Bottom Paint

[rourkeh]

Nedd some advice on what type of bottom paint to use. We are spending our time in tropical warm waters, and would like to find a proven product that lasts more than one year. What have you guys been using in similar situation? Need less theory and some proven results. Cheers

[osirissail]

If you are planning on buying the paint in the USA your best choice is the "Petit Trinidad Boatyard 75" bottom paint for base coats and finish with one coat of "Petit Trinidad SR." Each of these paints needs to be applied carefully to a sanded and cleaned hull. It is not necessary to remove all of the previous bottom paint provided the previous bottom paint was - not - an ablative paint (soft). Applying bottom paint is not difficult to D-I-Y but you must follow strict preparation and application procedures to achieve the best long lasting results. The best paint sloppily or incorrectly applied will last no longer than the cheapest paint.
- - If you are buying your bottom paint in the Caribbean in a non-USA island, the best paint is "Islands 44" paint which is an ablative paint so it can go on top of any previous paint that has been sanded and cleaned. You can additionally purchase the "booster" additive for the "Islands 44."
- - I get 3 or more years out of my bottom paint jobs by using base coats of "Petiti Trinidad 75" and a final two coats of "Islands 44".
- - No matter what paint you use you get a much longer useful life if you use the "scrub pads" after removing barnacles from the bottom. As the active ingredient in any bottom paint is "used up" there remains an inert matrix upon which sea life can attach and grow. The "scrub pad" used during bottom cleaning removes the inert layer and exposes a new layer of active ingredients to do its job.

[David M]

Is the "booster" TBT?

[rebel heart]

Clean it with a one foot square of shag carpet as well.

[cabo_sailor]

My personal favorite for Florida is the line by Seahawk. This fall I will be using their BioCop TF. I usually get about 3 years life. Their website has an interactive portion to help choose which paint is appropriate for a particular use and area.

Rich

[bstreep]

We are not tropical - semi tropical in Corpus Christi - about the same latitude as Tampa. We get 2-1/2 to 3 years out of Interlux Ultra. It's a hard paint.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by David M

Is the "booster" TBT?

Ssssh! You're in the USA so I can't tell you what's in it. But you don't need anymore guesses . . .

[rourkeh]

What are the practical benefits of a hard paint over a softer paint?

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by rourkeh

What are the practical benefits of a hard paint over a softer paint?

That will get you as many responses as what anchor is best

My $0.02 is that ablatives are a better choice, as scrubbing will bring out new biocide, AND ablatives don't build up year after year, eventually necessitating a complete sandblast or sanding of all the paint from the hull. Also in heavy fouling waters, the ablatives (with scrubbing) work better

That said, the hard paints "leech" biocide out from the matrix at a fairly even rate, are typically harder and yes last longer.

Bottom line: If you want superior anti-foul for a shorter time in heavy growth waters, go ablative..... If you are mostly in low fouling waters, and hate to scrub, go hard.

My boat in Nokomis has ablative and I get a year or so between haul outs, but an untreated hull will be solid covered by barnies in 3 weeks there. In Key West, there is mostly only "soft" fouling... there I use Trinidad and get 3 years with regularity.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Ssssh! You're in the USA so I can't tell you what's in it. But you don't need anymore guesses . . .

We just tell people it is Cayenne pepper

[osirissail]

As to whether hard or soft bottom paint is best - It depends. On high speed hulls ablatives slough off too quick. So hard paints are best.
- - And if the boat doesn't not move very much (marina boat) then hard is also best as ablatives need some amount of speed to be "self-restoring."
- - So for a sailboat that is "on the move" ablatives are the best of the two. To get the best of both worlds, I use hard Trinidad as base coats usually in the "red" color. Then add two coats of ablative on top in black color. When the red start showing through I know it is time to think about a bottom job to add more ablative.

[Ex-Calif]

We are in a very very warm climate rich in nutrients. There are two barges here where a couple of paint makers are testing compounds. So we know bottom fouling...

We had a hard paint when we bought the boat. Lasted 8 months. Put another no-name hard paint on and it lasted about 4 months.

We then put micron extra and get about 14-16 months on 4 coats of paint. I would like to try Micron 66 but the cost is just too high.

Our first application of the ablative ran almost $1200 as I wanted to get the old stuff off and there was lots of prep. Now recoats are about $600.

The club shuttle boats use Joten and it appears to last about the same.

with the hard coat it appeared the growth was hard growth and barnacles. They would adhere strongly and require scraping.

With the ablative even if we haven't sailed much, we get slime and can easily wipe it with a cloth and for deeper on the hull in the water we use a small plastic push broom. Whatever growth there is comes right off. When things start sticking it's time to recoat.