Bottom Paint Questions

J

Jazzmanic

New member
Well, we're embarking on a new adventure this season. For the first time, we'll be wet mooring C-Dancer here in Seattle after 6 seasons dry storing mostly up north at Twin Bridges. Since we live in Seattle and we've done quite a bit of exploring in the San Juans and Gulf Islands, we thought it would be nice to have the boat in our home city. We're looking forward to hopping on the boat on sunny Friday afternoons and heading out to explore central and south Puget Sound or just have sit in the cockpit enjoying a sundowner this summer.

The boat's never been bottom painted and I thought long and hard about this decision. Because our boat has been stored primarily inside for the last five years, it looks practically brand new and the bottom is pristine. I talked to the factory about how they would tackle a bottom paint job and am very happy to report that they're excited to bottom paint our boat and they quoted us a better than fair price! I guess it helps to be an active C-Brat. :wink Based on what I've read on this great site, I've convinced them to add barrier coat as well as bottom paint.

Question: Should they paint the trim tabs as well? Also, there is no visible scum line on our very clean boat (thanks Twin Bridges), should I have it sit in the water for a few days before bringing it in? I'm planning to do the job fairly soon so any suggestions would be appreciated.

I'll have more questions regarding wet mooring in the near future.
 
When I had Lizzie's bottom painted up in Everett they launched it to get the proper line. Nice to hear you found moorage close to home.
 
When we're not sure of the water line, we launch the boat, and with a permenant marker mark the water line at rest. We make small marks at teh aft of the boat, midship and at the bow. We then add one or two inches to be sure that the paint will be above the water.
 
My $0.02 worth. If the boat, even in the Great North West is going to be in the water for 6 mos, I think bottom painting it is a great decision. If you get any growth on the gel coat, it's a bear to clean it off.

Why wouldn't you paint the trim tabs, or anything else that's under water? I painted the trim tabs on Journey On and the crud that accumulates is easily washed off. I also painted the actuators, since they are touching water. After reading the Bennett instructions, I note that I put epoxy prime over the trim tabs as well as the bottom.

since you have already got a bid on painting the bottom, just make sure it includes cleaning the hull and ablative paint. The latter survives being dry stored. I put an epoxy barrier coat on, but am not sure if it's really needed, if the boat spends 1/2 the time out of the water. What's the bid say?

Boris
 
Hi Peter,

I think you'll enjoy this new aspect; it's nice to be able to have the boat handy and in the water. And what a great range of places you have to explore!

Bottom paint is a must for any boat that stays in the water. Keep in mind that you may be loading your boat heavier for extended trips, so keep that in mind when you set your water line. I don't think you'd have to keep the boat in a couple days, but just mark it while in the water.

We did paint our trim tabs. The paint on the tabs doesn't wear as week as the rest of the hull, at least in our experience. I do scrub the bottom whenever I pull the boat out. As was mentioned, you will want a paint that remains effective when the boat will be pulled out to trailer or store. We went with Micron CSC for that reason. It has been effective in our warm waters and in the PNW on Wild Blue. See what the boat yard recommends, then ask around with other owners in the marina to see what their experience has been.

Since your boat hull is pristine, just one more note: you can expect some discoloration of the bottom paint at the scum line. With an ablative paint like Micron CSC, you can touch that up... or just know that the line is part of that experienced boat look. :wink:

Enjoy!

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Our boat has been in the water for 6 years with no issues. It is bottom painted of course with a non-ablative (not sure which one) and it holds up really well and is only the second coat in that time period. We have Bennett tabs and use a special bar zinc for those tabs and do not have paint on the tabs. They are the first part of the boat to get scummy but we have the boat cleaned by a diver every three months for around 80 bucks and they shine right up. He also changes those zincs but they can last up near a year in our current configuration. We just had our boat pulled for the first time in 18 months and the bottom looks great and won't need paint again for 1-2 years. It looked pressure washed to the service staff but was last cleaned by the diver in November. Less growth in the colder season though.

I wouldn't trade the water for a trailer for anything. So easy to use and much easier to maintain than one would think. (covered moorage helps)

I've run the numbers multiple times, and for us the water makes much more sense than the land.

Greg
 
Peter, Is the new moorage in salt or fresh water? You are going to love having the boat in the water close to home.

