Bottom Painting

[striper sniper]

Is this a Do It Yourself type job or a nightmare?

Do any of you do it yourself or should I leave it to the professionals?

What is all involved?  Boat is on trailer right now, is that a problem? (other than tough to work around)

Thanks,

Dave

[CapBob]

Dave

I do mine myself. Not really a nightmare at all.

Scrap down the bottom and them wire bush it. Then hose off and let dry (I do this a couple days before painting.

Tape waterline, and then paint. I mainly use rollers. The only work comes when you have to move the boat back on the trailer to paint the spots under the rollers ( with long handles screwed in).

Two words to the wise:

1) Clean the entire boat before you paint....many of the cleaners will turn the paint green where it drips down, especially on/off.

2) Use a good paint, save a ton of work when you haul out and paint again in the spring. And saves a lot of headaches during the season.

I use Pettit Trinidad SR Antifouling Bottom Paint, cost is $200 a gal but well worth it, I never have any growth and very little slime, usually only around the water line.

[Capt. Carl]

yup...capt bob has it perfect!.....also i take one of those long handled curved picks.....like the dentists have and clean out all my sea strainers....wear protective eye wear doing that tho....u don't want any of those barnacles in the eyes!

[IrishAyes]

Has the bottom been painted before? If so, do as mentioned above. If not, it could be a very long, hard process best left to the professionals. After the initial job you can do it yourself for years to come.

[Capt. Carl]

Has the bottom been painted before? If so, do as mentioned above. If not, it could be a very long, hard process best left to the professionals. After the initial job you can do it yourself for years to come.

true true

[striper sniper]

thanks for the info!

It has been painted-it seems like it needs to be re-done.  the paint is chalky to the touch.  How do I get the boat off the trailer without a crane??

[CapBob]

you don't have to come off the trailer, just roll it back to get where the rollers had been.

I use a come-along to pull it back

[Luna Sea 5]

do it yourself, save the money.  Power wash, scrape, prep, then just put a even layer on.

[IrishAyes]

For a bunk trailer you need to use a jack rated for a heavier weight than the boat. Carefully jack up one side and paint. When dry, lower, jack up other side and paint.

All you need is a long enough extention handle on the roller and you are in business.

[striper sniper]

Awesome guys-thanks!!

You just saved me some $!!!

Now what is the name of the paint I need/should use?  Do I need to prime before painting?

Dave

[Luna Sea 5]

no need to prime, just scrap and power wash.  Make sure you have a smooth surface.  There are alot of paints on the market, I am sure you will get a bunch of advice with this one, but its mostly preference.

[IrishAyes]

I use Interlux ACT. Goes for about $125-150. It is an ablative paint. What that means is, when you are running the boat a film of paint is being washed (?) off the bottom. This keeps the bottom clean. You WILL NOT notice any of this happening as it is so miniscule.

A benefit of this is you will not get coat after coat built up on the hull from year after year of painting.

Some paint/paint jobs will last more than one year.

Best thing to do is to have a coat of paint on and put on a second coat with a different color. When the bottom color shows thru you know you need to touch up/repaint.

[Luna Sea 5]

I also use the Interlux.  I usually put a very thin layer on ever year, thin where I don't need it, thicker where I start seeing the wear.

[Capt. Carl]

yup...im an interlux user too...love it....but lunasea is right....the power wash is the key...saves u alot of scraping

[PeggyLee]

Been doing this job myself for years(maybe thats why my back is so messed up)HeHeHe
Power wash ,Scrap the barnicules off
Tape the water line
and "Go to Town" painting with a lite coat.
I use a Top quality Interlux.
Make sure you leave the Puppy Dog inside or they get all painted up under the trailer with YOU.   Good Luck.AJ.

[Bucktail]

Bottom painting can definitely give you a back ache with all that bending and crawling under the boat.  But it'll definitely save you some dough!  I used to do my other boats on their trailers.  Just do as Capt. Bob said and roll it back a little to get to those spots.

One thing I'd recommend, when you're sanding or scraping the old paint make sure you wear a good dust mask.  That paint is some seriously toxic stuff.  You really don't want to be sucking that dust into your lungs.  Plus, if you don't wear it you'll be blowing blue snot out of your nose for a day and a half!

There are lots of good paints to choose from.  Interlux and Petit are popular.  House brands, like those from West Marine and other boating supply stores are a good value as well.  When I worked for BoatUS, I seem to remember that our house brand was made by Petit.

Ablatives are a good choice because they help prevent the build up of paint and require less preparation (after the initial coat). 

If you plan on using one of the less expensive non-ablative paints, just make sure your boat has not already painted with an ablative.

[barrell]

I dont like to mess with pulling the trailer out from under so I jack my boat up over the trailer and put in on blocks. I jack it high enough so I can get easily to the bottom without getting paint all over the trailer. Next day I just lower it back onto the trailer.

[striper sniper]

Great info guys-thank you.  I'm going to do it myself and save some $ for fuel!!

Irish eyes-since the paint is so expensive, can I use "regular" paint of some kind as the "show" color undercoat and go with the interlux ablative of a different color overtop?

[IrishAyes]

I would not do that. Don't know if they would be compatable, etc.

If you have a coat of paint on now, just use a different color for this coat. That is an option to do it that way, does not have to be done. Just makes it easier to tell how thin the paint is getting. If you intend to paint the bottom every year, no need for the different colors at all as you would not need a wear indicator. 

I have a 25' Parker and I only use about 3/4 gallon for the whole job so I wouldn't be too concerned about the price of the paint. 

[striper sniper]

Makes sense! Didn't even think of that.