What color bottom paint would you recommend

K

ksgoldman

GreatGrady Captain
Joined
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Location
Cape Coral, Fl
Model
Freedom 275
I will be keeping my Tournament 275 in the water from April through October so I have to apply bottom paint. The problem is that with my last boat I had a lighter blue bottom paint and the scumline (waterline) looked horrible because of all the crud that accumulated (my mooring is on a saltwater river so the growth is even worse).

I was thinking about either black or dark blue bottom paint but wasn't sure how it would look on the boat (the black would be the easiest to maintain but may not look the best). I need to have my bottom paint up about 2" above the level waterline because of the way that scum accumulates (if it's just at the waterline, the gelcoat on the hull above the bottom paint at the waterline looks horrible.

What do people think about black for a bottom paint color? Another choice is a darker blue or maroon. My T275 has navy canvas.

I know it's early to be asking this question but figured that people aren't as busy this time of year (versus if I ask in the Spring when I need to have the boat prepped for the season).
 
I have black on my Sailfish and would recommend it. It was a light blue when I purchased the boat. It looked horrible.
 
I think Pettit offers a very dark blue that should look good. Either that or straight black.

Just remember to protect the paint when you apply your wax. IMHO wax "over spray" makes a nice bottom job look like sh*t....
 
I started with black, went to dark blue, and are now back to black. Black is the best looking and does not fade like the blue did. The alternating of paint colors did provide a good indicator coat that showed when the ablative paint had worn off in an area.

BTW - switch to the Petit Vivid Paint and have been very happy. Seems to have a harder coat and a bit more gloss.
 
I think any color, as long as it is black, will look good on a Grady.
 
Thanks everyone. I really thought that black was the right answer when I started this thread, but was concerned that to boat might look too short above the waterline with a black bottom (as the black might not provide any contrast between the water and the hull). I'm happy that everyone said black because I think it will be the easiest to maintain.

As it's a new boat, I'm putting on a hard base coat and then two coats of ablative. From past experience, I know that given how long I'm in the water, the ablative wears off (not to mention, some scrubbing of the scumline accelerates the wear). The hard coat underneath is to provide some level of protection if the ablative wears through.

Thanks again.
 
I used the Interlux Bottomkote black this year and I am really pleased with the results. The 3M Scotch Blue painter's tape worked well too. Black looks better than the navy blue. Good luck.
 
Everyone in Mass Bay is black from what I can tell.
 
jekyl said:
Black's more slimming. so you won't have to ask" does my transom look big in this?"
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Ha! :D That was really very funny.

I can't really picture anything in my head other than black, but I am extremely curious how a very dark blue would look (e.g., navy, midnight navy, or LAPD blue).
 
I have been thinking that despite what colors look good when the boat is in general use, if you capsize, a bright color will be easier for search and rescue to find. My current color is black from the previous owner.
 
bottom paint

shark white, if you can keep it at the water line, and keep it in the water it is actually white, otherwise goes to a green. but, when it dirty you know
 
I use petitt vivid abaltive color matched to the grady white color. You cannot ride beside me and see where the gel color stops and the abative starts. Therefore, my hull looks as if it had no bottom paint. It is a 370 Espress and stays in water all year.
 
Fishermanbb said:
Of course, this is a matter of personal opinion...but, IMHO BLACK is the ONLY color that looks good on a GW.
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X2 on this. Also, you'll not see it that much unless it is turtled, so it's really your preference.
 
I have a 1 gallon bucket of blue Trilux 33 from this spring and will use it for next year. Trilux 33 has a biocide callled BioLux and from my experience it works better than without biocide in high fouling waters.
If it's not working well for my fouling situation or the color is too ugly i will change type and color in 2026. In earlier years on my BW 23 Outrage i used red AF as it had the highest copper content and worked clearly better/lasted longer than other colors but not sure if that is still the case.
Not all AF are the same and work same under different water conditions and best is usually to ask other boat owners in the marina what they are using and how it works, particular big boats who get less hauled than smaller ones.
One of the best i know is International Micron CSC what works very well under all water conditions.
If fouling situation is bad (warm, brackish sea water) then a mid season brushing may be necessary, if more frequent brushing is necessary then a harder AF should be used to avoid that it get brushed off too easy.
Chris
 
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Bought mine a few years old and it was blue. Went with black hydro coat and it looks great.
 
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