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Repaint bottom

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Randolph G. Wilson
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/13/2007 : 09:52:16

How often does the bottom need to be repainted when the boat is in fresh water?

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tinob
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1883 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2007 : 12:03:50

H i Randolph and welcome to the forum.

You post an interesting "Q", interesting in that I'm not sure that there is an answer. I use ablative paint. Have been using it for ten or more years. You are probably aware that ablatives are designed to wear away with use and when they are gone you repaint. Well I last painted my boats bottom five years ago and it will be fit for this coming season. I use the boat in salt water and the ablatives are a blessing as I am sure they would be in any kind of water environment. With ablatives the game plan is to use a signal coat that is of a color other than that of the final coat's color. The idea being that when the finish coat wears away to the point that the signal coat is showing it's time to repaint.

Prior to my using ablative paint it was normal to rapaint each spring before launching and of course after several of these paintings the bottom has an excess of paint which has to be removed eventually . This gets more difficult with time/age. The advent of ablative technology was a blessing to the boating population, especially the sailor. I'm not sure that power boats benefit from wash-away paints since their passage through water is at a greater speed and might wear away ablative paints at a higher rate than sail boats. To test this theory would require switching back to a power boat which I'd rather not do

.

Val on the hard DAGNABIT # 3936, Patchogue, N.Y.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2007 : 12:11:45

How often does the bottom need to be repainted?...That depends on the type of paint used (ablative, hard, teflon, multi-season,...etc), the number of coats, water temperature, year round slipped or seasonal, light or heavy fouling area, do you race or cruise,...and probably another dozen or so other conditions.

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Randolph G. Wilson
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2007 : 13:13:09

Re: paint used. I think it was Petit Trinidad which I beleive is an ablative paint, but I don't think there was a different color applied under it. I guess my main concern is to minuimize the amount of blistering that occurs over time.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2007 : 13:55:37

Randolph,

Bottom paint (antifouling) does not inhibit blistering of the gelcoat. It only prevents marine growth. To stave off blistering, you'll need an epoxy barrier coat between the gelcoat and the antifouling paint.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3521 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2007 : 17:37:31

My boat is in the Potomac River year-round up near the Washington DC area which is totally freshwater. Having bought my boat in the Fall of '05 it at that time had not been painted for 4 years. It had ablative paint on it. Being in freshwater, it does get subjected to slime and so it is normal for many to get their boats pressure washed once or twice a year. Soon after I bought the boat, I did have it pressure washed and the verdict was that the paint was still functioning but probably should be repainted the next fall. During the end of the summer '06, I again had it pressure washed and there was a good coat of slime on the bottom but came off without too much trouble. I probably shouyld have gotten it pressure washed at mid-season especially because the paint was nearing it's end of useful life. In the Fall '06 I then had it repainted with a copolymer, Micron Extra. The copolymers act very similar to the ablatives also being a multiyear paint. Time will tell just how well this paint holds up compared to the paint that was used before.

In regards to blisters, the anti-fouling paint does nothing to prevent it. When my boat was hauled out for the pressure-washing and again when repainted, these were opportunities to inspect what appeared to be blistering. The good news is that most of what was visible turned out to be only blistering or small circular raise areas of the paint. I had perhaps 5 slightly raised, dime sized blisters that penetrated the gel coat. These areas were opened up, sanded smooth, epoxy repaired and then a barrier paint was placed over those areas. These were extremely minor, hardly raised areas but decided to treat the areas since this was the time to do it, given the boat was being repainted and probably would not be doing this again, hopefully, for a few years.

Anyway, the above gives you an experience in freshwater. But depending on climate and slime conditions in your area, you may have more or less fouling concerns.

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bmelchionda
1st Mate

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63 Posts

Response Posted - 02/14/2007 : 11:02:48

Silly question: If the boat is hauled and dry dock on its stands, how do you paint the bottom coimpletly when part of the hull is on the stands?

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/14/2007 : 11:27:50

By using extra temporary stands. This will allow removal of the other stands to get to the hull.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3521 Posts

Response Posted - 02/14/2007 : 11:32:45

The two ways this is usually done is the stands are moved or not as good but better than nothing, the areas are painted at the time the boat is raised and being put in the water. When on stands, if they are jack stands, then that is easy for the yard to move the stands to get to those areas that were inaccessible. if on a cradle, then that is a bigger undertaking. In my case, they just moved the jack stands and then completed the bottom painting. the only area missed was a small area under the wing keel that even with moving the blocks a bit, they still had to touch that up when they lowered the boat into the water. Chances are that when painting just before lowering in the water, that paint may not stay on but...feels better to at least try to address that area. Most of the bottom of my wing keel was able to be painted...so a relatively minor portion was painted last minute. I guess another thing in favor of ablative and copolymer paints is that the exisiting paint is till in those areas and is still offering some fouling protection since they are multiyear paints.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3521 Posts

Response Posted - 02/14/2007 : 11:36:38

The way they get to the area under the jack stands is not quite explained by what I said about moving them. What they do is they get addl jack stands and then support the boat with them. Then they can remove the original jack stands.

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crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 02/14/2007 : 17:02:29

When I used to sail Long Island Sound, out of Stamford, CT, they launched the boat while you were at work, naturally., We always left a little bottom paint and an old brush under the cradle. I guess they splashed it on, because come spring I never saw any big bare spots.

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Randolph G. Wilson
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Response Posted - 02/15/2007 : 12:02:04

I didn't anticipate ehe level of interest that my posting would generate, but I appreciate the many comments, especially regarding blistering and the need for a barrier coat. Sounds expensive, but I'm going to check into it. I t has been two years since my last haul-out and paint job, so I'll probably wait another year or so before doing it again. Thanks to all for your comments.

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Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 02/15/2007 : 13:59:47

Trinidad is a hard epoxy, not an ablative. I routinely went three years between Trinidad repaintings in the lower Chesapeake before I switched to ablative.

Brooke

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Jay Schkloven
1st Mate

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USA
84 Posts

Response Posted - 02/18/2007 : 10:23:13

I have used ablative paint for 7 years. I have been told that if the boat is pulled for the winter, the paint is not going to do its job the next year (ACT). I have repainted each year. There has been some build up because the paint does not wear off in a season of sailing. I have been satisfied with the results. Each year before putting new paint on I scrub the bottom to remove the old oxidize paint. The paint has always stayed on well. This last year they said the barnacles were especially bad in the Chesapeake and there were just a few on the keel. The paint seems very hard after the winter, during the season it is soft and washes off with a brush.

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Hynnimac
Deckhand

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USA
10 Posts

Response Posted - 02/21/2007 : 11:28:51

My ablative painted fresh water boat has been in the water for three years. I plan to pull it and wash the bottom. Question is if a power washer is used won't that remove the paint as well as the slime?

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3521 Posts

Response Posted - 02/21/2007 : 18:29:49

PO had ablative paint on bottom and kept boat in the Potomac River , year round. He pressure washed the bottom annually. I bought the boat in Fall'05 had it pressure washed , soon after then and again in Fall'06. Bottom was then repainted after a total of 5 yrs and annual pressure washing.

Some paint does seem to come off with the pressure washing but I guess it has to do with just what pressure and width of spray you use. At home, my pressure washer will cut into the deck and concrete if I keep it at max pressure and narrow spray pattern.

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