Wet Slip Advice?

[ESPERANZA]

Moe, do these guys sell this paint or just install?

[Don T]

Duane:
That's interesting, When we got back from our trip into Canada (12 days) there were little barnicles all over the botom of our boat. I buffed in wax before we left so they wiped off with a little effort. So small you could barely see them but you could feel them. I had no idea they came in sets.

[Moe]

I think they just do the painting. The paint is Interlux and it's sold a lot of places.

--
Moe

[normo]

Moe: Blisters can be a serious and expensive issue and they deserve careful consideration. I went through a exhaustive bottom reclamation a few years ago and it was pure hull. A 1976 boat that had 25 years of salt water exposure with no protection. Layers of bottom pain and 55 deep blisters. I read everything possible, called Interlux, talked to reps - the works and repaired it myself; retirement is not all fun and games.

My recommendations and comments, which assume you keep your boat in fresh water and have a 5 month season, are as follows:
1. For year one do nothing. I can't imagine developing blisters in just a few months. The hull will get a long dry out period in the off season. Talk to lots of owners in your area and find out if they have a problem without protection and what protection works best.
2. If you decide protection is necessary only do the barrier coat. Absolutely don't slop that GD bottom paint on your nice smooth hull and centerboard. It's awful stuff - slooow. and it builds up into nasty layers each year. Before you know it it's time to scrape it all off and start all over. I'm not aware that bottom paint provides any meaningful blister protection. I rolled on 6 coats of Interlux 2000E barrier coat. It is not a big deal to put this on a virgin bottom. It can be lightly sanded to provide a nice smooth surface. Should be able to do it for $150 or so.
3. The issue that can't be ignored is water ballast. There is no reason that blisters won't form on the interior surfaces wetted by water ballast. Wonder what MacGregor says about that?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Don,

Neither was I until a few years ago when my brother in law filled me in.

He is an Oyster farmer, and they also propogate in sets that only occur under specific enviromental conditions. He replicates these conditions in his tanks so the oyster larvae he buys will set on the old shell he packs in mesh bags. It's a 5 day process from adding the seed to having set microscopic oysters on the shell. During this time the water in the tanks is heated and circulated. From there the stacks of bags go down onto the beach in large roped together bundles in the tidal zone. After about 3-4 months the bags are opened and the shell is spread on the open beach. Depending on whether you want singles or clusters the shell may need to be separated as they grow. 1-2 years later, depending on the size you want to harvest the crop is ready for the picking.

Oysters only spawn and set naturally about once every year or two, sometimes not even that if conditions are wrong. Barnacles aren't so picky and can spawn multiple times during a year. Oysters are also much more picky about their new home and will only set on old oyster shell. Barnacles will set on pretty much anything, including the bottoms of our boats.

[norbert]

sorry to have you troubled folks. as many mac owners i did know nothing about boats when i purchased my x in '98. i had in sweet water slips for 2 years before learning about osmosis and bottom coats - not the hard way fortunately, no damage. since then i have a 8 coat epoxy shield on imy hull.

again: epoxy is the only thing that prevents against osmosis, bliesters and finally delamination. nothing else! if your antiflouling does not work the worst thing you encounter are barnacles and mussels. lot of work to clean, but nothing serious. if water infiltrates the grp of your hull ( and it will, sooner or later) you will have serious damage.

haul out a slipped boat for a day or even a week will not help. the grp need at least the same time to dry as it has been in the water. finally you have the choice: keep it in a slip and apply epoxy barrier coat - or keep it dry on the trailer (or a boat lift). trips upt o 6 weeks seem not to be a problem.

[Pouw Geuzebroek]

I have my boat in slip from April untill mid October. I have 3 layers of epoxy and 2 layers of antifouling. The epoxy need not much maintenance, but the antifouling needs to be applied every season. Now we have this big environment thing going on here and antifoulings containing copper are to become illegal next year. However they are the only ones that realy work, specifically on salt water. So if you can still get it buy the copper holding antifouling.

[James V]

Each area has different needs in regard's to bottom paint. What is good in south Florida (warm, salt water), may not be the best for a northern cold fresh water lake.
Talk to your marina and local boat shops what is best for what you want to do. Like, Boat stays in water, does not go over 20 mph, is not trailered.
Make sure that you prep and clean the hull the way that the makers of the paint say or all could be lost. This is often the most time consuming part.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Those who keep their boat on the trailer part of the year have to pay special attention to their bottom paint choice. Some of the ones that work best at anti-fouling cannot be left out of the water for a long period of time or they loose their effectiveness. Be sure to read the fine print.

[Hubert]

I have a slip approx. 30 minutes run up the river from lake and empty tank on return trip. After the first season without a barrier coat I had small blisters. At the start of 2nd season I applied the Interlux 2000/2001 Barrier coat and 3 coats of Interlux Micron CSC paint. I applied this myself. The CSC paint is good for 2-3 seasons and is not effected by haulout
Hubert

[Bill MacKenzie]

By all means, apply barrier coats as well as anti fouling coats.
You can read my article on this subject in "Featured Articles" on this web
site - left side of the Home Page.

Bill M.

[DLT]

Here is an interesting discussion, although potentially motivated by self-enrichment...


http://www.epoxyproducts.com/barrier4u.html

[Terry]

Sure is great to see all this info on bottom barrier coats, it will help me make a more informed decision on how to deal with it. At this point it looks like I have no alternatives, an Epoxy barrier is mandatory and I will attempt the DIY route. Not sure about which antifouling route to go yet if any, I am bit concerned about environmental issues as well as drag. Does anyone know if an expoxy finnish is as slick as gelcoat and if I can wax it so that I get the nice slick finnish of a new boat bottom. I get the impression that the final antifouling bottom coat cover is responsible for the increased drag so I am looking for an alternative. I don't mind hauling out monthly to presure wash and at most I will only moore in the Pacific Northwest salt for 3-6 months most likely 4 months. Sure wish I didn't have this chore hanging over my head but then again I can't afford to repair the hull after the fact. As the old saying goes "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

[Randy Smith]

I read this thread completely. Don't really have anything to add except my experiences with my 96X.......I painted her bottom with Interlux, black and it is a "sluffer". I painted her the first year, sanded with 80grit, then painted... second season....had my freinds over treated them with a pony keg and we got her done in a couple hours....then didn't take her out for three seasons....just painted her this last Spring by myself....did a really great job.....took two four hour days. It is dirtly work, I sanded the whole bottom, wiped it down with a paint prep, then painted it......each day, I just threw my clothes away(planned for this)......you know it isn't that hard, it is time consuming, messy and yet rewarding.
As for blisters....do they look like little bumps? I have a few areas...I gel coated them and repainted........will check in the Spring again........ Randy

[Terry]

Well, I went to the Vancouver Int'l Boat Show this weekend and hunted down the Interlux booth so that I could ask the guy what was the best coating to use on my M hull. He asked me what kind of boat I had and how long I keep it in the water, then he told me he'd love to sell me his products but to be honest he said I didn't need them. He went on to say that epoxy coatings are for boats that spend all year in the water and have been in the water several years. For a trailerable saiboat like the Mac that I only have in the water full time for 3-4 months of the year and that spends 6 months of the year in my driveway it is not necessary. He told me stay with a good coating of wax and don't worry about it, that barrier coats are only for boats that spend most of there life in the water. This was advice from a reputable Interlux sales representative. So now what?