Bottom paint - Fresh Water (Lake Michigan)

Pettit hydrocoat looks good when just painted ......it looks brown in the pic with the lighting but in daylight its black.

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Pettit Hydrocoat has worked very well in Lake Erie for us
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Seems like Petit Hydrocoat is the most common paint of choice among the group, so I will give that a shot this season. Really appreciate the feedback/discussion!
 
I never put anything on my 280DA. A couple times a summer I get into a shallow beach and then clean the hull. A little bit of slime is all that is ever on it and it comes off real easy. End of season when pull it out I go to the side right at the marina wash the hull, then clean the stain with muriatic acid and I'm done....sparkling white and clean.
Good to know Woody - I'm debating leaving my 215WE up in Corny, slipped all Summer .
 
Looks like you painted you're trim tabs with it as well?
The original owner did that... It has always been a fresh water boat...so no idea why..... I wanted to take them off and polish them up but I didnt have time. I might do it this winter and rebed them...but again I have a long list
 
So I have one question... Can I use Pettit over my factory bottom paint. I had the haul cleaned while at the canvas guys shop and he told me it looked like the boat had been beached on sand on a regular basis. Now that the boat is going live on the river it will never be beached. I just need to touch up the bottom but I am planning on painting the entire bottom.
 
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So I have one question... Can I use Pettit over my factory bottom paint. I had the haul cleaned while at the canvas guys shop and he told me it looked like the boat had been beached on sand on a regular basis. Now that the boat is going live on the river it will never be beached. I just need to touch up the bottom but I am planning on painting the entire bottom.

You need to confirm what bottom paint is on the boat and then check with the manufacturer of the paint you intend to use to see if the two are compatible.
 
I agree but the odds your going to figure out what is on there I would think would be slim. I had the same problem... no way I was going to figure out what was on there. What I did was determine it was ablative and then used this http://www.pettitpaint.com/products/thinners-and-dewaxers/dewaxers/bio-blue/ to clean and etch. Then paint.

I did the Bio blue myself with a scotch bright pad...it was a very painful process lying on my back. I got a car dolly which helped and six beers and pushed thru. Ideally you want to take the original off but if you cant and dont mind doing what I did you should be good if it's just a basic ablative paint... but ask Pettit and see what they say...
 
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I agree but the odds your going to figure out what is on there I would think would be slim. I had the same problem... no way I was going to figure out what was on there. What I did was determine it was ablative and then used this http://www.pettitpaint.com/products/thinners-and-dewaxers/dewaxers/bio-blue/ to clean and etch. Then paint.

I did the Bio blue myself with a scotch bright pad...it was a very painful process lying on my back. I got a car dolly which helped and six beers and pushed thru. Ideally you want to take the original off but if you cant and dont mind doing what I did you should be good if it's just a basic ablative paint... but ask Pettit and see what they say...

Didn't he say it was factory applied? SR is good about answering questions. Wouldn't hurt to give them a call.
 
We had a Center console that had a unknown bottom paint. Reached out to Pettit and they said I could use Hydrocoat over it. Unlike solvent based paints they are more versatile. However, I think an exception might be VC 17 I don't know of anything that sticks to it other than VC 17.
 
I think I had the same prob as you first year of boat ownership. Spread too thin used about a gallon on my 330. The next year I used two gallons and it’s was obviously thicker. Looked nicer as well. I let that go two season and just touched up water line the 4th. This year it is looking thin and hoping a gallon or two will do trick. I use the WM CCP. It’s cheap and very effective for lake st clair
 
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I think I had the same prob as you first year of boat ownership. Spread too thin used about a gallon on my 330. The next year I used two gallons and it’s was obviously thicker. Looked nicer as well. I let that go two season and just touched up water line the 4th. This year it is looking thin and hoping a gallon or two will do trick. I use the WM CCP. It’s cheap and very effective for lake st clair
Our boats are about the same size. Tiara applied a gallon of bottom paint at the factory and supplied another gallon in an unopened can with the boat. The thinking was it is better that the selling dealer apply the final coat to insure that the boat shows well when it is being marketed. So, two gallon seems to be the correct amounts of paint.
 
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