Bottom Paint

[Parkerman]

So I have this whole week end down at the shore house working on the boat. No wife, no kids, no schedule. One of the things on my list is to paint the bottom. Here is what I have now:
Boat has black bottom paint- It has been on since I purchased the boat- 5 years ago, and I have no idea what kind of paint was used.
About 40% has worn away.
I trailer my boat ALL of the time- it never stays in the water for more than two days
I would like to have something that dries- won't come off on your hands
I would like to have something that will go over the existing paint with minimal prep (of course I do!!!)
The paint suggested should be readily available as it is almost Wednesday.

Please give me suggestions as to what type of paint I should be looking for.......no necessarily brand but type of bottom paint.

Thanks in advance for your help
Wayne

 

[WAJSKI]

I would suggest Interlux VC 17 M. I light sand areas where paint is worn, then remove dust and dirt (wash and let dry). I roll Vc on and use brush wher I can't roll, comes out great. The paint is thin so cover trailer and wear gloves.

 

[miky2884]

Pettit hydrocoat

 

[Bryan 2530]

If the boat dosen't stay in the water more than 2 days why add all that weight to the boat??

Just powerwash it and let it be.

 

[Brent]

My boat came with new Trinidad SR bottom paint but it's not needed since the boat is stored on stands

 

[Parkerman]

I was thinking about power washing it off but won't the bottom be hard to keep clean? Not that it has to be bright white but I don't want it to turn brown.

 

[DaleH]

Any HARD epoxy would do, even cheap West Marine stuff. But I'd soda blast it off and then sand/buff it to look like new glass, if it were me ...

That said, I know a few friends that did their own hulls themselves, without soda blasting, and it was many hours & days spent on their backs using many, many grits, wearing full tyvek suits, and wearing respirators for organic viotile compounds. It was a TON of work, but OMG the hulls looks beyond beautiful!

 

[Megabyte]

We have a number of racing sailboats in my boatyard that have their bottoms painted with a 'hard-coat' non-ablative that they 'burnish' to make it smooth and slick.
You might want to look into something like that. You could power wash off the ablative paint, and replace it with something that will protect, but something that would stay on a trailered boat.

Sailboats don't move fast enough to use an ablative paint (or so I understand), so that might be a good solution for you.
You might want to get more opinions here, or talk to a local yard that services a lot of sailboats.

 

[HOTPURSUIT]

since you do not know what type of paint is on the bottom and what would be compatable, pick a manufacturer you prefer, I prefer interlux but by the responces you can see that everyone has their favorite. Once you decide send an e-mail to the maufacturer telling them the same thing you put on this site and you will get a proper responce. I e-mailed interlux last year with a question and got a responce the next day. when you strip and repaint exspecially blasting you will need to put a barrier coat on first which they can advise on the complete process. One example of paints not being compatable. when I redid a bottom on a previous boat I put the first coat on in red and two finall coats in black with a multi seasonal paint which worked great because when I saw the red it was time to add acoat. A freind liked it so much he did his the same only for some reason used two different paints, one type the red and another type the black, why I don't know. The black peeled off and the red bubbled. Lots of work and money for nothing then do it all again, it was a 34' boat and he was sick. I would call the company of your choice and get a proffessional opinion. you will be sure it will last for a few good years

 

[DaleH]

Very true paint types aren't compatible. You can't put hard based over ablative, or anything over ablative. that's why I'd just get it all off and buff the hull to look like new glass and forget about painting ever again.

And ... fact ... you boat will be worth more, as a trailered boat, with NO bottom paint on it whatsoever!

 

[Hannibal]

Very true paint types aren't compatible. You can't put hard based over ablative, or anything over ablative. that's why I'd just get it all off and buff the hull to look like new glass and forget about painting ever again.

And ... fact ... you boat will be worth more, as a trailered boat, with NO bottom paint on it whatsoever!

With that in mind, how expensive of an operation is it to have the existing bottom paint removed and the bottom brought back to a shine?

The existing bottom paint on my boat is intact but getting thin in some places. And it's very dull. Asthetically, I don't like it one bit. My boat sits on a trailer and at most, might see water for a stretch of 2-3 nights one to two times in a season. 9x's out of 10, it's in that morning and out that night. Longer stretches only happen when I am doing work on the trailer.

Thought about having the bottom cleaned off and then buffed out. I can't do it myself because I have no way to getting the boat off the trailer no do I have the tools (or time). I thought about finding someplace that could do this.

Is this an expensive operation?

 

[DaleH]

Thought about having the bottom cleaned off and then buffed out. I can't do it myself because I have no way to getting the boat off the trailer no do I have the tools (or time). I thought about finding someplace that could do this.

Most places do it with the boat on the trailer anyway. You'd have to inquire whether they jack 1 side of the boat up at a time to get under the trailer bunks or bogie wheels. That does take time and should NOT be attempted without proper cirbbing/blocking gear on hand.

Is this an expensive operation?

Up here in NE I've seen ~24' boats get done for $850, by NE Soda Blasting. Keep in mind it does not leave the surface beautiful - see photo of a friend's boat who just had their's done. You will still need to sand, then wet sand, and then polish and buff to bring by a new factory-like finish. But, it can be done!

 

[Parkerman]

Now I really wish I took some pics. I used my $150.00 electric power washer in just a few spots.......just to see what it would take. The bottome looks like heck anyway. Pressure washer took about 90% of the old paint off but only where it was already worn......up where the water never hits and on the transome it was hard as a rock. I used some MK on and off. That helps soften things up. I tried a scotch bright with the on and off. I finally used a cabinet scraper but I cant see that working out for the entire hull. I was thinking of a more powerful pressure washer or some other type of chemical stripper but didnt research any of those options.