Haul Out Frequency

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Moored in Laconner WA. The channel has brackish water which gives a pretty long life to bottom paint. Previous owner had 2 coats plus a 3rd along the water line of ablative in 2008. Our diver cleans the bottom 3 times a year and says I would be wasting my money by repainting now. States that he will tell me when it's time.
 
FYI to all who believe otherwise- anti fouling paint has a lifespan, and it is typically 2-3 years. That's the length of time these products are designed to last. Beyond that, they have leached out enough of their biocide to become essentially ineffective. Some of you claiming dramatically longer performance from your paint probably either boat in areas where fouling is very low, or you simply do not realise how foul your bottom actually is becoming between cleanings.
 
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Clean bottoms are Fast Bottoms!

Clean propellers are efficient propellers.

Given the choice a smooth prop out trumps a smooth bottom perhaps 2-1
 
fstbttms said:
FYI to all who believe otherwise- anti fouling paint has a lifespan, and it is typically 2-3 years. That's the length of time these products are designed to last. Beyond that, they have leached out enough of their biocide to become essentially ineffective. Some of you claiming dramatically longer performance from your paint probably either boat in areas where fouling is very low, or you simply do not realise how foul your bottom actually is becoming between cleanings.
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From decades of experience docking solely in salt water (Atlantic and Pacific)... as such bottoms needing often cleaning as well as yearly or bi yearly at longest new bottom paint... then for last four years docking in completely fresh water... I agree with fb, i.e. "Some of you [us] claiming dramatically longer performance from your [our] paint probably - boat in areas where fouling is very low..." Having never kept a boat in fresh water before, and experiencing the last four years doing so, my dive under boat this Memorial Day for cleaning metal parts, wire brushing zincs, and soft brushing the bottom was further proof that in freshwater (not salt water) can greatly extend the duration between need for new bottom paints. After six (6) months since I last went under to clean the metal parts had little growth attached, zincs were not too coated, and hull had a bare skim on its surface. Intake grates were still well open too. I’ve not seen any barnacle or other growths in the four years. I do like the ease-on-boat submerged portions of docking and operating in freshwater only. Major ease on engine raw water cooling parts too! :thumb:
 
The question is; why would you allow your boat to have one without the other?

At our dock, ALLIGATORS can be 12 to 14 ft.
 
Fred, learn them gators to rub their backs on your bottom, the boat's bottom that is.
 
I guess we are priviledged in a way because we need to haul boats about every 5-6 months. The hardness of the water being a factor that limits boating in the meantime. No need for divers unless something goes seriously wrong.

Most of us also put additional layer of bottompaint every spring, in my experience the paint does not last well while hauled.
 
Steve, I'm in the LA Harbor and I have always hauled every 2 years. I have a woodie and a couple of haulouts ago I wooded my bottom and gave it 6 coats of epoxy to seal the wood off. Since then I have hauled every three years. I have a monthly diver also and my report says good bottom paint with my last several reports but I am about 34 months on my paint now and I will haul before winter.

Nobody has addressed this and it's probably because they don't paint their boat bottoms. I am a DIY haul out guy and I always add things to my bottom paint.

I have a secret sauce I add and it stops all growth of either crusty barnacle type stuff or grass and slime.

My problem is with the divers. They want to wipe the bottom and not just clean the metal parts.

Where is your marina?
 
tiku said:
I guess we are priviledged in a way because we need to haul boats about every 5-6 months. The hardness of the water being a factor that limits boating in the meantime. No need for divers unless something goes seriously wrong.

Most of us also put additional layer of bottompaint every spring, in my experience the paint does not last well while hauled.
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Yo, tiku – Your Storebro 34 Royal Cruiser “Carpe Diem” is one real nice and classy looking craft!

This is first time I opened your blog and looked at photos of her. Have you any picts of interior to share... I missed em if you already have em posted; in blog or otherwise. Your boat’s general layout, from seeing its superstructure, looks similar to our classic Tollycraft tri cabin, sans FB.

I concur with you re being lucky in your neck of the woods (err seas – lol) and having to haul about every ½ year that enables good bottom surveys and a fresh coat of bottom paint. Having boated for my first 2 decades in NY and Maine we had same approx schedule. Boating in SF Bay and Delta is a whole different agenda... boat hauling is only needed – well – Pretty Much, Only When It’s Really Needed! In the Bay’s fairly chill salt water either the boat owner or a diver needs to go under boat 3 to 4 times a year to clean off the bottom as well as all the uw apparatus and to replace zincs as required... zincs are often shot in 6 month time spans. In the Delta’s much warmer freshwater (bath tub temp by midsummer) need for bottom cleaning is considerably minimized and schedule for anode (zinc or magnesium) replacement is greatly reduced. Needs for haul out to redo bottom often do not occur in the Bay for 2 to 4 years. In mellow Delta waters (as long as owner or diver well tends to bottom and anode maintenance) I’ve seen some boats spend 10 years in water and still look pretty OK upon haul for new bottom paint. These last four years are the first I’ve ever kept a boat 100% of the time in the Delta and I’m amazed at the reduced wear and tear my boat’s bottom and uw apparatus are experiencing.

Happy Boating Daze! - Art :speed boat:
 
Capthead said:
Steve, I'm in the LA Harbor and I have always hauled every 2 years. I have a woodie and a couple of haulouts ago I wooded my bottom and gave it 6 coats of epoxy to seal the wood off. Since then I have hauled every three years. I have a monthly diver also and my report says good bottom paint with my last several reports but I am about 34 months on my paint now and I will haul before winter.

