Bottom Paint

[Interim]

How long should bottom paint last?

I took our boat out of the water last weekend, and it had more growth than I expected. I sprayed and lightly scrubbed, and much of the paint came off with it. Our boat sits in fresh water from May through (well, through last weekend this year). The lake has a significant amount of algae. The paint is three years old.

Is it more or less normal to need to repaint it after three years?

--john

[chipveres]

Three years is real good. Depends on how warm your place is. Here in Florida, one year is normal and two years is stretching. Also, some kinds of paint are designed to withstand dry storage and some are not. Read the fine print on the label.

Chip
s/v Sand Dollar

[kurz]

It should last 10 to 20 years.

I applied copper coat. Maybe it is 4 or 5 years old. I do not count. Bottom did not change. MacM sits 356days a year in a lake.

Why paint every year? Who can tell me?

[Jimmyt]

How long should bottom paint last?

Is it more or less normal to need to repaint it after three years?

--john

John,
There are single season and multi season formulations. So, depending on what you buy, you could be repainting every year... or much less frequently. Make sure your local waters don't have restrictions on what type of coating they allow before you purchase.

[Herschel]

I have had my boat in a marina for about 15 of the 17 years I have owned it. All freshwater. I have painted the bottom twice during that time frame, but I am hoping to have a third early next year. Saving up for it. It is just too pricy to do every year.

[Interim]

so about every 5 years, then. I'm at three, which is sooner than I expected. But we have rather high algae concentration in our lake, so perhaps that is a driver.

Thanks.

--john

[Herschel]

I have my '98 26X that sits fulltime in a marina slip in the fresh water of a Florida lake/river system, scheduled for haul out and bottom painting January 11 (2021). This will be the third paint job on the bottom in the 17 years I have owned the boat, but I did not start keeping it at a slip full time consistently until about 12 years ago. I am having the marina staff do the job, but I will replace the centerboard line/cable that has served well for 22 years, plus the backstay. Forestay and upper shrouds already replaced. Going to take a good hard look at the one through hull fitting, an inlet starboard side amidships for flushing water for electric toilet/macerator. I never open it and use it. I just spray fresh water from my head sink faucet into the toilet for flushing water. Holding tank is 13 gallons so system works fine without the inlet's use. I am tempted to take it out and plug up the hole, but if I sell the boat someday, another owner might want it. Any tips on what to look for to check the fitting for soundness after haul out other than the obvious one---water in the bilges (which is nil)?

[Ixneigh]

In the Fl Keys if you don’t paint the boat every year the barnacles will straight up raise the anchor, turn on the tunes, raid the icebox and sail the bloody boat away.

Ix

[kurz]

why you guis stay all with the products you have to paint every year? Well yes, all doe - but who says THANK YOU for your money?

Copper coat is well experienced... and you have done the job vor many many years...

[Herschel]

In the Fl Keys if you don’t paint the boat every year the barnacles will straight up raise the anchor, turn on the tunes, raid the icebox and sail the bloody boat away.
Ix

I can totally appreciate that. Up here in Central Florida fresh water, we just have to deal with a little slime and preventing blisters so, we get away with less frequent painting and we can do a different kind of paint that isn't as "rugged' or requires the finesse and detail of copper coat. But, yes, were I dealing with salt water, I would be doing things much differently. There has to be some advantage for our tannin colored water!

[Herschel]

If anyone is interested, I just got my boat back from the marina with my new bottom paint. They used Tie coat primer by Pettit. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/pettit-p ... --P0131179 and black pro-75 Trinidad by Pettit https://www.bottompaintstore.com/boat-b ... 31134.html Total bill was $1745 including haul out, blocking, sanding, two coasts of primer and paint on bottom, centerboard truck and centerboard, and replacing a plug seal on gear case. I took advantage of the haul out to replace the centerboard hoisting line with wire cable and new line from BWY. I used this combination of primer/paint 8 years ago at the last bottom painting, and it has held up well in the fresh water where I keep the boat. But it was clearly time to repaint. I'll probably only wait 5-6 years for next bottom paint.

[billder99]

If anyone is interested, I just got my boat back from the marina with my new bottom paint. They used Tie coat primer by Pettit. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/pettit-p ... --P0131179 and black pro-75 Trinidad by Pettit https://www.bottompaintstore.com/boat-b ... 31134.html Total bill was $1745 including haul out, blocking, sanding, two coasts of primer and paint on bottom, centerboard truck and centerboard, and replacing a plug seal on gear case. I took advantage of the haul out to replace the centerboard hoisting line with wire cable and new line from BWY. I used this combination of primer/paint 8 years ago at the last bottom painting, and it has held up well in the fresh water where I keep the boat. But it was clearly time to repaint. I'll probably only wait 5-6 years for next bottom paint.

Excellent information, thanks very much. I just purchased an '87 Mac 26D... first big job will be bottom job over clean gel coat (never bottom painted before... woohoo). Next up, paint above waterline, boot stripe, paint deck, non-skid... the boat will be looking GOOD!

[dlandersson]

Ok, there's been some confusion on this...

Do you mean the Bottom/antifoul paint? or the paint that seals and protects the gelcoat that is often under the bottom/antofoul paint

[Bobglas]

See my reply in Powersailor discussion.

[dlandersson]

In the Fl Keys if you don’t paint the boat every year the barnacles will straight up raise the anchor, turn on the tunes, raid the icebox and sail the bloody boat away.

Ix