Hull paint - when do you need it?

[ckalupa]

My boat is about 13 years old (31 foot express cruiser). It has been dry-stacked its whole life and has never had any bottom paint put on it. I am going to continue the dry stack but am considering getting a slip at the local marina (Lake Michigan - freshwater) for day and weekend use. I will still plan to put the boat away when not using it during the week, bad weather, etc.

At what point does one pull the trigger and put the bottom paint on? If I am going to keep it in the water for a week or two as extended stay do I need to consider painting- (realizing that you have to power wash or use the cleaners to get the discoloration off)?

Never having painted before that I am just not up to speed on the rationale on when to use it? Hope I put this in the right category. Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[shrew]

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

IMHO It is needed when 'wet slipping' the boat for extended periods of time. One week won't kill you. All summer is a different story. If you're going to bottom paint, find a brand that will allow the paint to be dried out. Many manufacturers make a paint for trailierable boats. These paints can be dried and the boat relaunched without needing to either 'reactivate' the paint with a slight sanding or repainting again. If you're really only going to keep it in for a week at at time, then you should be safe. Provided the hull is properly and thoroughtly cleaned when it's hauled.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

you have to ask the locals about growth on unpainted bottoms in your marina at your time of year. If it's a problem in 2 weeks, you have to ask them what type of paint to use, or if it's better to hose, scrub, or pressure wash it off. Or a Lake Michigan boater here can help--and I wonder if the situation is different in different parts of the lake.

Shrew is right; part of the paint selection process includes whether you want the kind that can dry out without harming its effectiveness.

 

[shrew]

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

True Home Cookin' sometimes growth is amazing. I wet slip all summer. My boat is bottom painted, but I still get aabout 2-3 inches of yellowish scum line above the bottom paint line. I swim around the boat and wash it with a clean rag every weekend. The following weekend it's back again. If I skip a few weekends it looks horrible. This isn't actually growth, just discoloration, but it develops FAST.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

You will get some growth in 1 to 2 weeks of slipping. Just acid wash the bottom when you put it back in the rack. And keep a close eye on the hull for any signs of blisters, especially in a boat of that age.

 

[ckalupa]

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

OK - thanks all for your thoughts.

I have had the boat in the water in the rivers by the Milwaukee Harbor for just three days and the yellowing is incredible and happens fast on a normally white boat even in that short period of time. The hull cleaner works beautifully though (and fast). I really don't intend for it to be in the in-water slip for more than maybe two or three days (like over a weekend) before it goes back into it's rack at the dry stack. The in-water slips at the dry stack places are not so impressive and they really want you to take your boat and head out instead of hanging around their slips (for obvious reasons). It is nice to have the ability to have it pulled easily and set in a dry rack whether inside our out when you want to work on it though. The public marina at McKinley has nice floating docks that are reasonably close to the water level making entry off the swim deck easier. That and the slips makes watching the fireworks pretty convenient right from the docks

 

[Ammonite]

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

As a boat ages and is out in the sun, the gel coat breaks down and becomes porous. This allows the brown staining to 'stick' to your boat. If you want to keep it away totally, then you will need regular waxing. If not then you have to remove it with some sort of chemical. What we normally use is oxalic acid. This is the active ingredient in teak cleaners, but you can buy it much cheaper in power form. Dilute some in a bucket, dip your brush in the solution, wipe on and off comes the brown stain. Once the color has gone, which is instantaneous, give the hull a good rinse.

 

[ckalupa]

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

Is there any products (that work) that are something like an anti-fouling wax? Thinking that if I really don't need to paint it that would be best for the short durations but a hull wax that has some anti-fouling may be helpful.

 

[Ammonite]

Re: Hull paint - when do you need it?

I have not come across such an item - wax with anti-fouling and it is an unlikely product. This is because the wax below the waterline will not stay on your hull very long, the duration will depend on usage / time in water, speed you run at and all the usual criteria.