Not doing bottom paint. What can go wrong?

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Never in my life have I had the bottom of my boat look awful.

To me bottom paint is an important part of keeping the boat in good shape.

However, there is nowhere to haul out where I am. There might be a place. Waiting for them to open tomorrow.

But I’m wondering how much damage would be done to an epoxy boat if you did not clean the bottom. What can happen? I have never explored this terrible possibility.

What would happen if you just hired a diver to scrape every 6-8 weeks?

Certainly wouldn’t have a nice bottom, but will it damage the boat in any way?

How difficult would it be later to get it back to normal? Once I find somewhere to haul out?

Nothing is going to happen to the epoxy ....
If you don't antifoul the bottom of your vessel all it does is to invite barnacles and weed to grow and obviously will slow you down.
if you cant slip than maybe a dive and underwater scrub?
Or careen the vessel...

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Chotu

No, there are not just random unpainted surfaces showing. I have an epoxy primer below the ablative paint. That doesn’t go away.


But That’s what I’m thinking. I was looking around online at different things and came up with one of my old threads from years ago. For a 50 foot monohull I was quoted $4000. I don’t even want to know what this boat would cost. I’m thinking $6000?

When I started building this boat you would get hauled out for like around $1000 and then you would do your bottom paint. And anything else you needed to do to your boat in the yard. Then you go back in the water. This used to typically take me one very productive weekend to do.

I’m actually not willing to pay $4000 or $6000 for bottom paint. At all. I’m not doing that. I will not. there is no way. That is a rip off.

Some of those barnacles really get on there pretty hard. But I guess a wire brush could get them off right? I mean, probably not a metal wire brush because that would start to abrade the paint away below it.

How do people get the barnacle bases off?

4000 to 6000 for an antifouling job?
I am in the Philippines and hauling out is available but far away.
However I get a diver to clean the hull every 3 to 5 month...250$ to 300$
Barnacle bases are hard to remove and are best delt with by sanding...
A metal hull might need a sand blast and epoxy primer and High build.
I used to paint my metal boats with chlor rubber under water...
Good luck...find a diver or careening piles.

[Letterkenny]

Sort of an aside here but how often should you get new bottom paint? My hull gets cleaned monthly and diver says it’s in good condition still but I can see that some has come off at the edge of the rudders. Not sure what kind it is (likely the basic antifoul done in the US).

[Leakie Marine]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

This year I had decided to use acid to get the barnacle bases off but I ended up using a pull-scraper again because it works so well.

I use this one from Bahco:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001IX7RY

+1 for the pull scraper.
This is what I have had to do in the past on boats that were left too long without antifoul. The barnacle rings left behind are stronger than the epoxy! Trying to sand them off ends up taking off the epoxy primer before the ring.
If you drag a corner of the scraper you end up having to fill and prime again.

[pbmaise]

I hope other epoxy boat owners look closely at this photo and reconsider the belief that nothing is going to happen to an epoxy boat.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...3&d=1604210583

Is was from a thread I started at:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ts-241954.html

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by pbmaise

I hope other epoxy boat owners look closely at this photo and reconsider the belief that nothing is going to happen to an epoxy boat.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...3&d=1604210583

Is was from a thread I started at:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ts-241954.html

Again, wow!!!

I'm sufficiently terrified. Lol

Getting my little barnacles off asap (waiting for some items to come in before I can go dry out to do this.

[pbmaise]

I think I finally found what the mollusk is.

It was likely a member of the piddock family.

https://www.newscientist.com/lastwor...he-hole-story/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholadidae

If you are dealing with only barnacles...no worry. Barnacles don't bore. Once you knock the barnacle off you are left with a white hard crust that naturally dissolves back into the water over time.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by pbmaise

I think I finally found what the mollusk is.

It was likely a member of the piddock family.

https://www.newscientist.com/lastwor...he-hole-story/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholadidae

If you are dealing with only barnacles...no worry. Barnacles don't bore. Once you knock the barnacle off you are left with a white hard crust that naturally dissolves back into the water over time.

This is good information.

I never knew barnacle bases dissolved after barnacle removal

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by PineappleOrange

I was recently quoted $7800 for blasting, 2 barrier coats, and 2 ablative coats, with haulout and launch. I don't know if this is typically New England pricing, but that was way more than I want to pay. Only 24' of waterline, 4' draft.

Not much more than half of what I paid in Fort Pierce 3 years ago

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I never knew barnacle bases dissolved after barnacle removal

They don’t. That’s complete BS.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

They don’t. That’s complete BS.

Guess it's a good thing I'm getting the "pull" scraper to completely remove them, then.

I'm taking them off completely either way

[Salva]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Never in my life have I had the bottom of my boat look awful.

To me bottom paint is an important part of keeping the boat in good shape.

However, there is nowhere to haul out where I am. There might be a place. Waiting for them to open tomorrow.

But I’m wondering how much damage would be done to an epoxy boat if you did not clean the bottom. What can happen? I have never explored this terrible possibility.

What would happen if you just hired a diver to scrape every 6-8 weeks?

Certainly wouldn’t have a nice bottom, but will it damage the boat in any way?

How difficult would it be later to get it back to normal? Once I find somewhere to haul out?

What about your prop ?

[Chotu]

People, please pay attention. Lol. Half of this thread is talking about my metal boat and now we are talking about my single prop?

Both props are in the air unless they are pushing the boat.

[Chotu]

Well, I have barnacle bases I can’t get off. Ugh.

I need a decent marina that will allow me to do my bottom paint and can haul a 25ft beam.

Looking with Bridgeport,CT as the center of the bullseye.

Any suggestions?

I can get the mast stepped wherever this place might be too.

[Leighpilot]

Plenty of big catamarans with that kind of beam so I’m sure there are marinas equipped to haul them. Whether they’ll let you do your own anti fouling is another matter. Good luck