Yet more on bottom paint choices

[Hydraulicjump]

It is looking like our R-27 is going to move into San Francisco Bay for an extended stay, at least until we haul it north to Desolation Sound for part of the summer. The bottom paint on the boat is all scarred from the many times we have launched it and retrieved it, with the green gelcoat now showing through where the bunks have worn it out.

In a couple of weeks we are going to have the bottom painted by a boatyard in the Bay area. They are giving a free hull buff and wax as an incentive since everyone seems to ignore their boats this time of year. That is, everyone who doesn't own a warm, comfy Ranger Tug...

So naturally, we turn to the tugnuts for recommendations. Talking with the tech at the boatyard, he has recommended that since we haul the boat a bunch we should consider the more expensive Micron 66 by Interlux. Normally he would recommend the Pettit Trinidad SR for conditions in the Bay, but he says that bottom paint tends to "die" when you haul it and let it dry out for extended periods. The Micron 66 is self-polishing, meaning it slowly falls off, but can handle hauling and launching.

I know several of you recommend the Pettit, but was wondering if any are regularly hauling their boats and finding a difference. The Micron 66 is about 20% more expensive, so I wanted to check it out.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[knotflying]

I use Petit Vivid and it is conducive to trailering a boat.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Jeff:

We have Petit Vivid on our R27, two years of both salt and fresh water and lots of trailering and are very happy. Spent 3 months in the PNW last summer/fall and thought the bottom would be in bad shape when we pulled the boat out. When it came out there was no growth of ANY kind and only needed a light power washing. We applied a silver Petit No Sand to the hull with the Petit Vivid Black over the top. By doing it this way the top coat adheres better to the boat and when the top coat does wear down I see the silver and know when or where to apply more bottom paint.

Jim

 

[nzfisher]

I "patched" the areas of wear with a quart of the micron interlux product after cleaning the bottom and was very happy with the results. I think it had more copper in it than the old bottom paint. The paint outlasted what was originally on it so I was pleased. It cost over $100.00 per quart although that was a retail price.

 

[Pete]

I use Vivid and agree with the previous posters - an excellent paint for boats that are trailered and/or stored on a boat lift. I had wondered how well it would perform if my boat was in the water for several months at a time, so Jim's cruising experience is reassuring. But I imagine Jim was using his boat most days and the acid test of any bottom paint is when a boat is left dockside for extended periods in "high fouling" water. I've never done that with my tug but Vivid is hard and slick, so any growth in that situation should be easy to remove if you are willing to pay for diver service.

Micron 66 is also an excellent paint but pretty soft and I'd worry about wear if loading on and off a trailer with any frequency. Also it loses its effectiveness in fresh water. If you want to stay in the Micron family, Micron CSC has a little less copper but is much harder so probably a better bet for a trailered boat. Also much cheaper.
Pete

 

[knotflying]

One time my boat was docked in Florida water for about 4 weeks without moving. The bottom paint is the Petit Vivid. I jumped in and did a light scrape and a rub and all the small slimy growth just dropped off. I am having the bottom paint done now as the boat sits in Savannah, GA. So it has lasted 3 very long boating seasons for me.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Thanks everyone. This is all great advice. I will report back after I talk to the tech about Petit Vivid. This really seems to be the preferred choice of Tugnuts who haul their boats a lot. Still, I know that fouling conditions are different for each area and you have to listen to local expertise. San Francisco Bay is a nutty place, in sooo many ways. We will be putting the boat into Pier 39 which is notorious for surge, wind, cold, and sea lions (I have fought them off the swimstep, in my boxer shorts, in the middle of the night, breaking numerous marine mammal protection laws), not to mention the rowdy touroids (people from outer space who visit San Francisco) who gather to watch you and the sea lions. Should be entertaining! But it will be great to have the boat as my office while working in the most beautiful city on the west coast. Sorry Seattle and Portland. And the hype for the next America's Cup has already begun three years in advance.

Finally, I gotta say, that bottom paint is darn expensive. When paint prices are quoted by the quart on the internet, you have to worry. It is one of those factors to consider when leaving the warm, dry, controlled conditions of a tug on a trailer.

Again, thanks!

Jeff

 

[Boont Boater]

I took my midwestern cousins for a bay cruise on a beautiful October day and stopped at the Pier 39 marina. The marina gal charged me $25 and told me to go to the north docks - sea lion central, there must have been 60 or 70 at least. It was quite an experience. If you keep your boat there you will probably be in more Smartphone pictures and videos than you can count. I do know someone who got seasick from the surge at the guest dock. Sounds like you know what your getting into. No shortage of cappuccinos or crab cakes at that location.

We used Micron CSC 66 on our C-Dory. Courtesy of KKMI of Richmond. It seemed to do the job OK. The Cap Sante Marine guy told me that the problem with "Black?" Trinidad paint was what happened to boats that sat out of the water for awhile. Drying or cracking. We just put Black Trinidad on our new boat but it will only be on a trailer infrequently for short periods of time.

 

[tuggin aweigh]

We picked up Tuggin Aweigh at the factory last July in time for the Desolation Cruise. Total time in PNW water was approx. one month. We were, at least I was, very concerned what we would find when the boat was lifted on the trailer as it did not have bottom paint. Surprise, negligible algae growth--the bottom cleaned with a boat brush and zip wash. Had this been in Florida waters or in our slip in Illinois for a summer month the result would have been much different.

We will be using Petit Vivid this spring before launching.
Tuggin Aweigh