bottom paint

[notaclue]

hey tugnutters, the bee is back from the sea of cortez and having left her in the water in the harbor at san carlos i am now in the process of removing 60 or more days worth of crap that grew on her bottom.. having never painted the bottom of any boat,,, guess what? i don"t know crap!!! any advice from maybe some old sailors or whatever ,, would be appreciated. the boat is out of the water about 50 per cent of the time. i would need paint that is good for both warm and pnw water. right now i am in the process of sanding the entire hull [ waterline and below] any advice [prep, application, product ?... ps dave baker did you read my last post on the rondivue?? steve and tina without a clue 😉

 

[Stella Maris]

Steve and Tina,
I saw your last post and we have a spot reserved for you in the water as well as on land! I hope you don't come boatless! That would take half the fun out of it!

As far as bottom paint, we used to use Petit Trinidad on our Catalina 25. We normally trailer sailed her. We kept her in salt water in Florida for about three years and the second go round of this paint worked great. The first go round was a bad batch and within a week we had barnacles on the boat. Petit backed up there product by sanding it all off and reapply a new batch.

See you on the water!

 

[JamesTXSD]

I'd recommend a couple epoxy barrier coats, then bottom paint that is made to stay effective even when taken in and out of the water, i.e. time on the trailer. We have had great service from Micron CSC Extra. It is an ablative paint, so any slime or critters wash off fairly easy. Also, touch up is easy: rough up the paint a bit and apply the next coat.

We put a light blue coat on first, then black over that... it is very obvious when the black is wearing off and you need to recoat. On our sailboats, I would generally get a couple years on a full bottom paint. A bit less with the C-Dory, since it can run faster.

Pressure washing will take a lot of paint off, so I just generally run a scrub brush over the bottom on occasion... the paint ablates off, and with it the slime and the critters.

We have trailered our C-Dory from coast to coast to coast; fresh water and salt; warm water and cold; Florida Keys to Desolation Sound; on and off the trailer. The Micron CSC Extra works well for us. Check with a boat yard where you will spend time and see what they recommend.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[Lobo]

I had the same questions a couple of years ago. Here is an email from Jeff Messmer that I found buried in my computer:

Hello Dave,

Congratulations on your new boat! It is a beauty! You should bottom paint the boat. It will be too difficult to keep up with the growth otherwise. We do use a vinylester resin on the hull of the R25. This will help to keep the boat from blistering. I would recommend talking to a local yard and getting their opinion. Scuffing up the bottom is normal to get the paint to adhere to the gelcoat.

Good luck with your new Ranger Tug!

Thank you,
Jeff
Jeff Messmer
V.P Sales and Marketing
Ranger Tugs
25802 Pacific Hwy S.
Kent, Wa 98032
Office 253 839 5213
Cell 206 940 0571
Fax 866 408 9516


The type of paint you use is based on two main things: what is effective in your area and how much do you want to pay. I usually pay just pay around $150 a gallon, but prices can be lower (spring sales) or higher (longer lasting).

Don't rush a paint job. I did once on my former boat and when I relaunched it the paint came off in a very thin film and floated away on the tide. I also find that the small (@ 4" wide) sponge paint rollers are much better than the standard rollers you use around the house. They give a good finish.

When painting, check zincs. In my marina I get 6 months out of thruster zincs and 8 months out of prop and trim tab zincs, and the only time I'm out of salt water is when I'm cleaning the hull and changing zincs. There is always some zinc left at those dates, so I guess I could push the time a bit further -- but the downside is potentially very expensive.

Dave

 

[Levitation]

Let me add to the Wild Blue comment, that over the years I have found Pettit VIVID to be excellent for a boat that is in and out of the water, retaining its biocide properties for years even with 6 months on the hard every winter, up here in tundra country... No matter what brand you choose you need to do it - as you found out...

Our new R25 is being lifted off the trailer and put on stands sometime this morning so that we can finish sanding the gel coat and begin putting primer and paint on it - Vivid of course... I started the sanding with the boat on the trailer a week ago assuming I could manage to work around the trailer... I have in the course of my life always found a way to prevail by substituting sweat and cunning in place of money... Must be getting soft in my old age as I finally decided that being jammed on my back under the low sitting trailer with a screaming grinder right in my face isn't the fun it used to be...

 

[captd]

When you where in Mexico, you could have bought the best. You can not buy it in this country. It is a tin based paint. For the hull and the metal. Kind of spendy but well worth it.
captd

 

[notaclue]

GEEZ, I LOVE THIS FORUM AND ALL THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTE TO IT. RIGHT NOW 1/2 OF THE BEE IS SANDED TO A DULL LIGHT BLUE. WILL BE DEALING WITH THE BUNKS THIS AFTERNOON. THINKING OF BLOCKING UP FROM THE TRAILER SIDE RAILS WITH 4 BYS THEN REMOVING THE CARPETED RAILS ONE AT A TIME. [ANY OTHER IDEAS??---I;M THINKING DENNY O MIGHT WEIGH IN ON THIS ONE] I HAVE COME TO ADMIRE ALL OF HIS ADVICE AND WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO FORMALLY APOLOGIZE FOR MY SNIDE REMARKS REGARDING LAST YEAR'S RONDIVUE THAT ANDREW DIDN'T [THANK GOD] LET ANYONE READ :lol: ]... IF I AM READING JAMES CORRECTLY I SHOULD PUT 2 COATS , EACH BEING A DIFFERENT COLOR, [SAME TYPE OF PAINT?] WILL I GALLON DO THE ENTIRE BOAT, IF SO , IT LOOKS AS THOUGH I WILL BE INTO THIS JOB FOR AROUND 300 BUCKS. AND A LOT OF CRAWLING AROUND FOR THIS 61 YEAR OLD ASS!!! THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE EXPERTISE ON THIS SUBJECT,, STEVE AND TINA... PS CAPT D, IF WE GO BACK TO MEXICO NEST WINTER I WILL BE TAKING ORDERS FOR THAT TIN BASED PAINT!!! LATER