# Bottom Paint



## thendric (Jan 19, 2010)

I'm considering bottom paint for my boat this year.  I used the boat 3+ times per month last year but I think I would use it even more if I could jump in at the marina and go.

My boat is an 06 in great shape so I'm a little reluctant to keep it in the water.  The marina owner says it's a great idea and the boat dealer recommended not to do it.

Any advice on where to have the paint done in the Savannah area?   I'm considering keeping the boat at Ft Mccalister.


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## FlyingFishing (Jan 19, 2010)

I'm not sure why the dealer would say it was a bad idea.  It keeps blisters from occurring, which is why I ended up repainting my hull.  What type of boat do you have?  When I was decided to repaint mine, I looked at some of Interlux's guides.  here is a link.  They have good information if you want to try to do it yourself.

http://www.yachtpaint.com/USA/boat_painting_guide/default.asp


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## thendric (Jan 19, 2010)

It's a 19ft key west dual console fish & ski.  The dealer said it would slow the boat and that keeping it in the water would make it wear much faster.


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## d-a (Jan 19, 2010)

thendric said:


> It's a 19ft key west dual console fish & ski.  The dealer said it would slow the boat and that keeping it in the water would make it wear much faster.



I lost 1 mph at cruise when I added bottom paint to my boat. The bottom paint to use would be an ablative type that wears away naturally refreshing the copper that keeps the barnacles off. Once its worn off you'll have to put more back on. Generally 1-3 years between coats. One caution though once you've put bottom paint on its almost a permanent thing that you will have to do for the life of the boat. If you trailer your boat you will need a different type of bottom paint so its a tough decision especially since it will likely cost @ $1500+ for the first application and @ $1000+ for each time you have to repaint it.

d-a


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## Nautical Son (Jan 19, 2010)

try the CoastalOutdoors website....PM reelclimax over there he paints bottoms and does fiberglass repair at very resonable prices......personally unless the slip is free I wouldn't leave my boat in the water, with or without paint.


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## thendric (Jan 19, 2010)

I have heard the same thing from a lot of boat owners.  I hate to ruin a perfect hull.  It would be great if the local marinas offered to transport your boat in and out of the water.  I know some of the Savannah marinas offer that.


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## Nautical Son (Jan 19, 2010)

some will let you install your own lift inside the slip.....keeps the hull out of the water...although toting everything to the boat gets old too....the ramp is free my dock is free and it only takes me 15 minutes roundtrip to launch or retrieve the boat....


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## PaulD (Jan 20, 2010)

There is no way I would keep a 19' boat in the water and no way I would put bottom paint on it! NOOOOOOOO.......


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## thendric (Jan 20, 2010)

Thanks for the advice.  I just got a little burned out putting the boat in and out every time we went.  

I think I'll leave the hull alone for now.


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## seaweaver (Jan 21, 2010)

I Charge $25/ft, you buy the paint.
Painting a bottom will not prevent blisters. You need a barrier coat to do that. Key west does pretty good work and the potential for blisters occurs in the layup  when improperly catylized resin is sprayed into the mold. I have only seen a few KY do this and they live in the water. 
The Marina charges $$/ft more wet than dry and would love to see you leave in in! 
You can loose speed due to resistance of the paint but is is negligible when you consider what speed is lost w/ pea (there is another term..) barnacles and other growth. An ablative paint properly applied smooth, will become smoother over time. Many sailors paint and then wet sand in the water to get the smoothest finish possible as their boat speed is measured in tenths and that adds up in a race.
Painting a bottom is not ruining a hull. It is just another compromise.
Another cost(and chk your ins for in water storage) is making sure your pumps are properly wired(dedicated float + to the batt) and capable of keeping the boat afloat overnight and half the next day till someone sees it. A tip to help is to make sure you tie the boat bow to the outgoing tide. Ft M. has a screaming current both ways but the out going is strongest and a failing pump in a rain will lower the transom and allow water to climb into the boat.

cw


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## d-a (Jan 21, 2010)

seaweaver said:


> I Charge $25/ft, you buy the paint.
> Painting a bottom will not prevent blisters. You need a barrier coat to do that. Key west does pretty good work and the potential for blisters occurs in the layup  when improperly catylized resin is sprayed into the mold. I have only seen a few KY do this and they live in the water.
> The Marina charges $$/ft more wet than dry and would love to see you leave in in!
> You can loose speed due to resistance of the paint but is is negligible when you consider what speed is lost w/ pea (there is another term..) barnacles and other growth. An ablative paint properly applied smooth, will become smoother over time. Many sailors paint and then wet sand in the water to get the smoothest finish possible as their boat speed is measured in tenths and that adds up in a race.
> ...




Is that $25/ft prepped sanded and installed? 

d-a


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## seaweaver (Jan 21, 2010)

Yes.New applications and good condition previously painted.
Heavy sanding for flaking paint and barnacle removal is extra.
cw


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## Nautical Son (Jan 21, 2010)

And that is a very fair price, I had a 30 ft sailboat that was at Lanier, I had to pay for the lift both ways in/out per ft. and then paid for the storage/maintenance yard per day and then I paid $20/ft for a barrier coat (2001E) and then 2 coats of abblative paint, obviously we didn't have barnacle issues in the fresh water but the algae growth was unreal if you didn't move the boat for a week or more. Total cost was $4-5 thousand time I paid for the materials and labor to repair the blisters .

I just painted the inside of my 17' center console and I used half a gallon + or - of the 2001E and 3 quarts of paint and 1 small can of the gritty additive....total price for DIY paint job was 250.00 by the time I bought all the tape and rollers and stuff.


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