Bottom Coating

G

gandhi

New member
Dear Brats,

If you're not all tired of talking about bottom paint and such, could you help me out and tell me what I have on the bottom of my C-Dory.

It was there when I bought it and I've been told it was bottom paint and not bottom paint. I purchased the boat from the widow of the owner and she really didn't know, and even though I'm not completely new to boating, I am new to bottom coatings. It is below the boot stripe and is black and orange peel texture and does scrape off when hit with something hard or protruding.

I really would like to put the boat in fresh water for an extended time, and after reading the thread last week, I'm confused and concerned. Guess I've got a few things to learn. And by the way, the boat only had 35 hours and had lived on a trailer until I purchased it. It's an '02.

Help, please, if you've got the time.

Paul
 
Hi Paul,

If it's an orange peel texture, it's not the original gelcoat, and is likely an epoxy barrier coat with bottom paint over that. Depending on how the epoxy barrier coat(s) is applied, it can get that texture. I prefer a smoother bottom finish (based on racing sailboats), not implying that a texture is bad.

Did the previous owner keep the boat on the trailer or in the water? Some bottom paints lose their effectiveness when taken out of the water. Others, like CSC Plus are designed to be used on boats that are trailered and remain effective. If the bottom paint rubs off fairly easy, it is probably an ablative paint and is designed to do that... the critters and slime just come off with the paint. Generally you put several coats, with the base and the outer coats being different colors so you can see when you need to repaint.

We have used our boat in and out of salt and fresh water, and have been very pleased with the bottom paint. If you are in long enough, you will still get some slime, but it cleans off reasonably easy with the bottom paint.

So, if there's any way you can find out where the bottom job was done, you'd be able to ask what kind of paint was used. That would be the definitive way to determine what you have.

With the later C-Dorys I've seen that are not bottom painted, they have had the same gelcoat color on the bottom as the trim. Hope that helps.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
I would agree that it sounds as if the boat has at least a hard bottom paint on it. Most likely there is an epoxy bottom coat--but the only way to find out (other than looking at receipts or finding the yard which did the work) is to sand down a small area and see if there is a semi clear layer before you get to pigmented gel coat.

If it were my boat, I would just put it in the water and see if there is any growth. If there is marine growth--pull the boat out, pressure wash and lightly sand it--then put on an ablative bottom paint. The ablative paint is more likely to be multiseasonal. You cannot put a hard paint on over an ablative paint.
 
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