bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

[massimofinance]

I need to bottom paint and understand there are two different types of paint. I understand that with one type, you can go over the old paint, provided you use the same paint. That's what I want to do. How do I determine what kind of paint I have? I got the boat from a guy who never bottom painted, so he does not know what kind is on there. Thanks.

 

[trog100]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

see how hard it is to rub off.. if it comes off easily its the ablative type.. this type is designed to "wear" away the top surface as u use the boat thereby exposing fresh chemicals to keep the wild-life off..<br /><br />the other type is hard and stays on the boat for a long time but dosnt remain efficient after the chemicals have leached out of the outer layers..<br /><br />assuming by "bottom paint" u mean the stuff designed to keep critters at bay as opposed to just making the bottom of your boat look pretty..<br /><br />trog

 

[lark2004]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

anti-foul? of which there are one designed specificly for Fibre-glass, or Aluminium. If this what you are meaning, The real desicion is based on your hull matirial

 

[Captn Dave]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

Probably the only way to really know for sure is to buy what you plan to use and apply some to a small area as a test patch. If it sticks and doesn't cause the existing paint to bubble, you're good to go. Most likely you won't have any problems.

 

[massimofinance]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

Yes, anti-foul paint. It seems to me that there are two types on there. I hit some with a power washer, and it chiped the paint right down to the white (fiberglass) hull. It is an 84 bayliner capri, 16 footer. So, based on this, what should I do? sand it down to the hull (which would be a bear) or paint ablative over it? Thanks!

 

[tommays]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

no matter what you have if you put NEW paint over a bad surface or a badly prepared one its not going to say on and work<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[massimofinance]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

how should I prepare the surface?

 

[massimofinance]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

Meaning, should I sand all / some of the old paint off? just use a chemical?

 

[lark2004]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

do you keep the boat on a trailer? if so, don't even bother with the anti-foul. It is designed for boats that are permanently moored in the water.<br /><br />And BTW, no mater what sort of boat, if it had anti-foul applied, it sucks to remove. I know a few guys with 40ft cruisers. They hate doing that job, and it needs re-doing on theirs every two years.

 

[massimofinance]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

Yes, I have a slip in salt water - long island sound.<br /><br />how do you remove it?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

Mass, Only two ways to get the old paint off. Strip with a chemical, or sand it off. If you go with chemical stripping, use a stripper safe for fiberglass and watch it. It is still tough on the gel coat. If you have power washed most/all of it off and it is pretty smooth, just paint over it with an ablative bottom paint. They are superior to modified-epoxy botom paints since there is little buildup.<br /><br />I used a grinder with 36 grit paper to strip 10+ years of modified-epoxy bottom paint off my 19 footer. I then painted it with 4 coats epoxy barrier coat and 3 coats ablative bottom paint. I did a good job, but the sanding was a pain.

 

[massimofinance]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

Thanks everyone, this was very helpful.

 

[trog100]

Re: bottom painting - what kind is on the boat?

i have seen the ablative stuff come cleanly off just useing a power/steam washer.. course it did leave the old none ablative stuff underneath..<br /><br />i use an interlux two part paint..micron optima i think its called.. its expensive but its water based and litterally washes off (in a controlled fashion) as u use the boat.. all it needs is retouching or painting over every season.. there really is no hard work getting the old off.. it does this on its own.. he he..<br /><br /> http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/product_guide/antifouling/default.asp#CP207369 <br /><br />trog