Re: Anti Fouling Paint...
I just did a lot of research about this for aluminum boats. Keep in mind that I did not test, I took the word of various manufactures.
When it came to anti-fouling, most of them said don't bother on a Tinny that isn't permanently left in the water.
Here's the catch, most manufactures consider permanent to be anything over 72 hours. At that point you have to consider an entirely different process. You first must apply a barrier coating and many say this must be up to 10 mil thick. Then you need to apply a anti-fouling paint that is designed to be used on aluminum boats.
For antifouling paint to be effective it needs to wear off fairly rapidly to expose fresh agent. Water does this fast enough but they say that trailer bunks wear it off very quickly. I guess that means that you need to check it often and repaint as necessary so you don't rub through the barrier coating.
As an alternative, I settled on Interlux VC Performance with teflon. This is a trailerable product and can withstand submersion for long periods of time. It has zero UV protection so it is for use only below the waterline. It's not antifouling but they say it is very easy to clean using a car wash pressure wand, (haven't tested).
Now you have to think, because you're probably going to want to paint above the water line if you want a nice looking boat. The VC Performance has no UV protection so above the waterline it will chalk out on you pretty fast.
If you paint the sides, you have to do them first and you have to use something that is compatable with the bottom paint you choose. You need to paint down just below the waterline. Then when you apply your barrier coat and bottom paint you'll set your waterline so that you lap the side paint. This will put the paint seam facing up so that the hydraulic pressures of the water don't cause it to get forced under the seam and cause it to peel off the side paint.
So now you have about 500.00 invested in paint and a lot of time preping, etc. Does it make more sense now why you should just leave it bare and buy a good pressure washer instead.
