Bottom Paint


S

Spice

Guest
To those with a PC... have you bottom-painted your boat?  Mine is scheduled for mid/late January -- should I expect any performance losses?  I have a '05 31PC T-6.2 MX BIII 320hp.

Also, none of my previous boats have been bottom painted and we happen to beach on various islands with nice sand and deep approaches.  Should I be concerned or change my habits at all because of the bottom paint?  Perhaps, secure the boat in such a way that there is minimal contact with the sand so as to decrease wear on the paint?  We like to stay for weekends on these islands so not beaching the boat probably isn’t an option.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Spice,

I dont think you will see any noticable performance issues. Although I have never ran a PC with out bottom paint. I do beach ocaisionaly, you might see the paint wear off the keel where it makes contact with the sand. I dont think that little area will cause you any problems with growth. If you use the boat every week, you might not get any growth at all. Depending on where you boat and the water conditions makes a difference on how fast growth can happen.
 
Bottom paint will not affect performance to a point where you will notice it while running, growth and it's accumulation would be more noticable. I beached my old boat many times, intended and unintended :), and have not seen much affect on the paint as long as the sand is soft and you beach it with caution.
 
THERE IS A NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOTTOM PAINTS CONCERNING SPEED. I'VE OWNED A 26 FT CRUISER THAT LOST 5 MPH AFTER BOTTOM WAS PAINTED FOR THE FIRST TIME. I ALSO HAD USED INTERLUX BARRIER COAT UNDER THE PAINT, WHICH PROTECTS THE GLASS FROM OSMOSIS. (GELCOAT BLISTERING). I HAVE HAD FOUR BOATS WITH DIFFERENT PAINTS AND HAVE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS THAT EACH HAVE THEIR OWN CHARACTERISTICS.
MY RECOMENDATION IS TO SAND THE GELCOAT UNTIL THE SHINE IS GONE, APPLY INTERLUX BARRIER COAT (10 MILS THICK), AND FINISH WITH INTERLUX VC-17 ANTI FOULING PAINT. THE VC IS A RACING STYLE PAINT THAT FEELS THE SMOOTHEST OF ALL OF THEM. IT NEEDS REDONE EVERY FOUR YEARS, AND TOUCHED UP YEARLY WHERE RUBS AND NICKS ARE. IT CAN BE APPLIED BY SPRAY OR ROLLED, I USED A SPONGE ROLLER FOR THE SMOOTHEST APPLICATION.
AS FAR AS BEACHING, EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN PREFERENCES. MINE ARE TO NEVER BEACH THE BOAT. WHEN YOU NEED TO REMOVE BOTTOM PAINT, RUST ON STEEL, ETC. YOU SANDBLAST. SAND IS VERY ABRASIVE, AND WILL WEAR THE GELCOAT, PAINT, WHATEVER IS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOAT. SOME PEOPLE WILL PUT A SMALL CARPET UNDER THE KEEL WHERE IT TOUCHES TO PREVENT WEAR.
I BOAT IN FRESH WATER AND ONLY USE BOTTOM PAINT TO KEEP THE BOTTOM CLEAN AND FREE OF GELCOAT BLISTERING. A DIRTY BOTTOM WILL ALSO SLOW YOU DOWN. GOOD LUCK.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top