Longest Lasting, Best Bottom Paint on the Market for Faster Boats

[bdgWesternMass]

Originally Posted by Chotu

If anything, my story should convince you not to build a boat. Ha ha ha.

I was using humour of you being role model as a defense mechanism for the expect the unexpected crowd.

Originally Posted by Chotu

I know it’s thread drift, sorry people, but I’m curious what you are building.

When you finally get some time you can read our previous PM thread on this
Or if you make it to New England I will it to you.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by bdgWesternMass

I was using humour of you being role model as a defense mechanism for the expect the unexpected crowd.


When you finally get some time you can read our previous PM thread on this
Or if you make it to New England I will it to you.

Oh yeah!!

I remember now!

I can’t come by any epoxy shop however. So probably not. I can’t be around epoxy if it has been used in the last 6 months.

And it looks like the private messages are gone.

[CarlF]

I’ve recently switched to SeaHawk BioCop after getting several strong recommendations from other cruisers in southern waters.

For years I used Micron 66 but - as you probably know - it will fail if taken into fresh or brackish water. This includes some parts of the ICW that I now visit.

So I switched to Micron Extra which did very well but there was always light growth that needed cleaning by a diver. And like Micron 66 it was VERY soft. I had to be very careful about which divers touched it.

I had avoided SeaHawk in the past because of their long history making mercury paints - that even sent the top executives to US Federal prison. I had no interest in supporting the company.

Then I stopped by the Interlux booth (Micron) at the boat show">Annapolis boat show. The factory rep told me that they had bought out SeaHawk and he was using BioCop on his own boat.

BioCop’s obvious advantage is that it’s a multiyear ablative but is a little harder than Micron 66. Also has no problem in brackish water. After a year it looks beautiful - very smooth. No bare fiberglass at leading edges. The boat was recently hauled in St. Augustine after a winter in the Bahamas. The yard didn’t bother to turn on the pressure washer.

Of course, one year is easy. The 2nd year is the money ball.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by CarlF

I’ve recently switched to SeaHawk BioCop after getting several strong recommendations from other cruisers in southern waters.

When I tired it I had hard growth in a month while in FL.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by CarlF

I had avoided SeaHawk in the past because of their long history making mercury paints...

TriButyl tin, not mercury

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I’ll try it!

Wow, does it have good reviews. The majority of reviews agree with you. They say it works better than copper.

Several paint manufacturers use tralopyril (active ingredient) for barnacle protection and mix in another herbicide for the algae/ plants.

Not sure which brand to get, but if it’s better for the marine life than copper (and works well), I’ll go for it.

This is exactly why I started the thread. To see if there was anything new out there I was unaware about.

I was, and remain skeptical of a copper-free paint, but I like what I see so far in the Chesapeake. Although I will repaint the boat in the fall, because some of the samples have failed badly, the test panels will stay in the water at least 3 years. Who knows, the ranking may change.



I have been an SR fan, and the Trinidad 75 and Pro samples are looking strong. Micron has not worked so well for me in the past, even though it is popular here, and that portion of the hull (CSC) is terrible, fully failed.

[boat driver]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I was posting in Sailorboy’s thread about PPG and ABC3 bottom paints.

I was looking for the longest lasting best bottom paint you can possibly buy. I have always used ablative. Because it seems to shed things off and produce a nice new layer and generally just stays in better condition longer.

SMJ pointed something out.

On leading edges on a faster boat, the ablative paint is basically gone pretty quickly. I’m down to bare fiberglass currently on my leading edges. My bows have absolutely nothing. Even the primer is gone. It’s just straight fiberglass.

First, how do you deal with that problem of the paint going away so quickly on the bows?

Second, what would be the best paint? What would be the strongest most powerful paint with the most copper and biocide to kill the most stuff, but also work for the application?

I do really prefer ablative, but is that no longer a thing when you have a faster boat?

Are used to always use a West Marine branded ablative bottom paint which was Pettit with a different label. I could get three years constant immersion out of it in the Northeast.

