Antifouling Paint

We are in the process of stripping and repainting the bottom of our Krogen Manatee....7mph cruise. We will be cruising the Florida waters this winter and then beginning the first segment of our "loop". Our intentions are to spend next summer doing the Erie Canal and then put it up for the winter in NY and pick up our loop the following spring. Need suggestions on best bottom paint for both salt and fresh and being out of the water for 6 months. I have read all the advertisements but would really like real world opinions. We are leaning to an ablative of some kind.

Thanks
Wally and Darcy

You can go to the paint manufacturer's websites and find their paint recommendation pages. Put it the type of boat,cruising area, etc. and they will give the recommended paint.

I think this would be better than advice from boaters cannot do actual testing.

Wally we used Pettit Trinidad with very good results when we looped. We however did not stop and haulout for Winter. Pettit information says after 30-60 days out of the water it starts to loose effectiveness. If your haulout is shorter than 12 months you can scuff sand the bottom to re-vitalize the paint or roll on another coat.
Bill

If the boat is going to spend any time out of the water, you need to use an ablative paint. Hard paints (like the aforementioned Trinidad) cannot withstand prolonged periods exposed to air. The 60 day number refers to the time Trinidad can be out after painting. Once the boat has been splashed, the allowable time out of the water is measured in days, not months.

fstbttms said:

If the boat is going to spend any time out of the water, you need to use an ablative paint. Hard paints (like the aforementioned Trinidad) cannot withstand prolonged periods exposed to air. The 60 day number refers to the time Trinidad can be out after painting. Once the boat has been splashed, the allowable time out of the water is measured in days, not months.

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Three days if I remember correctly. Mine was just hauled for detailing and I insisted on it being back in the water sooner than that. They did the lower part on land and are finishing up in the slip.

As long as you keep the boat moving...Fiberglass Bottomcote NT by Interlux is inexpensive and flexible...but out of the water for several months and I think you have to add another coat.

I paint in June after a winter going from NJ to FL and back. It is clean as a whistle when I get back in Apr after a winter down south and only staying put for 1 month some place. One coat a year does me OK...the fresh coat in June seems to keep it pretty clean from June to Dec in a pretty high fouling area and no movement other than the 1-3 knot current at the marina.

I've pulled back a little since receiving the boat three years ago. Now, it is annual bottom touch-up and propeller treatment, and a single bottom coat every other year. Seems no need for a double-coat, anymore.

markpierce said:

I've pulled back a little since receiving the boat three years ago. Now, it is annual bottom touch-up and propeller treatment, and a single bottom coat every other year. Seems no need for a double-coat, anymore.

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Except that with two coats of a high quality paint properly maintained, you could go 3+ years between haulouts.

But hey, you're paying the boatyard owner's kid's way through college.

Perhaps I do spoil the Coot a bit.

Hi Wally and Darcy, we just had Cool Beans bottom painted with two coats of micron CSC which is an ablative paint by Interlux. Be sure the yard sands the bottom for good adhesion. We had several low ball quotes from yards that did not include sanding or do a second coat. Be sure to check on this. Also, Mike scrapped, sanded and painted the bow thruster props himself as the yard was going to charge extra for this.

Good luck and hope to see you on the water this winter.
Dotty

Sanding is not necessary for adding an ablative to a compatible ablative if it was properly pressure washed.

Many marina's wouldn't sand it if you wanted to pay extra...just not worth it.

If you aren't underway many hours in a year...a second coat is only necessary if you don't plan on hauling for a couple years. Me...I like hauling at least once a year as I get an idea of bottom condition, running gear condition, easy zinc replacement, any thru-hull or transducer work can be scheduled, etc...etc....

Every area has different bottom fouling and should be met with the appropriate preventative action...no one opinion or suggestion or anything is appropriate unless coordinated to your location(s) and boating and maintenance habits.

markpierce said:

Perhaps I do spoil the Coot a bit.

