Bottom Painting Question

I am in the exact same situation as rh320, bought my 1990 sundancer 270 da in Sept, its showing flaking in a lot of areas, I have no idea what paint was used last time it was done.
so my question is if I decide to do nothing this year what is the risk.
The boat will be slipped all season(Lake Michigan) in Mich. City Ind.
I would prefer to wait until fall to put it in dry dock and redo bottom.
Thanks for any advise.
 
tiara in the snow 01.JPG
I am in the exact same situation as rh320, bought my 1990 sundancer 270 da in Sept, its showing flaking in a lot of areas, I have no idea what paint was used last time it was done.
so my question is if I decide to do nothing this year what is the risk.
The boat will be slipped all season(Lake Michigan) in Mich. City Ind.
I would prefer to wait until fall to put it in dry dock and redo bottom.
Thanks for any advise.
Other than the boat looking poorly cared for, there is not a lot of risk to a bad paint job. My first SR was in the water with out paint for the entire time I owned it. Since we live on a lake I would pull it onto our beach and use a brush to scrub the smile and water line regularly to keep it looking good.
 
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Other than the boat looking poorly cared for, there is not a lot of risk to a bad paint job. My first SR was in the water with out paint for the entire time I owned it. Since we live on a lake I would pull it onto our beach and use a brush to scrub the smile and water line regularly to keep it looking good.
¹1
would it be beneficial to apply bottom paint on as much of the bottom as possible which would include the water line to help protect it and give it a better appearance?
it's on the trailer so doing the entire bottom is not an option.
Also since I have no idea what paint was used last time what would be a good choice to use?
 
View attachment 66699
Other than the boat looking poorly cared for, there is not a lot of risk to a bad paint job. My first SR was in the water with out paint for the entire time I owned it. Since we live on a lake I would pull it onto our beach and use a brush to scrub the smile and water line regularly to keep it looking good.

I do agree with you there. If I walked up to a boat out of the water and saw what looked to be a bunch of layers of paint and it was all uneven and lumpy from recoating areas flaked off and adding to areas not flaked off and compared it to another boat out of the water with an absolute flawless paint job I would just be way more impressed with that boat right off that bat. I know that wouldn't mean much to quality and condition of either boat but the clean paint job would be the one I walked over to look at first. I guess its kind of like if you have an interview for a new job having a fresh hair cut and dressed neatly just makes a much better impression even if it doesn't speak to your qualifications.

I started searching for soda blasters in my area.
 
Here are some pictures of my bottom paints condition.... maybe I’m not so bad off?? Do I really need to have it soda blasted?
 

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tiara in the snow 01.JPG
Here are some pictures of my bottom paints condition.... maybe I’m not so bad off?? Do I really need to have it soda blasted?
I've seen much worse, but believe you will be well served with a freshly prepared and smooth surface to recoat. Also, look into VC bottom paint systems if they are still around to see if they are suited to your local water conditions. The base coat is called VC Tar. The top coat appears to be a light brown color when applied and turns to black when you launch the boat. It is an hard paint that is perfectly smooth to the touch. And, the top coat is such a thin layer that you can paint on top of prior years with having a thick build up that flakes off. I had that applied to my 300 WE after the dealer applied coatings failed due to negligence. I believe it was the best paint I've ever had on any boat I've owned.
 
View attachment 66717
I've seen much worse, but believe you will be well served with a freshly prepared and smooth surface to recoat. Also, look into VC bottom paint systems if they are still around to see if they are suited to your local water conditions. The base coat is called VC Tar. The top coat appears to be a light brown color when applied and turns to black when you launch the boat. It is an hard paint that is perfectly smooth to the touch. And, the top coat is such a thin layer that you can paint on top of prior years with having a thick build up that flakes off. I had that applied to my 300 WE after the dealer applied coatings failed due to negligence. I believe it was the best paint I've ever had on any boat I've owned.

I will look into that. So it is not an ablative paint then? If so, I just lightly sand previous coats to prepare for the new one at the appropriate time? How many coats can you apply before you have to go back to square one? Also, with ablative it is blatantly obvious when it is time for new paint. How do you tell with the hard paint? I guess you just stick to manufacturers recommendation? Is there a chance it could lose its effectiveness in protecting the hull before the time the manufacturer states? Could local waters affect its lifespan? Thanks
 
The grey area that you're referencing, under the bottom paint, is most likely just the discoloration of the gelcoat from the chemical etch process.

