Bottom Paint & Quick Questions

D

dmarsh70

New Member
Jun 3, 2011
20
Jacksonville, FL
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer
Engines
Merc 5.7
Hi Everyone.

Ok I just bought my first boat. 2004 S/R 260 Sundancer. Will be delivered Wednesday. I hadn't thought about this before.....

FIrst, the vessel has never been bottom painted. From what I understand, that is not a bad thing.

I am sure that the novelty of new boat ownership will have me down at the marina, propably everyday... cleaning, having fun... etc. My initial thought was to use the high and dry storage ---

BUT because I am so in experienced, I am thinking that keeping it in a slip for the season may be the way to go so I can get on it and learn how to dock etc..

So on to the bottom paint.

If I bottom paint, how long can the vessel stay in the water? I dont want to have to pay for haul out just to wash it. Haul out is free if I use dry storage.

I think at some point I will buy a trailer, learn how to launch & recover and keep it on a trailer off season to save some money on storage.

So I am deciding if I should bottom paint or not to bottom paint. If I do bottom paint, what is the best paint to use??

Thanks everyone. I'll try not to bombard the board with a ton of newbie questions!

DM
 
I have always had boats with no bottom paint but never left them in the water for more than a week at a time. Hull staining & cleaning is a real pain to deal with. I always get an iron type brown rust staining in the river even though the water is clear. When buying a cruiser, I wanted to leave it in the water all summer. The bottom paint eliminates 90% of my cleaning issues and the hull looks great all summer. Does it protect the gelcoat?.....can't hurt in my opinion. I use a multi-season Ablative Paint from Sea Hawk...Monterey Self Polishing Solvent Free Bottom Paint. It went on very nice over my old paint. I only boat in fresh water so I don't know anything about salt water issues, Mike.
 
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You guys rock! Thanks for the fast replies. Can you elaborate more on the barrier coat? Do you put barrier coat on and follow with bottom paint?
 
I know people that have just used barrier coat only in fresh water with no bottom paint. I just wanted to eliminate the staining issue we get and the black paint I use just worked, Mike.
 
Barrier coatings vary by paint maker. I just applied Pettit's 4700 Protect High Build Epoxy. It took three coats to get the proper thickness. This was followed by two coats of Hydrocoat.

There are some issues;

1. The bottom has to be properly prepared before applying the barrier coat. If its not clean, the paint won't stick.
2. Epoxies cure through a chemical reaction, they don't dry. That means when the process is complete the paint is rock solid whether it is on the hull or in your paint bucket. Hardening time is a function of temperature. I was lucky and did my work in 60 degree weather and had several hours of pot life to work with. 90 Plus degree weather will only give you minutes. It might help to have a crew painting with you to minimize the application time. That also means have all of the prep work, masking done, rollers and pans ready, etc before mixing the paint.
3. There is a specific window for re-coating and then top coating with bottom paint. Since you will probably be working outside, try and shoot for a five day window of good weather.

Henry
 
Barrier coat is a must, IMO. Anyone who knows about boats will ask you about the barrier coat when it comes time for you to sell the boat. As far as the type of bottom paint, any good multiseason ablative will be fine. You'll only have to do the waterline yourself each spring at least for the first few seasons. I would get a wet slip if I were in Florida and enjoy the boat. Forget about dry dock and the hassle of 'ordering' your boat from the marina when you want to go out for a ride. The fun of boating is back at the slip with your dockmates.
 
Thanks guys - you have me convinced to barrier paint and bottom paint the vessel. Now to find someone in Jacksonville that can do it reasonably... You guys ever see me paint? WHOA bad idea :)
 
Hey DM Welcome.

I bought my 300DB in Jax.

Here is everything you want to know about bottom paint along with links to verious sites to help you. As you will be in brackish water and salt, I would recommend you put on several barrier coats then a good bottom paint. I used Interlux 2000E and Micron Extra. Good luck and have some fun.

Go Dawgs!!!

http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/24963-300DB-Restoration-Continues-Bottom-Paint
 
THanks again to all!

One last question (and I know some of you will chuckle). If you park at a slip all the time, how do you flush your engines? I'm told that you should flush after each use... any input on this?

DM
 
DM,

I'm guessing you have a Bravo Three outdrive. You might want to reconsider wet slipping your boat. Sterndrives and full time Florida water are not a good thing from a corrosion standpoint.

Henry
 
Thanks Henry... Gonna have to play it by ear.. still not sure to dry dock or to slip... but will figure it out :) I appreciate everyones input!!
 
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