Need bottom paint? (Blisters, etc)

[johnnyonspot]

I know this topic has been done to death, or assume it has, but....

I own a Mac 25 that looks like it has never had a coat of bottom paint or barrier coat. When I got it last spring there was a layer of crud on the bottom to the waterline, and the PO told me he had it tied up to his dock all the previous summer. Muriatic acid easily removed the bottom crud. I will be slipping it in Lake Mille Lacs in central Minnesota this coming season and I would rather avoid the time, effort, and considerable expense of painting the bottom with ablative paint if I can. The bottom is blister free so I do not think there will be a problem there, and ergo no need of any barrier coat. I am okay with scrubbing the bottom a few times during the summer while it is in the water, and/or immediately after pulling the boat from the water before I take a planned trip to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. I am also okay with cleaning it again with the muriatic acid at the end of the season. I bought the boat for $2,400 and thus do not have a lot into it, which means a bottom job would be about one-fifth of its value in paint alone. Not that I don't care about keeping the boat in good condition. Therefore, my question is, in consideration of the above, what are the opinions of fellow Mac owners as to whether I should go ahead and slip it without painting the bottom?


Mod's note: Bottom slime vectors moved to Slimey Bottoms thread ~fc

[Night Sailor]

Apparently some fresh water, cold water boats get away without a bottom paint. I tried it in my X in Texas and got blisters and algae buildup tough as concrete in spite of scrubbing once per week while slipped in the water. Try it, you might get lucky.

Once your boat gets blisters, it might cost a lot more than just a bottom job to take care of it, plus take a lot longer out of the water for the drying out.

[James V]

From your location I would think that you would not have it in the water more than 6 months and maby even 4. There is a boat wax that you can use from West Marine.

If the PO did not get blisters then you should not either. I would try the boat wax first. As I recall it is about $ 50 and needs to be put on every season. Make sure that you prep per the instructions.

[Terry]

Johnny;
For $2400.00 you can afford to sail it a few seasons and if it deteriorates badly write it off as $2400 of fun, no big deal. I bought a car for that much and only had to get new wheels/tires, had it two years now and can afford to write it off at $1000. per year in one more year. Cheap transportation or cheap fun, it is only $2400 over a few years. As for cleaning it regularly, well I have previously posted how much effort that is and I still do it (need my head examined), it is major effort. Cost aside, ask yourself what the sweat and time is worth, you'll invest a lot of it keeping that baby's bottom clean. I slip mine 4-6 months a year in cold salt chuck and still get growth that needs cleaning every 4-6 weeks. It is a big ugly job and I am contemplating bottom paint in a couple years.

[Catigale]

Blisters are the main concern, although how/if they actually affect hull integrity is still debated.

I fresh water sail and salt water cruise (3-5 trips per year, 3-5 days each trip) and have no barrier or hull paint. Art told me not to bother. No blisters - I wash off scum with pressure washer once in a while.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Keep an eye on the blister situation. Cold fresh water is the worst for blisters.

To get under the bunks you can use the trailer lift method. It goes like this,

Lower the tounge jack as far as possible which raises the aft end of the boat.
Block under the aft end of the boat securely.
Raise the tounge jack full up which lowers the aft end of the trailer.
You should now have enough space between the bunks and the trailer to clean and or paint.

That leaves the bow block which can be reached with the reverse of the above method.

[johnnyonspot]

On a related note, when the boat is parked in the slip should I have the swing keel up or down, or does it even matter?

[delevi]

It will be wet up or down, so shouldn't matter

[wardski]

We had a 25 for 12 years prior to buying the M. In the slip leaving that 750 lb keel down adds a lot of stability. The boat doesn't rock near as much with it down. The 25 was a great boat. Sailed like a dream. Pointed higher and wasn't as tender as the M. But we got tired of sleeping on a hard 48 inch wide berth. As we got older that nearly queen sized berth in the back of the M started to look pretty good.

[Frank C]

On a related note, when the boat is parked in the slip should I have the swing keel up or down, or does it even matter?

We had a 25 for 12 years prior to buying the M. In the slip leaving that 750 lb keel down adds a lot of stability.

Agreeing w/ SJ, I would definitly NOT leave the 26X centerboard down when slipped. Seems it would suffer too much constant action. But the Mac25's a different animal, so I'd suggest that advice is better.