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Nothing to be ashamed of at all IMO. You're the exact type of PO I look for specifically when boat shopping. I have no desire to purchase from someone who'd "let things slide".

That philosophy has served me well on this purchase, remains to be seen on future acquisitions.

When in SF bay nothing grew on the bottom as the water was cold. In FL if I don't have a diver every month the boat grows into the bottom. In the NE I only got a few barnacles over a season.
So the answer depends very much on where you will be stopped. Moving boats don't grow stuff as easily. I don't know the speed requirements for ablative paint but do know that stuff grows on it if the boat is not moved. When it moves however the stuff washes off but how fast it must go I don't know. Props are a different story and hard paint is always used here in FL.

bayview said:

When in SF bay nothing grew on the bottom as the water was cold.

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Right.

I'm not sure if NJ qualifies as the NE, but if you are near fresh open sea-water.... anywhere's from Norfolk to Maine will get you barnacles after a 4-6 month season even when you run the boat as much as I run the assistance towboat...virtually 3-15 times a week from June to Oct at 20 knots and Oct - Dec probably 3-8 times a week.

When we epoxy barrier coated the bottom I subsequently applied a base coat of hard red (Interlux) bottom paint, followed immediately by two coats of black Micron Extra....an ablative. The first red coat shows through where the ablative is thinning when it's hauled for winter storage (Great Lakes). That was four years ago...touch up only required at the pointy end and a few places along the water line. However, I wash the bottom myself at haulout as the kids who typically operate the power washer can wreck an ablative paint job in the blink of an eye if they get the nozzle too close to the hull. BEWARE!

If you go with a hard guide coat/color, followed by the soft ablative, be sure to follow the manufacturer's time between coats as they (Interlux, at least) want subsequent layers applied before the previous fully cures. And if you happen to be doing an epoxy barrier coat as a first step, it is vital that the first coat of bottom paint be applied while the last layer of epoxy is still tacky in order to get a good bond. All of this means it's a virtually continuous application of material over a couple-three days. The yard needs to understand this and plan accordingly. For a larger boat it's a two person job. And I'll almost guarantee that with just a tiny bit of research you will know more than the vast majority of yards about the process. Interlux has/had an excellent tech line where you can/could speak with some honest to goodness subject matter experts.

fstbttms said:

If the boat is going to spend any time out of the water, you need to use an ablative paint. Hard paints (like the aforementioned Trinidad) cannot withstand prolonged periods exposed to air. The 60 day number refers to the time Trinidad can be out after painting. Once the boat has been splashed, the allowable time out of the water is measured in days, not months.

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My boat was painted with Pettit Trinidad in Florida where it spent the first two years of its life. Than it was shipped to Lake Erie where it was in and out of the water (~6/6 months a year) for the next three years with the original paint. By the end of each season normal amount of growth was on the bottom, easily removed by a power wash. No cleaning mid-season. After the third winter on the lake, the paint looked worn out, but would probably last another season. I have no idea how the paint would perform in a salt water after the aeration, but I had no complaints in the fresh water.

Lost Horizons said:

My boat was painted with Pettit Trinidad in Florida where it spent the first two years of its life. Than it was shipped to Lake Erie where it was in and out of the water (~6/6 months a year) for the next three years with the original paint. By the end of each season normal amount of growth was on the bottom, easily removed by a power wash. No cleaning mid-season. After the third winter on the lake, the paint looked worn out, but would probably last another season. I have no idea how the paint would perform in a salt water after the aeration, but I had no complaints in the fresh water.

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Freshwater & saltwater = apples & oranges as far as fouling conditions go.

Yes. Particularly warm salt water vs. cold fresh water.

Does anyone here use ablative paint? I used Petit HydroCoat with good results, but that was on a trailer able boat. I would like to be able to put my Mainship 390 on hard for 30-60 days without paint concerns.

