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Bottom paint suggestions?

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by Motoryacht, Jul 7, 2005.

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  1. Motoryacht, Jul 7, 2005
    #1
    Motoryacht

    Motoryacht Member

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    It's time to pull! Are there any new bottom paint products or suggestions? Thanks in advance.
  2. YachtForums, Jul 7, 2005
    #2
    YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Over the years, I’ve had bottom paint pro’s suggest using an opposing color for the first coat (as a barrier coat) and then the final coat (or more) should be the color chosen for the hull bottom. The concept is, as the ablative coats wears off, the opposing color underneath begins to show through… indicating it’s time to pull the boat.

    For example, if black is the color you’ve chosen for the bottom paint of your hull, use blue or red for the first coat. Once the base coat (in the case, blue or red) begins to show through, you know you have a little time left before the boat need to come out of the water. This way you know when it’s time to repaint.

    We’ve been using Interlux Micron 66. It seems to work well. About 18 months between pulls. We idle in the intracoastal for the most part, but if you’re operating at higher speeds, say in heavy salt water, expect a shorter life span (remember, ablative paints are designed to wear-off, exposing new copper constantly) There may be something newer/better on the market, haven’t looked lately. I’ve heard heard that Micron CSC isn’t a good choice for southern waters. It tends to build-up slime that doesn’t come off when operating a vessel at speed.

    By the way, I met with a manufacturer at the Miami Show that is using an electro-static powdercoast for props with good anti-fouling results. If I can find their materials, I’ll pass it along.

    There was some research being conducted down-under (not under your hull!) a couple of years back that looked promising. I saved the link to a disk a while ago. I’ll see if I can find it.

    Here’s the Interlux description list. Hope this helps. Oh yeah, don’t forget zincs!

    http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/default.asp
  3. YachtForums, Jul 7, 2005
    #3
    YachtForums

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  4. Motoryacht, Jul 8, 2005
    #4
    Motoryacht

    Motoryacht Member

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    Thanks Carl. I'm looking into the Ecospeed coating now. According to their website www.subind.net they offer a ten year guarantee against osmosis & coorosion, but this isn't a warranty against fouling. Another thing is, the existing bottom coat has to be removed down to the bare metal for this stuff to adhere. I'll do a google search on this to see if anyone else has tried it.
  5. YachtForums, Jul 8, 2005
    #5
    YachtForums

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    Just had a look at their site. Did you notice the 3 day curing period along with a conditioning process that takes another 2 days. Yikes! I'd hate to see the yard bill for storage. :rolleyes:

    It appears to be more expensive than traditional bottom paints, but it's all relavent. Pay hauling & painting charges once every couple of years, or pay the labor to prep your boat for this stuff, coupled with a few more dollars on the cost of the coating... and you're good to go for many years.

    They claim that barnacles will wash away with hull speed. What they fail to mention is that not all parts of the hull are exposed to rushing water, like the transom. Still, if barnacles will brush away, it's cheaper to dive!

    Here's a PDF file I found...

    http://www.ecospeed.be/web/doc/Newsletter_mei04.pdf

    Finally... a white bottom paint that won't turn green! (no copper).