Pettit Hydrocoat is a widely used (by SR from the factory, as well) ablative paint that performs well in many areas. You're not in a "tough" area, so that makes it simpler for you, as well. It can be applied over anything and there is no set 'time to launch' to worry about. I use the Eco version on my outdrive and outboards as it is safe for metals so it makes things easy having only one antifouling paint to keep on my shelf.
 
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I think you could get away with scuffing those bare areas up, and repainting. Then wait until next years haul out to see how it held up, and make your decision then on whether or not to soda blast. Whatever you do though, please clean up that scum line :)
 
tiara in the snow 01.JPG
I will look into that. So it is not an ablative paint then? If so, I just lightly sand previous coats to prepare for the new one at the appropriate time? How many coats can you apply before you have to go back to square one? Also, with ablative it is blatantly obvious when it is time for new paint. How do you tell with the hard paint? I guess you just stick to manufacturers recommendation? Is there a chance it could lose its effectiveness in protecting the hull before the time the manufacturer states? Could local waters affect its lifespan? Thanks
The VC system begins with a barrier coat. My boat had flaking paint, so following the manufacturer instructions, we blasted the bottom down to gel coat, filled the voids and did the barrier coat. This is black in color. The top coat had lots of copper in it and was the color of an old penny. As soon as it went into the water, the color changed to a nice black like color. Recoating did not require sanding. We did a good power wash in the fall. In the spring, we did the smile and water line with a heavily thinned (with alcohol or maybe lacquer thinner) using a roller and a quart of paint. The bottom always looked freshly painted on that boat, and was always as smooth as a baby's bottom. I just googled the system I used and it is still on the market. So it has stood the test of time. The paint does not lose any of its killing power when the boat is hauled and dries out. I could have probably gone three years between coatings
 
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The grey area that you're referencing, under the bottom paint, is most likely just the discoloration of the gelcoat from the chemical etch process.

Pettit Hydrocoat is a widely used (by SR from the factory, as well) ablative paint that performs well in many areas. You're not in a "tough" area, so that makes it simpler for you, as well. It can be applied over anything and there is no set 'time to launch' to worry about. I use the Eco version on my outdrive and outboards as it is safe for metals so it makes things easy having only one antifouling paint to keep on my shelf.

Thanks for the reply and recommendation!
 
I think you could get away with scuffing those bare areas up, and repainting. Then wait until next years haul out to see how it held up, and make your decision then on whether or not to soda blast. Whatever you do though, please clean up that scum line :)

Well I'm putting the boat up for sale any day now and hope to have it sold before next year! Yes it's bad
 
View attachment 66721
The VC system begins with a barrier coat. My boat had flaking paint, so following the manufacturer instructions, we blasted the bottom down to gel coat, filled the voids and did the barrier coat. This is black in color. The top coat had lots of copper in it and was the color of an old penny. As soon as it went into the water, the color changed to a nice black like color. Recoating did not require sanding. We did a good power wash in the fall. In the spring, we did the smile and water lift me with a heavily thinned (with alcohol or maybe lacquer thinner) using a roller and a quart of paint. The bottom always looked freshly painted on that boat, and was always as smooth as a baby's bottom. I just googled the system I used and it is still on the market. So it has stood the test of time. The paint does not lose any of its killing power when the boat is hauled and dries out. I could have probably gone three years between coatings

I like the 3 years between recoating and no sanding needed!
 
Just for reference, my boat had bottom paint applied as the factory. I’ve heard that there can be adhesion issues from improper prep.

My paint (ablative) had be flaking off and getting very rough and chunky for a while. It was really bad before last year’s season and my speed was taking a big hit.

I had the bottom blasted, repaired some voids, and applied an Interlux barrier coat before a fresh coat of ablative. The improvement was very significant. I picked up several MPH in the top end and my fuel economy was markedly better. She went from being kinda sluggish and slow to just as fast as the day to get her from the showroom floor.
 
