When to bottom paint

My 30' Tung Hwa last was bottom painted in 2008 2 coats - 3 along waterline with Woolsey ablative. My diver states that my bottom is very clean with no barnacles and the slime wipes right off. I do have him come out 3 times a year. I don't want to waste money by prematurely painting. Also, My boat is moored in brackish water. Anyone else get this kind of long term results? Should I wait for my diver to tell me it's time?

Adelaide wrote;

"Should I wait for my diver to tell me it's time?"

Perhaps longer than that but don't neglect any other bottom maintenance.

Had my bottom painted in April of 2010 and it's been pretty much as you describe yours. I clean my own bottom, which at 65 years old, is fun. And the worst growth is, of course in warmer, saltier water. I spent all last winter down in Key West on the hook and had to scrape the bottom for light growth twice over the winter. Since then I've been at my home dock in UCLA (Uncivilized Lower Alabama). Water here is brackish as well, but plenty warm in summer. I'm planning on repainting early this coming spring, probably in mid-to-late March because I'll be crusing south to the Exumas (Bahamas Group) later in the spring and early summer and am too damned old to work as hard as I used to. Hope that helps amigo!

We've gone as long as five years (not on purpose) but generally have the bottom painted every two. We have a dive service check the boat every six months but they are not allowed to wipe down bottoms. We use ablative paint so it goes away as we use the boat. But even after those five years the bottom was not hideous although the paint was shot. It would have been a different story had the divers not been knocking the barnacles off the props and rudders.

I think if the divers are reporting your boat's bottom as being in good shape, it probably is. Haul and paint when they tell you it's needed or you start seeing growth on the sides of the boat below the waterline.

The easy way with ablative paint is to use two colors.

WE use red as a base coat and a few coats of white on top.

When you see the red , its time for a paint job , not before.