Robbi
 
Wow, thanks for all the quick replies! Yes, we'll be keeping it in saltwater at Shilshole Bay Marina. We won't be trailering it much, maybe 2-3 times a year so we'll be using Micron Extra (ablative). We will put on probably 3-4 coats of barrier coat, probably the Interlux product plus at least 2 coats of Micron Extra if not 3 (depends how much paint we get out of the gallon).

As planned for now, the boat will be in the water all year-round, depending on how things go this summer. There's always the option to dry store for six months from October - March, we'll see. I guess since we do have a trailer and the boat launch is right next to the marina, I can still rinse the bottom off a few times during the summer.

More questions:
Greg-where can I find those zincs for trim tabs?
Anyone in the Seattle area-Does anyone have room on their property to store our trailer for a nominal fee? Actually, I have found a place but it doesn't hurt to ask if there are C-Brats with room.

Peter
 
Peter,

We spend about 9 months/year moored and have Interlux CSC bottom paint which is holding up well.
Last year for the first time we had a problem with barnacles under the trim tabs where I couldn't see the little buggers. Now they are a real PITA to remove. You can scrape and then use a sander but it will take forever. A "knowing" sailboat guy recommended getting some 100% Hydrogen Peroxide (Stuff in the stor is 3%) which is hard to find but is still sold as engine descaler.

That makes 'em fizz pretty good but it is evil stuff and you still end up sanding.

So, YES prep and paint them. If you go to the Interlux website they will give you three options. Good, better and best. But you have to use the right prep and paint for SS.

And Yes, they will also infest your actuators.

Ans Yes, you will need to prep an paint your depth sounder transducer with yet another witches brew which is fortunately available in a spray can at your favorite toy shop (and I don't mean Wally Mart).

The advice about galvanic separator is excellent.

Hope to see y'all out there

Merv & Kathy
 
Thanks for the tips. Merv, I totally forgot about the transducer and water wheel. Thanks for the heads up. Looks like I have a lot of little projects to do before putting it in the water. :D

Peter
 
Peter,

The good new is that if you have the "standard" P66 puck mounted off your stern (the boat that is) it is only a 20 minute job to get the silly little paddle wheel off and de-funk it with a sharp knife and sandpaper unless you happen to be named after an Irish saint and be a little green about mechanical thingy's. in which case the wheels will fall off your wagon.

ciao

M
 
I wonder why the "Copper River" salmon taste so good :lol:

Seriously, I guess we will all be happier when we can get something better for anti-fouling.

M
 
Correction to a previous post by me.

It's not the Interlux site that has the 3 recommendations it is Pettit.

For SS and Bronze they are:-
Good,
Sandblast or abrade surface, Spray zinc coat, Barnacle barrier 3 - 4 coats.

Better,
Metal primer 6455/044 1 coat, Tie coat primer 1 coat, Vivid anti-fouling 2 coats.

Best,
Sandblast or abrade surface, Metal primer 6455/044 1 coat, 4700/4701 Pettit Protect 2 coats, vivid antifouling 2 coats.


My only comment is that at approx $70 per quart for some of the above I went with the simple solution at about $26 and will repeat it as necessary.

M
 
Regarding the transducer-

I have a Raymarine transom mounted transducer with a paddle-wheel. I tried the transducer paint sold at marine stores- did nothing to prevent barnacle growth. Now I just slap a couple of layers of Micron CSC right on the transducer housing when I touch up the bottom. Works like a charm. Note: YMMV.

The transducer housing is a plastic material- it is not metallic.
 
Grumpy":2ewota7g said:
I wonder why the "Copper River" salmon taste so good :lol:

Seriously, I guess we will all be happier when we can get something better for anti-fouling.

M
Click to expand...

There are now products available that do not have copper in them, and we have switched over to using them exclusively. The product we are using is Sea Hawk Smart Solution ( http://www.seahawkpaints.com/Our-Produc ... ution.aspx ).

The nice thing is this paint can be used on metal parts as well as the fiberglass. Aluminum boats can be coated with the product without requiring expensive barrers to prevent galvanic corrosion.

The Northwest Marine Trade Association has begun work on drafting legislature to phase out copper based bottom paints over a period of years in Washington State.
 
Thanks Matt,

I had noticed that these new paints were becoming available and that's a good move by NMTA even if it is motivated at least in part by prudence.

Do you know how effective the Sea Hawk paints are for boats that get hauled out regularly or overwinter?? Some of the existing paints do not like that.

By the time my paint needs re-doing I hope there will be a number of alternatives together with some experience of their performance because it won't be the cheapest exercise in the world to convert to the faith.

Merv
 
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