Pluto said:

Does anyone here use ablative paint? I used Petit HydroCoat with good results, but that was on a trailer able boat. I would like to be able to put my Mainship 390 on hard for 30-60 days without paint concerns.

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I use their Ultima SR-40 Ablative and it works great including being out of the water for a couple of months last fall then back in to cruise to Florida for the winter. I use their Barnacle Barrier zinc spray on all underwater metal. Bottom and metal came out looking exceptional.

Dave

I certainly would not strip the bottom paint off. Just pressure wash and recoat, no need to waste several hundred dollars worth of well adhered bottom paint. I just did the bottom on my sporty this month. Pressure wash and repaint. 4 gallons of ablative on a 48 foot hull. But, I could have just changed the zinks and put her back. This is after 4 years in the water. No corrosion, no electrolisis, nothing. The zinks were still decent. I pulled one prop and had it fixed. We had a slight vibration on the port side at speed. May have picked that up at the oyster bar just before St Augustine. on the ICW. Dont shortcut that red bouy marking the outlet. I used the cheapest paint I could find on ebay. Cans were all bent, some seeping a bit. Added some cuprous oxide that a friend in the fireworks business gets. The paint weighed 2 times as much as normal and required constant agitation. I used this same tekneek 4 years ago and expect another 4 years out of it. YMMV

OK, since someone mentioned it, If the original bottom paint was put on incorrectly (barrier coat, then direct ablative) what can I do (short of blasting and re barrier coating then epoxy, then ablative) to help bottom paint stick to the hull?\


I hate to grind off down to the barrier coat. I really dont want to get into the barrier coat. But I would like bottom paint that sticks too.

fstbttms said:

If the boat is going to spend any time out of the water, you need to use an ablative paint. Hard paints (like the aforementioned Trinidad) cannot withstand prolonged periods exposed to air. The 60 day number refers to the time Trinidad can be out after painting. Once the boat has been splashed, the allowable time out of the water is measured in days, not months.

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I had the boat in Florida with the Trinidad, which worked well, then moved it to Lake Erie where it was spending winters at a parking lot and summers in a water. Never repainted. The paint worked well for three seasons.

Ablative to barrier is fine....

Anything over barrier can fail if not applied correctly because of the barrier curing.

The best and probably same answer for say Interlux will be..... sand to barrier, another coat of barrier then same company ablative applied within timeframe.

Lost Horizons said:

I had the boat in Florida with the Trinidad, which worked well, then moved it to Lake Erie where it was spending winters at a parking lot and summers in a water. Never repainted. The paint worked well for three seasons.

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Freshwater and saltwater = apples and oranges, fouling conditions-wise. I guarantee that had you taken the boat back to Florida after even just a few days out of the water, you'd have discovered that your paint had become ineffective.

fstbttms said:

Freshwater and saltwater = apples and oranges, fouling conditions-wise. I guarantee that had you taken the boat back to Florida after even just a few days out of the water, you'd have discovered that your paint had become ineffective.

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I think the original question was about painting in Florida and then doing the loop, which is mostly fresh water.

Lost Horizons said:

I think the original question was about painting in Florida and then doing the loop, which is mostly fresh water.

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You replied to my comment that prolonged exposure to air would ruin a hard anti fouling paint by saying that you did exactly that with such a product and then used it in freshwater with good results. My point is that cold freshwater fouling is so different and less aggressive than that that found in warm saltwater that you may have been able to go with no anti fouling at all and had similar results.

fstbttms said:

My point is that cold freshwater fouling is so different and less aggressive than that that found in warm saltwater that you may have been able to go with no anti fouling at all and had similar results.

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Yes, that was my point too. Any paint should be fine after wintering on the ground by Erie Canal.

Lost Horizons said:

Yes, that was my point too. Any paint should be fine after wintering on the ground by Erie Canal.

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Gotcha. But that doesn't mean the paint hasn't been rendered ineffective. Only that even ineffective paint will do the job in Lake Erie.