Steel yacht anti fouling?

[Wielingen]

Dear fellow sailors,

I bought a Torenvliet last year and had it taken out of the water for the first time earlier this week. The hull looks good (no rust), but the anti-fouling seems to need a few layers.

I have always sailed with polyester yachts and therefore have no experience with maintaining steel yachts. I was consequently that underwater hull looked blue and not black, as I am used to.

My questions are:

* Does blue anti-fouling exist?
* Which anti-fouling do you recommend considering that we will be sailing at sea as well as on the Dutch lakes?
* Is it necessary to clear the entire underwater hull or is a few coats over the existing, remaining layer sufficient?
* I have heard of steel boat owners using epoxy instead of anti fouling. Does anyone have experience with this?

I have included a number of pictures.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Wielingen

[Sailmonkey]

Anti fouling comes in many colors

Blue/black/green/red/white.....etc.

Steel boats normally have an epoxy barrier coat to isolate the steel from the copper in the bottom paint as well as protect the steel. Going epoxy alone isn’t going to work without a weekly or greater scrubbing.

[Wielingen]

Thank you for your reply, Sailmonkey!

[boatman61]

Just hose her down with fresh water and give her a light sanding to smooth of edges where the old paint has flaked off then repaint in the colour of your choice.
If you decide to sand blast the bottom give her a couple of coats of epoxy, then the primer followed by two coats of antifoul and a third coat along the leading edges.

[MicHughV]

I note that there is some "white" paint under the "blue"....which I have to presume is an undercoat.
I owned and sailed a steel boat for 12 years.
Anti-fouling paint comes in many colors, and also copper content, plus other variables. Some paints work better than others, depending on where you are.
Paints can be "hard" or " soft"...ie, ablative.....
Anti-fouling paints have a limited life, also depending on location. Sometimes 1 year, sometimes more.
Some people will put one coat of anti-fouling paint on, others will do two...

As you can see, many variables.

I think your best bet is to ask local advice. All boats require anti-fouling paint, so it's available most anywhere there is marine activity.

[MicHughV]

if, like boatman says, you decide to blast to bare hull...the usual method is first to paint with a zinc paint, and then epoxy...
paint companies often provide a "complete" package, ie, zinc, epoxy and anti-fouling. this is important, as paints are not always compatible with other brands.
like before, check with you local paint companies.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

if, like boatman says, you decide to blast to bare hull...the usual method is first to paint with a zinc paint, and then epoxy...
paint companies often provide a "complete" package, ie, zinc, epoxy and anti-fouling. this is important, as paints are not always compatible with other brands.
like before, check with you local paint companies.

What about bare metal epoxy primers..

[MicHughV]

boatman, paint has come a long way since I owned a steel boat, and I don't keep up with it, but I would think a zinc barrier coat would still be the #1 coat....for "exterior" surface.

From my perspective, the trick to a good paint adhesion on a steel boat, is to properly "sand-blast" the metal to "near-white" condition and immediately paint after. That's the secret.

in my early days of steel boat ownership, I had the misfortune to mix and match paint, with disastrous outcome, but I soon learned.

the inside of my boat was painted with a two part coal-tar epoxy paint, no primer, but it too went over a sand-blasted surface. Never once gave me a lick of problems, but most steel boats built these days have the same paint inside and out.

Most steel boats, as you know, will rust from the inside....

I became a fan of the Pettit Trinidad anti-fouling paint. I had use others before, but settled on the Pettit, if I could find it.

[Dougtiff]

The last time I checked you don't use COPPER based paint on a steel boat.

[jaapbood]

Nothing wrong with copper based anti fauling on a steel boat. I pu coppercoat (epoxy based copper) on my steel Noordkaper, 12 years ago. Works just great. Does need however a good epoxy primer, which MUST be fully dry before you continue.

[Scorpius]

If the evisting paint is adhering well and you don't have serious flaking and primer or bare steel showing anywhere, as previously stated I'd just give her a moderate sanding to clean up the paint and get the oxidation off - then re-paint with one or two coats of antifouling.

I've been using A BC 3 or 4 from PPG-Amercoat the past many years and have been happy with it - but if I were you I'd seriously try to find out what is on there and stick to the same system.

The Netherlands are the Mecca for steel recreational boats so I would expect you can find lots of local expertise with whom to consult.

[MicHughV]

Dougtiff, bottom paint ( anti-fouling) goes over other paint, not straight on to the hull....
taking my old steel boat as an example, there was 4 initial coats of paint over the hull...

never had the slightest problem with using copper bottom paint..that boat is still around...now 40 years old...still kicking...

I took a liking to the Devoe brand of hull paint....they have an entire system of paints....

Yep, if you can't find what you're looking for regarding steel boats and paints in the Netherlands, it's probably not made...

[mvmojo]

I've used ABC-3 by DeVoe (now PPG) for 20 years on a steel hull. It's advertised to last 5 years but I usually hauled/painted every 4 years or so. But, if you're in The Netherlands, take a look at Hempel paints out of Denmark. They have a great reputation in the maritime industry.

[hpeer]

I think Scorpius has it about right.

You MUST have a good barrier between the steel and the bottom paint. With a good barrier you can use most any bottom paint, but I also us ABC 3 or 4.

That said, I know one guy who does NOT paint his bottom, just the barrier coat. His boat is kept at 49°N or more and the season is short. With the cold water growth is minimal and what does occur is knocked off with a power wash.

[captlloyd]

Had Devoe paint on my steel boat, loved it. I would never use a zink-based primer, it is a structurally weak paint, it can actually seperate from itself and come off in big patches. I’ve seen it happen.