ABC 3 ablative bottom paint

[tomtriad]

Looking for feedback about using this ablative bottom paint, formerly Devoe, now distributed by PPG.

Also looking for good priced sources. I found Go2Marine at $137.50/gallon includes shipping.

[Zach]

A lot of trawlers use it down here... Shrimp boats and such.

If appearances matter, it fades pretty badly above the boot stripe... Particularly the red.

It doesn't like to go straight over epoxy repairs, so keep that in mind if you have any work to do.

I'd say that if you are running the boat often and are fast enough to use the self polishing, and plan on a 3 year haul out cycle it isn't bad... But if the boat sits anywhere that has a lot of current, the bottom can become a bit of a mess in short order around any appendages and on the waterline.

Cheers,

Zach

[tomtriad]

Zach
Thanks for that. I have a 42' Newick trimaran that stays in the water year 'round - I sail around 4,000 miles a year.The boat sails at windspeed, maxing out at 25 knots but averages 8.5 with calms, motoring, etc. I've been using Micron CSC with Biolux+, an ablative with algacide; last year I switched to Petit SR 40 ablative which has been keeping the bottom clean, only a bit of slime, but it costs over $200/gallon and a coat wears off in a year. My home port is Gloucester MA, where I day sail 2 or 3 times a week in salt water May - October. I sail south end of October, offshore passage about a week to FL where I lay it up for 2 months on the St. Lucie River in Stuart; this is brackish water that outlets from Lake Okeechobee - lots of nutrients, lots of barnacles. One year I had weak paint and it took a diver with tanks 2 hours to scrape the bottoms - very foul water. I cruise through the Bahamas for 4 months, moving frequently to various anchorages; I sail back north in April.

Do you think ABC3 will work in these conditions? Will it go over intact SR40 and Micron CSC? (some of each is showing now). And how do you think it will work in the St. Lucie sitting for 2 months?