Good day all. I hope this isn't a thread subversion but if anyone believes so I'll gladly start my own. I bought my boat in 2017 so last spring I sanded the bottom down to the barrier coat which looked to be in good condition. I applied 2 thick coats of West Marine PCA Gold and a couple more at the water line. This is supposed to be a multi season ablative so I was a bit disappointed when I visited the boat a couple days ago and could see areas where the bottom paint has worn away and I can see the barrier coat peeking thru. It was almost dusk so I couldn't do a thorough inspection but the worn spots appeared to be primarily on the leading edges of the strakes, along the water line and flatter aft sections appeared still in good shape. So I am going to have to do some touching up. Here is my main question; what experience does this group have in particular with this brand of bottom paint and longevity. I'm thinking perhaps I simply needed to put 4 coats on the strakes but I dont know that I want to use the same bottom paint so I'm thinking of doing a light ressnd of entire bottom and then using Petit or some other well respected brand of paint to recoat entire bottom paying particular attention to extra coats along the strakes. Or do I just scuff up the worn areas and add several coats with the paint I have left from last year. Certainly would be easier Thoughts?
 
Good day all. I hope this isn't a thread subversion but if anyone believes so I'll gladly start my own. I bought my boat in 2017 so last spring I sanded the bottom down to the barrier coat which looked to be in good condition. I applied 2 thick coats of West Marine PCA Gold and a couple more at the water line. This is supposed to be a multi season ablative so I was a bit disappointed when I visited the boat a couple days ago and could see areas where the bottom paint has worn away and I can see the barrier coat peeking thru. It was almost dusk so I couldn't do a thorough inspection but the worn spots appeared to be primarily on the leading edges of the strakes, along the water line and flatter aft sections appeared still in good shape. So I am going to have to do some touching up. Here is my main question; what experience does this group have in particular with this brand of bottom paint and longevity. I'm thinking perhaps I simply needed to put 4 coats on the strakes but I dont know that I want to use the same bottom paint so I'm thinking of doing a light ressnd of entire bottom and then using Petit or some other well respected brand of paint to recoat entire bottom paying particular attention to extra coats along the strakes. Or do I just scuff up the worn areas and add several coats with the paint I have left from last year. Certainly would be easier Thoughts?

I think this is what my yard used on my newly barrier coated bottom last year. After a season mine looks to be in good shape with 2 coats having been applied along the water line and high wear areas. Not super thick coats either.

How long an ablative lasts is tied to the amount and velocity of water flowing over the hull. More/faster water = more wear of the paint. Having a few areas exposed is pretty normal in my experience. You could just touch up the areas of concern.

Also the term “multi season” refers not to the physical wearing off of the paint, but the ability to haul the boat and have the biocides in the paint remain active during a layup. Some types of paint will stop working when exposed to air, so you must apply a new coat if the boat if laid up for very long. These types would not be good for a trailered boat, for example. An ablative paints surface wears off, constantly exposing fresh biocide so this is not an issue. If the paint is wearing off for you it’s kind of a sign it’s doing it’s job and not building up to a thick coat.
 
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I think this is what my yard used in my newly barrier coated bottom last year. After a season mine looks to be in good shape with 2 coats having been applied along the water line and high wear areas. Not super thick coats either.

How long an ablative lasts is tied to the amount and velocity of water flowing over the hull. More/faster water = more wear of the paint. Having a few areas exposed is pretty normal in my experience. You could just touch up the areas of concern.

Also the term “multi season” refers not to the physical wearing off of the paint, but the ability to haul the boat and have the biocides in the paint remain active during a layup. Some types of paint will stop working when exposed to air, so you must apply a new coat if the boat if laid up for very long. These types would not be good for a trailered boat, for example. An ablative paints surface wears off, constantly exposing fresh biocide so this is not an issue. If the paint is wearing off for you it’s kind of a sign it’s doing it’s job and not building up to a thick coat.
Thank you for your response what you say makes perfect sense and give me a bit of relief. Especially the definition of multi season relative to bottom paint, although I can always hope! I think I will on plan on simple touch up
 
Thank you for your response what you say makes perfect sense and give me a bit of relief. Especially the definition of multi season relative to bottom paint, although I can always hope! I think I will on plan on simple touch up

Sounds like a good plan. You want to avoid sanding bottom paint if possible. It's messy, nasty stuff.
 

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