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Chotu · 16-06-2023, 04:44

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.

**neilpride** · 16-06-2023, 05:16

It has always worked well for me for 2 seasons, Pettit Trinidad HD.

ABC 3 , has little copper content.

I always take it in hard formulation, I liked to dive it from time to time and leave it clean, if you dive and clean an ablative antifouling you screw it up in no time.

Chotu · 16-06-2023, 05:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilpride

It has always worked well for me for 2 seasons, Pettit Trinidad HD.

ABC 3 , has little copper content.

I always take it in hard formulation, I liked to dive it from time to time and leave it clean, if you dive and clean an ablative antifouling you screw it up in no time.

Agreed. I always used the ablative version of the same. Like 70% copper solids.

Just seeing if there is something new out there. And also how to deal with the ablative and my higher potential for erosion at the leading edges such as the bows.

My personal theory has always been get the best possible bottom paint because the haul out is much more expensive than the paint.

**neilpride** · 16-06-2023, 05:24

You can't avoid erosion if you paint with ablative, unless you put extra coats maybe on ruder edges, bow, keels .

I tried it 2 times, ablative, went back to hard.

Chotu · 16-06-2023, 05:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilpride

You can't avoid erosion if you paint with ablative, unless you put extra coats maybe on ruder edges, bow, keels .

I tried it 2 times, ablative, went back to hard.

Ok. I wonder if anyone ever got a quart of hard and put it on the leading edges and ablative for the rest?

smj · 16-06-2023, 05:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chotu

Ok. I wonder if anyone ever got a quart of hard and put it on the leading edges and ablative for the rest?

Or start of with a coat of hard and a couple coats of ablative on top, different colors of course.

rslifkin · 16-06-2023, 05:50

Within the realm of ablatives, not all are equal. Some ablatives are pretty soft and fast wearing, others are fairly hard. Even with some occasional cruising at 17 kts, Micron CSC wears quite slowly on my boat, for example. But it's one of the hardest ablatives I've seen. It doesn't just rub off when you get close to it unless it's wet. And even then, it doesn't come off rapidly. There's always some color in the water when the hull gets powerwashed in the fall, but it's possible to gently clean it in the water without making paint clouds.

That said, Micron CSC isn't the most effective ablative out there, particularly against slime. I am, however, curious about the new Micron Extra SPC that Interlux came out with last year. It seems to be a freshwater compatible version of Micron 66, so it should be very effective. And hopefully it's also fairly hard and slow wearing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smj

Or start of with a coat of hard and a couple coats of ablative on top, different colors of course.

This is a good idea in general, both to avoid wearing down to primer and to make it obvious when some areas are due for more paint.

GreenWave · 16-06-2023, 06:16

I used Micron Ultra 2 years ago. Just hauled it out for some other work and was very surprised how good the bottom lookoed given I had not cleaned it in over 9 months. Mind you- this is in the warm waters of Galveston Bay.

Will never go back to Ablative!

**neilpride** · 16-06-2023, 06:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chotu

Ok. I wonder if anyone ever got a quart of hard and put it on the leading edges and ablative for the rest?

Yes, it can also be done, 1 coat or 2 of hard and ablative on top.

fstbttms · 16-06-2023, 06:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilpride

...if you dive and clean an ablative antifouling you screw it up in no time.

Only true if you don't know what you're doing.

**neilpride** · 16-06-2023, 06:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Only true if you don't know what you're doing.

What happens in perhaps 80% of the cases, hard scrubbing.

fstbttms · 16-06-2023, 06:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilpride

What happens in perhaps 80% of the cases, hard scrubbing.

That's not a fact. That's simply your assumption.

**neilpride** · 16-06-2023, 07:19

Of course it's not a fact, it's my assumption from what I've seen, 80% may seem exaggerated, but a high percentage of ablative painted bottoms don't reach the end of the paint life because they don't know how to clean an ablative painted bottom.