my "NEW" grady- needs bottom paint DYI

[arich]

Can someone please point me in the right direction to properly protect a boat the first time out?

I just bought a 2003 257 Advance with 48 hours. Indoor stored on rack and never painted.

Some guidance and a link would be appreciated. Boat will now be stored at a marina in NY 8-9 months a year.

 

[seasick]

Can someone please point me in the right direction to properly protect a boat the first time out?

I just bought a 2003 257 Advance with 48 hours. Indoor stored on rack and never painted.

Some guidance and a link would be appreciated. Boat will now be stored at a marina in NY 8-9 months a year.

It's staying in the water now ?
If its been there for more than a few days and unpainted, be prepared for an unpleasant surprise when you haul it.

 

[arich]

[/quote]
It's staying in the water now ?
If its been there for more than a few days and unpainted, be prepared for an unpleasant surprise when you haul it.[/quote]

No, it's not in the water. It's now on a trailer waiting for me. I'm bringing it home this weekend and preparing it to go into the water. Want to do the job right. No sand primer? Sand and prime? top coats?

I spent the last hour on the interlux site and there are many options.

 

[ocnslr]

If it's going to go in the water and stay in the water, then you should really have a proper barrier done. This is several coats of an epoxy barrier coat, applied by someone who knows how, as the drying times between coats, as well as before the first coat of anti-fouling, are critical for the overall success and longevity of the application.

Get the barrier put on properly. The three coats of an anti-fouling that is used and successful in your waters.

If you use an ablative anti-fouling, I recommend that you make the first coat a contrasting color from the next two coats. e.g. our first coat is red, and the next two are dark blue. When we can "see red" then we know we have two coats worn off and need to repaint the bottom.

Best wishes on the new Grady.

Brian

 

[Legend]

I believe the first coat of bottom paint has to be applied after the bottom has been sanded -

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

1) Sand the whole bottom with 220 grit by hand to give a little grip.
2) MINIMUM two coats of epoxy barrier coat to prevent blisters.
3) Follow ocnslr directions to finish your bottom. I like the "tell" color to be a hard paint, then two coats of ablative.

 

[seasick]

1) Sand the whole bottom with 220 grit by hand to give a little grip.
2) MINIMUM two coats of epoxy barrier coat to prevent blisters.
3) Follow ocnslr directions to finish your bottom. I like the "tell" color to be a hard paint, then two coats of ablative.

You have options: You can use a no sand primer or you can sand. You have to clean the hull in any case. As for barrier coats, the Interlux Protect is a good product . It is not cheap and the recommended application for roller is 4 coats with specific times between coats and the final anti fouling coats. It is a lot of work but will give you the best protection. For final coat, I use Interlux CSC and find that it works quite well and last 2 or three seasons. I alternate colors when repainting although I like the black the best since is doesn't show the scum line as much as the lighter colors do. I will be looking at the newer water based paints but I am waiting to see how my fellow club members do with theirs and what the general feedback is. I like ablatives since they don't build up over time but they need to be touched up. That said, sanding the anti fouling paints is a nasty and toxic job. Some locales require special facilities to contain the sanded and washed off materials.
If you get the job done by someone else, be sure they know what they are doing. Interprotect and final paint jobs take several days to do right.

 

[seasick]

I forget to mention: You should inspect the hull for blisters. If there are any, they need to be dealt with before priming or barrier coating. Barrier coats will help reduce blisters but they wont fix existing ones. My experience has been that Grady hulls usually do not have blister issues.