Nobody has addressed this and it's probably because they don't paint their boat bottoms. I am a DIY haul out guy and I always add things to my bottom paint.

I have a secret sauce I add and it stops all growth of either crusty barnacle type stuff or grass and slime.

My problem is with the divers. They want to wipe the bottom and not just clean the metal parts.

Where is your marina?
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"... secret sauce... " Please - Tell Us More!

I too am much into and greatly enjoy accomplishing DIY boat stuff. Helps keep me young!

Feel free to PM me about your "sauce"... if needed. :popcorn:
 
Capthead said:
I have a secret sauce I add and it stops all growth of either crusty barnacle type stuff or grass and slime.
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Gee, I'm sure the paint manufacturers would love to talk to you. Seems their tens of millions of dollars and decades spent on R&D haven't been able to produce what you apparently were able to whip up in the kitchen sink. :rolleyes:
 
fstbttms said:
Gee, I'm sure the paint manufacturers would love to talk to you. Seems their tens of millions of dollars and decades spent on R&D haven't been able to produce what you apparently were able to whip up in the kitchen sink. :rolleyes:
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FB - Paint mfgers don't want their bottom paint to be toooo good, i.e. last tooo long - that = less sales for them.
 
Art, sent pm.

All the products are available over the counter. Sold daily and used by the tons.
 
Does anyone know what type of copper is in bottom paint ? As in is it copper sulfate or another type ?
 
fstbttms said:
Gee, I'm sure the paint manufacturers would love to talk to you. Seems their tens of millions of dollars and decades spent on R&D haven't been able to produce what you apparently were able to whip up in the kitchen sink. :rolleyes:
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Why are people so quick to attribute perfection to companies regarding the efficacy of their products ? Amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic as they say...I have seen many, many things built by amateur 'engineers' that improved on the commercially available models...:facepalm:
 
Art said:
FB - Paint mfgers don't want their bottom paint to be toooo good, i.e. last tooo long - that = less sales for them.
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Oh, I'd say it's a fair bet this guy hasn't built a better mousetrap. If he had, he'd be making money on it. Or everybody and their brother would be doing it too, 'cause whatever he's doing ain't rocket science. But neither of these things have happened. Because it either doesn't work or his additives are illegal. And the fact that he won't back up his bold claim publicly with a list of ingredients speaks volumes.
 
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Asked the local diver what the visibility in the Vallejo Marina waters was. He said eight inches and sometimes more. Seems like a tough job for cleaning/inspecting boat bottoms.
 
markpierce said:
Asked the local diver what the visibility in the Vallejo Marina waters was. He said eight inches and sometimes more. Seems like a tough job for cleaning/inspecting boat bottoms.
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In Stockton area on the smaller back sloughs (that experience mellow currents) after winter runoff has subsided (midsummer through fall) we get 8 to 10 feet visibility w/ 2 to 3 feet pretty clear and 1 to 1.5 foot very clear. This Memorial Day weekend I cleaned bottom and uw apparatus... visibility was max at 6 feet with 1 foot basically OK, but not perfect. By summer end up past Old Sac when you turn into in the American River (tributary to Sac River) visibility can be crystal clear for 20 + feet. :thumb:
 
Well, it's obvious the Napa River has more nutrients and sediment, and doesn't have the benefit of snow melt from the Sierra Nevada mountains.

232323232%7Ffp63568%3Enu%3D3363%3E33%3A%3E57%3B%3EWSNRCG%3D37%3A3%3A336%3A7336nu0mrj
 
fb - Nice videos and good job! Why do you place shaft zinc next to each other... special reason for that? I separate them on my boats by couple feet. Probably same protection gained??
 
Art said:
fb - Nice videos and good job! Why do you place shaft zinc next to each other... special reason for that? I separate them on my boats by couple feet. Probably same protection gained??
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Just a habit I got into years ago. Sort of like the electrician aligning all the light switch and outlet faceplate screws when he installs them. To my knowledge, there is no difference in protection, certainly none on a relatively short run like this boat's prop shaft.
 
Greetings:

Always added Red Pepper, A cup to a gallon, the hotter the better to my bottom paint when doing my prior wood boat "Tenacious". it was attributed to commercial fishermen of which a high number use this in the 50's and 60's. The younger professionals not so much and then too the fleet is becoming of glass. Wood trollers are fading as the resource and talent to keep them going is lacking and when found, expensive. Just wanted to add a "secret' ingredient used. Did it work? Damn if I know, as up here for the most part, wood boat owners copper paint once a year. I do know that the "Tenacious" only had a "slime" coating and required just a light pressure wash. It is the 'dangling thingies' not painted that atrak mussels and barnacales. Such is life.

Al Johnson- Ketchikan (Bridge to Nowhere) Alaska

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
 
Al said:
Red Pepper, A cup to a gallon, the hotter the better to my bottom paint when doing my prior wood boat "Tenacious". it was attributed to commercial fishermen of which a high number use this in the 50's and 60's. Did it work?...
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In short- no.

I have said this on so many forums I've lost track, but if simply adding pepper to anti fouling paint in any way boosted its effectiveness, the shelves of every West Marine would be lined with pepper-laced anti fouling products. Or at the very least bags of very overpriced cayenne that you could dump into your paint. But we don't. Why? Because it doesn't work. It's a wive's tale. The oldest one in the book, too.
 
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