Doug,Doug W wrote:seriously though, which is more beneficial? Bottom paint or factory gelcoat? I've never had bottom paint on my previous boats. I was looking at a sailboat (san juan) with black bottom paint, It looked good on the trailer at a distance but up close, it was thick and not smooth--seems like it'd add some friction.
I will be sailing primarily in midwestern lakes and will rarely leave the boat in the water more than a few days at a time. I must admit that the blue hull M with blacked bottom sure looks good...
There was a thread last fall where a number of us reported that our boats had developed a mini-blister problem below the waterline. The gelcoat has the look and feel of an NFL football. It really doesn't matter if it was a factory quality control problem or not, the common element between us was leaving our boats in the water for extended periods of time without doing anything to protect the gelcoat other than a couple coats of wax. My boat was in Madison's Lake Mendota for 10-12 weeks last season with just wax on the bottom. It wasn't pretty when I put it on the trailer at the end of the season.
A barrier paint is several coats/layers of a hard epoxy finish. Interlux 2000E is an example. This covers/seals the gelcoat so it will not blister and is often done when your boat is going to be left in the water for an extended period of time (ie: mooring or slip).
Bottom paint (anti-fouling paint) is a finish applied below the waterline and is intended to repel "stuff" the would like to attach itself to the hull and grow there. There are two basic types: Single-season and multi-season. Most single-season bottom paint is soft and does its job by sluffing off during the season. It is not really suitable for most trailerable boats. Mutli-season products are often hard finish, the layers can build up over time and have to be sanded down to the barrier layer every now and then. Pettit's "Vivid" is an example of a thin-coat mutli-season anti-fouling paint that is suitable for trailerable boats.
I'm in a slip on Lake Michigan this year. In a few weeks I'll be sanding the gelcoat as smooth as possible, appling 4-6 coats of Interlux 2000E and then 2-3 coats of "Vivid". I have a white hull but I'll use blue bottom paint for the speed advantage.
So ... Based on how you plan to use the boat, I wouldn't barrier coat the bottom or apply bottom paint. If you plan on keeping the boat at a mooring or in a slip for weeks at a time, make sure you protect the gelcoat.
Paul
