Bottom Paint

'84Offshore

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For you guys that leave your boats in the water all season and paint your bottom w/ anti-fouling paint................do you paint the entire bottom each year or just touch-up as needed?
 
I have been using the Pettit Hydracote for the last two seasons with excelent results. Goes on nice. Water cleanup.

I always repaint the waterline down to the first edge. Then I spot the bottom.
 
Depends on type of paint you use. If it is hard paint you need a new coat each year, once the boat is out for more then a week or 2, 90% of the antifouling properties are now useless and you will have a lot of growth, if you have ablative, and done properly, touch up if you only see a few spots of your warning color, and repaint when you see a bunch of spots. If you do not see the warning color, do not touch up or repaint, it is not needed with ablative paint.
 
On second year I do entire hull
Then touch up peeling spots, and keel, the other year.

Interlux Micron Extra.
 
I keep my boat in a lagoon approximately seven months straight. I use ablative type paint and only touch it up as needed. Initial coats (two or three) are a pain but every year thereafter, is a piece of cake. I think it will take me a total of an hour or so to hit a few spots before launch this season. Our lagoon is very warm for NJ as warm as 92 degrees F) as we are on the outflow of a nuclear power plant, with water this warm we are succeptable to barnacles and warm water problems. I have been using Petit Ultima SR for years with execllent results. Costs more up front, but holds up very well in my area.
 
I recently purchased a 19 ft tournament. The bottom paint is chipped in many places. I want to re do it in black. Do i have to sand all of the old paint off or can I feather edge it back and paint over the nasty blue peeling old paint with black ?
 
Get as much of the peeling old paint off, if you do not the new stuff will come off with the old. Also, if it is hard paint and you do not have a barrier coat, you leave the hull ceceptable to water seepage over time. An unprotected fiberglass hull will absorb water if it does not have a solid coat of hard paint of barrier coat. Use heavy grit sand paper to get those parts off and then get a coat of hard paint back on those areas before painting the whole bottom. Also try to eliminate bumps in the paint, after the touch up, sand the areas as flat as possible, uneven edges and rough spots will sacrifice efficiency and speed.
 
tbyrne said:
I recently purchased a 19 ft tournament. The bottom paint is chipped in many places. I want to re do it in black. Do i have to sand all of the old paint off or can I feather edge it back and paint over the nasty blue peeling old paint with black ?

You can feather the spots and lightly sand the rest ( 80 grit) after you make sure that the old paint is not chipping or peeling. If so, you need to remove and sand all loose paint.
The main issue is conpatability of the old and new paints. If you do not know what the original paint is, you should check the new paints litterature for recommendations. You probably will need to prime first, then paint to be safe. It is critical to follow the paint instructions especially for the primer and the fisrt coat of anti-fouling. Prime a different color than you desired bottom color. That will allow you next season to see where the ablative paint has worn off.