will get a different answer.

[fstbttms]

Ask your question here:

Antifouling - Yachtpaintforum.com - Page 1

[ggray]

Originally Posted by RicknSue

It was on our Ariel when we bought it and was a year old already (we bought in May and boat was in the water). When it came out that year (so 2 seasons in Lake Erie), still looked ok, so let it be. Last fall, it was in need when she was hauled for winter. We repainted this spring (not with 66- as I noticed the 'not for freshwater' when I ordered the paint and saw no signs of anything weird...( and I didn't strip it first)... Pettit ablative went right on, and covered well. Boat always seemed to have less slime on it than other boats during haul out, and even the 'edge' the boats get here over the summer.
Not sure what would have happened if the boat went in salt water after being in fresh, maybe that's the issue? I assumed after seeing the 'not for freshwater' that it was bad for the water, not the boat, but maybe not...

This is really interesting. So the fresh water didn't make the M 66 fall off? That is what the tech guy w/ Interlux told me would happen.

Interlux also told me the minimum ppm of salt in the body of water for this not to happen. The North Carolina sounds, best I could determine, were normally salty enough.

I have been up the Pocomoke River on Maryland's eastern shore nearly to Pocomoke City (power lines mislabeled in cruising guide blocked us). It is billed as the deepest river around for its width. I learned there that the reason it was is that it is fed by a hugh aquifer. They said the ebb was a lot greater than the flood. So fearing for the M 66, we beat a hasty retreat. That was last summer, and paint is still good, but I figure we were in fresh water for a while.

Has anyone had anything bad happen to Micron 66 from fresh water?