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My Bottom Paint Job - Uh Oh!

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LeighMarie
Navigator

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USA
188 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/18/2004 : 23:21:32

We pulled Leigh-Marie out of the water yesterday to trailer her up north next weekend (I have to get my mast lights working this week!). I was rather disappointed with what happened with my Spring bottom paint job when I sanded the entire hull down and applied 2 coats of Micron Extra (to the tune of just over $350!). The rudder was very slimey and algae covered, and the hull had more algae on it than I thought it should. What's with that? I thought this ablative bottom pain was supposed to have extra slime protection and everything. Was I incorrect in thinking it would keep the hull clean?

I took the boat today to a do-it-yourself car wash place and blasted the bottom to get the algae off. I'm not sure that was actually the best thing to do as I think I may have taken some of the paint off in some areas, although not too bad. But how else do you get it off?

Dave & Sharon on "Leigh-Marie"
Hull #5128

Edited by - on

Bruce Baker
Captain

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USA
402 Posts

Response Posted - 07/19/2004 : 08:34:16

Did you use Micron Extra with Biolux? My understanding is that the copper in ablative paint is mainly to keep barnacles from growing. The extra ingredients (Biolux for Interlux, "S/R" for Petit) are good for slime resistance in fresh water. You might try putting a coat of the Biolux paint over what you have on there now.

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/19/2004 : 10:39:27

I get slime with Micron Extra/Biolux too... (I'm in high fouling saltwater). I really don't know if there's a good answer out there, other than a periodic scrubbing. Even the hulls with high-copper non ablative paints get slimed here. Note that an ablative paint needs either a lot of sailing action or periodic scrubbing to renew the surface.

For that purpose, I use a 'dri-diver' bottom scrubber to get most of the hull. If you haven't seen a dri-diver, it's a pretty clever device that allows you to reach under and scrub the bottom of the hull. Here's a link.

http://www.marinestore.com/dridiver.html?cart=3173078223149751

A long handled telescoping painters handle with brush lets me get to get the keel and rudder.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/19/2004 : 10:58:19

I use Petit Hydrocoat in fresh water. I think the trick to almost any paint and ablatives in particular is to sail at least 10 hours a week. If it just sits the slime will build and the paint will not ablate. Such is the curse left us by the tree huggers who made us take the effective chemical protections out of our paints. I really miss my white TBT, it was beautiful and it worked. I wonder if the Geese would leave? They showed up about the time good paint was banned.
http://www.sailnet.com/collections/articles/index.cfm?articleid=caseyd0048

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5935 Posts

Response Posted - 07/19/2004 : 12:54:22

Ablative paints and biolux don't stop the growth of slime. They just make it easier to scrub most of it away. If you don't scrub them, you'll definitely get an accumulation of slime.

I either use a dri diver, or, I get in the water with a couple plastic scrubbers to scrub the bottom. Both methods seem to work almost equally well, although hand-scrubbing is a little more thorough, and it leaves my skin with a nice, pink glow.

I use an ordinary kitchen sponge mop to scrub the keel. When I scrub the bottom and keel, the boat is very competitive.

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LeighMarie
Navigator

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USA
188 Posts

Response Posted - 07/19/2004 : 13:17:31

I did use Micron Extra with Biolux, and after what used to be on there, this still was a day and night difference. I also know that I am quite fastidious with my boat (my wife would call it anal, but I know she's wrong about that!) and so when I see anything on there that I don't want then I just don't like it. So, when I pulled it out after 10 weeks of being in the water I expected it to look brand new. That may have been a false expectation.

I have my boat in Muskegon Lake and it has really been too cold to be in the water, so checking it before now has not been that possible. I knew the rudder was bad, and what I could see peering into the water on the hull I knew it really wasn't that bad. But, I guess I really thought nothing would stick to it.

I do sail at least 2 times each week and I'd love to think it was close to 10 hours, but it may be closer to 7 - 8, but it may have been "ablating" away more than I knew. Since I'm going to have it out of the water a week I didn't want that stuff to get so stuck on there that it would never come off.

It's probably not a good thing to hit it with a high pressure water sprayer with this type of paint, right? And it sounds like it's OK to scrub the bottom periodically. I have to say, I had absolutely no zebra mussels anywhere. That wasn't really that much of an issue, but I did have a bunch on the keel last year.

Edited by - LeighMarie on 07/19/2004 13:20:32

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/19/2004 : 15:05:39

"It's probably not a good thing to hit it with a high pressure water sprayer..."

I think it may not be that hard on the paint. I pressure washed mine last week and didn't notice much ablation taking place (almost no color in the rinse water)... however, if I scrubbed it a bit with a brush you could see the brush instantly turn dark.

I'll get a quart of bottom paint and touch up before I re-launch (in a couple weeks). Gonna re-bed all my deck hardware (that I haven't done already) and do some other maint before I go back in the water.

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 07/19/2004 : 23:28:54

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 Such is the curse left us by the tree huggers who made us take the effective chemical protections out of our paints.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yeah, and not just marine antifouling paint. House paints, furniture finishes, varnish, rust-preventative zinc-chromate primers for steel, the Government forced the paint manufacturers to take out all the "good stuff" in paints and coatings in the late 70's. Heck, the last time I varnished my tiller, it took 3 whole days of drying time between coats! The only kind of paint that seems to be actually better than it used to be is the paints the auto makers use on cars. When I was a kid, most car paint would fade and just kind of dissappear over a 6 or 7 year period, especially, red, green, and silver colors on hoods, roof, and trunk lid. Modern car paint seems to last a lot longer, to where even 15 year old cars can still look nice if waxed.

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5935 Posts

Response Posted - 07/20/2004 : 09:15:57

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com

Such is the curse left us by the tree huggers who made us take the effective chemical protections out of our paints.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I don't think the effectiveness of bottom paints has been significantly degraded through the years. For 4-5 years in the early 80's they were less effective, but, after that, technology made them as good as ever. The only significant difference I've seen is that racers have fewer good choices for racing paints. Biolux is the best thing that has happened to bottom paints in my experience. We can only hope the tree huggers will leave it alone.

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Bruce Baker
Captain

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USA
402 Posts

Response Posted - 07/20/2004 : 09:27:21

What do you have against trees?

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/20/2004 : 09:39:46

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Bruce Baker
 What do you have against trees?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
If you live someplace where there is native flora* you know that trees are a weed. We spend half our yard time pulling volunteer trees from our yard and garden and flower beds.

*It has always amused me that in California the road sides are barren unless planted and cultivated and in Kansas we have miles of beautiful wild flowers.

Edited by - on

oldsalt
Admiral

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USA
578 Posts

Response Posted - 07/20/2004 : 19:20:20

I miss my TBT Micron 33+, it's odd that if it was so bad for the environment that it's still available in the Carribean where they depend so much on boating and diving tourism.

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Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2004 : 19:17:46

I use the cheapest paint West Marine sells. $45 a gallon and I add one container of Cayan pepper to each gallon. Im in salt water 24 / 7 all year and I dont have anything growing on the bottom. I do get a little slime in the summer but it goes away when I sail. By the time I get back to the slip its clean as can be.

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rglennchap
Deckhand

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USA
16 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2004 : 22:40:27

Doug ---
My boat is in Ventura, CA and I've never heard of the Cayan pepper trick. I've got to give that a try next year when I have Escape hauled out. Really works huh?

Edited by - on

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