Glen-L.com

I'm ready to paint my hull and I've been talking to some local experts about using an antifouling paint. Their general consensus is that any and ALL boats should have some type of antifouling paint from the waterline to the keel even in inland freshwater lakes. With the amounts of algea we have in this area, it's virtually impossible NOT to recieve some kind of damage ....... or so they say. And yet, I see many, many boats, jet skis, pontoons and other water craft in the original gelcoat or aluminum that obviously do NOT have it. To further complicate matters, the understanding is that virtually all antifouling paints imediately start oxidizing when the boat is removed from the water. Given a few days to oxidize out of the water, the traditional ablative paint will virtually lose all of its effectiveness and will need replacing in short order. Well, that pretty much does it for a boat like mine that will get trailered at the end of every boating session.

If there is anyone that knows anything about this subject, I'm absolutely all ears. .......or actually I'm all eyes because I'll have to "read" your responses. Ha Ha.

_________________
Isn't it amazing!! The person that never has the fortitude to pursue his own dreams, will be the first to try and discourage you from pursuing yours.

Hey Dave- You are right in your asumption that a anti-fouling paint oxidzes when out of water. In fact the manufactures do not recommend it for a trailer boat. It will dry up and blow away, literally. To complicate matters, paint manufactures say their paints are only good for a few days at a time with constant emersion, some say maybe a week. Most trailer boats are only on the water for a day or two at most. As far as algae is concerned, probably the best is to hose it down as you fell you need to, maybe a soft bristle brush scrub a couple of times a year. Think you are probably overworrying yourself. My next boat will be painted with kirby's a oil based marine paint, already used a epoxy paint. But that will be over a straight wood hull. If you glassed your boat, I think a fiberglass compatible paint is more in order, not a wood paint, after all the wood is covered up and you are painting fiberglass. Others can tell you their experience with painting glassed hulls, I am a die hard straight wood guy.
Do a search on this board, look in the web letters, I am sure there was a couple of individuals that have relayed their answers from paint manufactures concerning below water line, and anti-fouling. As I understand it, no paint manufacturer makes a paint specifically for the bottom of trailer boats, and that appearantly is why you see manufactured trailer boats with the same paint on the bottom that is on the side.
This could lead to a very interesting bottom paint discussion concerning some of the trailered house boats, or bo-jest that is owned by a retired person that may have the boat in the water for 2 weeks at a time, and then back home on the trailer for another month. RonW

Thank you Ron for that reply. The hull has already been glassed so I'll just go ahead and look for a nice topside paint that I like. I'm leaning toward Interlux "Brightside" because it has come so highly recommended. And I like the colors.

So basically, what I need to do is to simply wipe down the hull whenever I'm through with boating each and every time. And then maybe twice a year give it a good scrubbing. Hey, that's no problem at all. I'm on that.

_________________
Isn't it amazing!! The person that never has the fortitude to pursue his own dreams, will be the first to try and discourage you from pursuing yours.

That's true, in a day, on a nice hull, virtually no algea will stick to your boat. Some may, but as said it's easy to wipe them off, it's more like a slimy layer.

If your boat will be out of the water every day, no antifouling is needed

_________________
http://www.eamelink.nl/zut/boot/ << My ongoing RED hulled squirty![br]
Newest photo's

International Toplac gets the thumbs up from me. Its a bit more expensive than Brightside but its supposed to have a longer-lasting shine and be easier to apply. I just finished the last coat yesterday on my boat and it turned out very well. The key things are to apply as light a coat as possible with a Short nap FOAM roller (don't bother trying anything else), thin the paint by about 5% with the right thinners, and tip off the paint with a good brush or a foam brush (foam brush worked well for me) . Also you have to be really fast; if you paint too slow, you'll lose the wet edge. A helper is highly recommended!

_________________
David McAdam
Squirt Gallery - Its BACK!!
http://one.xthost.info/boatbuilder/boat/
BOAT IS NOW SOLD

So the paint came out OK in the end David after your initial disappointment?

_________________
Graham in Shepperton, England

Good, Quick, Cheap, pick any two.

Yeah it worked out fine....Initially I was putting far too much on the roller and getting a ripply surface.

_________________
David McAdam
Squirt Gallery - Its BACK!!
http://one.xthost.info/boatbuilder/boat/
BOAT IS NOW SOLD

That's what I thought, will you have some more pictures soon?

_________________
Graham in Shepperton, England

Good, Quick, Cheap, pick any two.

Yep I should have some more pics in a day or two...I'm thinking of taking the ferry over to Liverpool for a few days...I need a change of scenery!

_________________
David McAdam
Squirt Gallery - Its BACK!!
http://one.xthost.info/boatbuilder/boat/
BOAT IS NOW SOLD

This is an interesting thread.

My boat will be in a lake all summer and on a trailer all winter. It seems from this discussion that antifouling paint is unnecessary due to being in a lake. The bottom of my present boat gets a bit slimy but it comes off easily. Also, the antifouling paint may be a poor choice for a boat that is out of the water for 7 months of the year.

Does anyone have suggestions for a bottom paint, either an Interlux brand or a Silkens brand. They are the most common Marine paints around here. The boat is Mahogany covered in epoxy fiberglass.

Scuttlebutt has it that Pettit Paints is coming out with an antifouling paint specifically designed for trailerable boats. It will be called "Vivid." That's the news that I got. It is supposed to be specifically designed to not dry up and blow away but retains all the antifouling properties wanted in a boat that will spend a considerable time in the water.

_________________
Isn't it amazing!! The person that never has the fortitude to pursue his own dreams, will be the first to try and discourage you from pursuing yours.

A guy at the local marina reckons that if you mix several spoonfuls of chilli powder in with your bottom paint it acts as an antifoul! I'm not sure if he was pulling my leg or not....

_________________
Graham in Shepperton, England

Good, Quick, Cheap, pick any two.

Well, at least he didn't make it up completely (or he did, but told more people ):

http://www.sailing-forum.com/uk/Effecti ... 92419.html

They say to add chilli powder to antifouling.

_________________
http://www.eamelink.nl/zut/boot/ << My ongoing RED hulled squirty![br]
Newest photo's