Bottom Paint Chesapeake Bay

[W3GAC]

I was asked to share our bottom paint experience here in Chesapeake Bay Area. Disclaimer: While if have cruised coastal along Calf coast, Gulf, Caribbean, and now back to our Chesapeake Bay home... I don't consider myself an expert on bottom paint. Like everyone else, I read, talk to other area boaters, visit marinas where every we go about bottom paint experiences, before making our decision. That said, I have used Micron Extra thinking from its higher $$ and hear say that it offered more protection in our area. Used it for three successive bottom paint jobs. Results OK. But last year I decided to try a little more economical option, ACT. Results were impressive! Pulled out w/ usual lift area power wash and bottom looked like I had just painted it. No barnacles anywhere!

[Suijin]

A quality hard paint really outperforms ablative in the Chesapeake for some reason. If you sail hard you can sail it clean and go almost the whole season without a bottom cleaning. I have Trinidad Pro on my boat and at this point wouldn't think about anything else. Pays for itself in short order.

[Harold Redden]

We started sailing the Chesapeake in Annapolis with a new Grampian 30 in 1972. Used Woolsey Neptune hard epoxy (red) until they stopped making it in the early 2000's. After that had great results with Petit Trinidad SR. 3-4 years between haul-outs, no significant fouling and the diver mainly was needed to clean the prop. I now have a Catalina 42 that had ablative paint. I refreshed it in 2015 and will see how it is holding up when hauled this summer.

[TheOffice]

Trinidad SR for my bottom. Got 3 years with occasional cleaning

[rwidman]

I used the Petit paint calculator and for my conditions, the recommendation was Trinidad SR. In my area, we need a diver every month or less in warm weather and every two or three months in cold weather. I just let the paint go until the diver starts complaining. I got six years.

The major disadvantage to this paint is, it has to stay wet. Pull it out of the water for more than a few days and you need to repaint.

[Teknishn]

+4 for Trinidad in the Ches Bay. Reason for +4? Four different boats while I was stationed in Norfolk (US Navy)...2 wooden powerboats, 2 fiberglass sailboats. Wood? Yeah, pull every year and do bottom paint (there are always other things that need attending to anyway). Fiberglass? Was sometimes thinking why the heck did I even pull the boat this year? Typically got 2-3 years with Trinidad on the fiberglass hulls.

And rwidman is correct....gotta keep it wet or plan on repainting.

[Bill whitmore]

Try Sea Hawk Biocop TF hard ablative---NOTHING on it for at least one season!

[Sailshabby]

+1 ACT. Ten years, haul every 18 months or so.

[redsky49]

Originally Posted by Harold Redden

We started sailing the Chesapeake in Annapolis with a new Grampian 30 in 1972. Used Woolsey Neptune hard epoxy (red) until they stopped making it in the early 2000's. After that had great results with Petit Trinidad SR. 3-4 years between haul-outs, no significant fouling and the diver mainly was needed to clean the prop. I now have a Catalina 42 that had ablative paint. I refreshed it in 2015 and will see how it is holding up when hauled this summer.

Woolsey Neptune was a great choice for the Bay. I had great results with it too.

The Bay is challenging due to the hugely differing salinity levels as you move from the north to the south. It makes it difficult to select from manufacturer's recommendation as to the "best" paint choice.

On the other hand, I have always suspected (and have zero proof) that as you move the boat through these different waters you start to kill off biomass that does not prosper in different climes. This is especially true for barnacles, as the fresher water further north discourages them pretty well.

I have since switched to an ablative paint, though with the upcoming changes in many paint formulations I don't know what brand the next haul out will see me using.

[thinwater]

I've sailed the mid-Chesapeake year-round for 30 years. I have used Micron CSC and Micron 66. This was slightly better, though I'm probably at the northern limit of its range (it is not suitable for weak brackish water).

The last 2 times I have used PCA Gold. It does better than CSC and very nearly as well as 66, and if you get it on sale, it's barely 1/2 the price. It's a deal on a 2-year paint.


If I was hauling annually I'd look for some thing cheap that ablated well so that I would not have to strip.

[chef2sail]

Used Micron Extra for years

6 years ago switched to Ultima 60. Lasts three years with one diver each summer. No slime, no growth

[SqPeg]

I'm up in the north end of the bay and I put it on the hard every winter. I'll need to paint this season. I saw the remarks about leaving Trinidad in the water. Any recommendations for my situation? We have never been below St. Michaels. Also, there are little gray circles in groups here and there. What are they? Former barnacle locations? And what is a "diver"?

~Cliff~
aka Cocktail Pirate

[chef2sail]

As a rule hard paints need to stay in the water to remain effective
Ablative do not

Our boat stays in the water and cones out after year 3.

A diver goes down and cleans off the shaft and wipes any slime ( usually none) in June sometimes rice a year. Cost $100 . Many here use one and we get together and can get a reduced rate if he cleans 4 boats in the marina o the same day

[6227]

Well, I've had very good luck w/ Pettit HYDROCOAT. But then I sail the boat a LOT and maybe that keeps the slime and worse stuff off. Yard did a quick haul on me over the summer prior to a race when I was at work and told me later it had just the slightest bit of slime on it.

Now running gear... sigh. Have had pretty good luck w/ Barnacle Barrier. The best results I had were smearing DESITIN on it! Loaded w/ Zinc.

[ranger58sb]

In recent years we've been using Pettit Hyrdocoat ECO with decent results. We're also using Pettit Barnacle Barrier on the underwater hardware, and that works reasonably well. Latter doesn't stay on our props all that well, though.

I try to run the boat at least once/week, even if only to go upriver and back to help control fouling.

-Chris