There is no "one" bottom paint. And most quality bottom paints work fairly well when moving, but stationary in an environment rich location and not much works forever.

research the local use of paint- not what is sold/pushed for economic reasons, but what the fishing boats are using. Then research with that manufacture if it fits your hull speed and is compatible with the previous layer paint.

as far as over scrubbing the ablative off or what to do on the leading edges, extra layers in that area and utilization of a compatible harder paint is acceptable.
Racing boats (often cleaned) and faster speeds will transit into a progressively harder paint.
BTW , if cruising on a global course, be sure to anticipate the cleaning concept. More and more authorities are requiring a clean bottom including sea chests and anywhere hitchhikers may hide.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by boat driver

research the local use of paint- not what is sold/pushed for economic reasons, but what the fishing boats are using.

Commercial fishermen are the cheapest boater on the planet and when it comes to anti fouling paint, they typically don't use what works well, they use what's cheap. And having been a commercial fisherman, I speak from experience.

[Leighpilot]

Well if you want the longest lasting paint ,your choice would be Coppercoat. 10-15 years is not uncommon. Expensive initially ( about 2-3x ) but cheaper in the long run as it lasts 5-10x longer.

[capnkev]

I’ve had Coppercoat installed on 3 boats over the years. A Worldcat that did 25 knots and was stored in a lift. Worked great both in and out of the water, which most paints can’t do. Did the entire great loop and never had to clean the bottom. Also had it on our Lagoon 450 sailing cat. Also worked great in FL, Bahamas and up to Maine and back,, but not as good in brackish water. Bought a remora brush and would clean it every 4-6 months. Any bad rd Jews of Coppercoat always come down to the install. Follow the instructions and you’ll love it. I recommend 3 primer coats, sanding between each to get a very smooth bottom. Burnish it until you see good activation and no dimples. It’ll last 12-15 years. Out of an abundance of caution I used prop speed or Trilux on the sail drives. Makes haul outs super easy. That’s the way to go.

[save1960]

Go with Seajet 36. Best lasting bottom paint out there ! Enjoy

[CaptainMarkS]

I had Nautica ablative that came with our boat when purchased in 2020. In doing extensive research on what to replace it with, my criteria were: 1) effectiveness; 2) longevity; 3) environmental friendliness.

I used CruisersForum extensively, and very much appreciated the input from experts like fstbttms. Despite his evidence based negative bias towards CopperCoat, I decided to take the risk and had Serenity's bottom done with CopperCoat last November. I've been in the warm estuary high-growth-waters of Banderas Bay (Mexico) since, and can't be happier with my choice. I even kept one small section of the hull unburnished to see if there is a difference in fouling levels: it's huge.

One of your criteria was a bottom paint for "faster boats". The ultra smooth finish of CopperCoat gave me about 1/2 knot improved performance over what I had previously. That's also a consideration.

As capnkev has mentioned, the key to success is proper "install" (application). Take any shortcut, especially with the burnishing, and it won't work. Examples: Forget to keep stirring the epoxy mixture while applying (copper will settle), and it won't work. Don't apply it to a perfectly smooth substrate (leading to orange peel finish), and it won't work.

I've put together a project worksheet in Excel with all the steps I walked through with the contractor in Opequimar. I'm happy to share with anyone interested (please DM me).

If I had sail drives and needed to haul out on a regular basis anyhow, then I would have chosen a Trinidad Petit product per fstbttms's recommendation. It's super easy to apply, relatively long lasting, and less expensive than CC.

I will never return to an ablative. It simply doesn't last as long and it's horrible on the environment.

[jamhass]

If you attach a small fender to the opposite side of the brush/scraper on your pole arrangement it will be a lot easier to scrub the bottom.

[Chotu]

I was actually thinking of getting some waders and just walking around scraping. But that’s a good idea about the float.

[cottonsail]

For speed IMHO there is nothing like Baltoplate, sanded to 400 wet and dry, burnished with bronze wool. It is a very high copper content hard paint.