Bottom Paint Recommendations

[trihartsfield]

I have a Tolly 26 Sedan on a trailer and we are planning a 10 day cruising trip to the San Juans late spring, early summer 2022 and I want to have the bottom stripped and recoated. Looks like it has several coats that are starting to chip. Doesn’t look like any blistering. Boat has only been used seasonally and has only been in fresh water for no more than 5 months a year.

My plan is to trailer it March/April and leave it for the work.

I am looking for recommendations on places in Washington state, preferably northern part (Anacortes, Bellingham etc area) that are reputable and will do a good job.

Thanks

Chris

 

[Bob Cofer]

Seaview North in Bellingham is pretty good. They will be buried at that time so it would be a good idea to book your window now.

 

[firehoser75]

I disagree with Bob...... I had a very bad experience with Seaview North and was charged for work that they were supposed to do and did not do. They also did not properly and completely refill the saildrive leg after working on it. The owner/manager gave the excuse that they put in the amount of oil that was specified. Good thing I checked before "taking her home". They, however, did start and move the boat after "splashing her" post doing the work. I guess the old, basic mechanics 101: "USE THE DIPSTICK" to double check never crossed their mind as NO OIL was even visible on the stick!! There was "some oil" in the leg, so they didn't totally forget.
To be fair, after several phone calls (complaints), they did finally send a mechanic up to Point Roberts (where I moored at that time) to properly complete the work that they said they did (but had not done) and that I had previously paid for in full. By the way, the final bill was a fair bit higher than the first estimate, supposedly because of all the extra trouble they encountered when "doing" the work that they actually did not do when in their yard. Terrible, in my opinion!!
I have not used them, but I have heard good things about Cap Sante in Anacortes. There are several good bottom paints (changing all the time due to new regulations), but I used to like Petit Horizons and Micron CSC. Definitely book your space early where ever you decide to have the work done.

 

[AKDoug]

If you have it blasted and barrier coat before you bottom paint that's the best route to follow. Then you know it's barrier coated, and it gives you a base line for future bottom paint maintenance.

Common practice is to use one color of bottom paint over the barrier coat and then overcoat with a different color so you can see when your paint needs to be refreshed or repaired.

 

[Slowmo]

You're going to get a lot of opinions on yards! However the most important issue is timing. I'd start getting work set up now. Everyone is booked solid in the spring. Not clear if your '26 is on a trailer or not, of course that opens more choices. You might also ask the Tollycraft owners club at :https://www.facebook.com/groups/tollyclub to see response there.

I use North Harbor Diesel in Anacortes but I'm kind of 'captive' since I store there and its just easier to have them do stuff. I've had ok results, no one is perfect, the key is if they stand behind their work or not. NHD seems to do so.

 

[fstbttms]

If the boat is going to be trailered for any length of time (even a few days), you will need to use an ablative paint. Hard paints cannot withstand prolonged exposure to air.

 

[PaintMeRetired]

Pettit Hydrocote is a great choice for bottoms that will be wet and then dry out occasionally. I had it on a 30’ Pursuit that spent 60 continuous days in the water twice per year and then dry stacked between weekly uses. It gave me 3 good years before needing a refresher coat. As AKDoug suggested, 2 coats in different colors is the best way to keep track of how much good paint you have left.