Bottom paint or Bottom Wax?

[PecosBill]

I am familiar with bottom paint. And because of that I'm always looking for an alternative. Have any of you tried this stuff? The reviews look good. The cost is a bit high. Can't find the coverage chart though.

https://www.auroramarine.com/store/vs72 ... -coat.html

[Chinook]

I don't have experience with the brand you highlighted, but I have used antifouling wax on several occasions for extended cruises in salt water. The hull on our boat has never been bottom painted, and we've had it in salt water for close to 3 months at a time. In Alaskan waters I didn't use anything, and by the time we got home I had a real biology experiment going on the hull. For subsequent cruises in warm waters I began using the antifouling wax. My experience suggests that it helps to retard both hard and soft growth for about 4 weeks. After that, growth starts to take hold. I could see the difference with snorkel mask, because on one occasion I couldn't reach very well near the trailer fenders, and where I couldn't reach, the growth was noticeably heavier. I generally figured on anchoring in shallow water, sandy bottom, with bow and stern anchors set, so I could sit in the water and scrape the bottom clean. I can reach all but a strip around 3 feet wide, down the middle of the hull. I would get that strip by using a weight belt and holding breath. For me it was about a 3 hour job, and in warm waters needed to be done by about week 5 or 6 after using antifouling wax and every 3 to 4 weeks after that.

[Rumdirty]

I had no clue there was even such a thing as bottom wax. I still might be doomed to a miserable weekend applying bottom paint, but it's nice to know there is an alternative. Boat will be docked in brackish water heading out to the Bay on weekends. I'm tempted

[Retcoastie]

I have used the stuff. It worked very well for my use. I generally trailer to sailing areas in Florida. Then, being in the water for usually about a week before moving to the next spot. Between areas we use her as a camper, often for weeks at a time. We have never had any growth on the hull. I now used a bass boat wax sold locally. It seems to work about as well at much lower costs.

[Russ]

I've used the Aurora product. Is it really $60 a bottle now? Wow!

My boat has no bottom paint.
I've done:
Nothing
Aurora wax
car wax
lanolin grease


Honestly, it's hard to tell what if anything works. There are many factors. Water temps, oxygen and biological content in the water.

In my opinion, any kind of wax barrier will help for a short while and will help wiping slime off with a brush from the dock or swimming around the boat with a brush.
Paint is very difficult to apply. I would do it if it was easier and less of a hassle. On the trailer, access to the bottom is limited. It requires sanding, dewaxing and sanding and dewaxing. Then lifting the boat off support pads to do those spots. An epoxy barrier coat under antifoul is the way to go. If I had a marina nearby I'd pay to have it done, but know that it's labor intensive and expensive. Since I'm on my own, I'll wax it again and power wash at the end of the season.

Last season I attempted lanolin grease. Like spooning honey. Too difficult to work with. I couldn't do it more than a test patch and at the end of the season I saw no difference on the side I did with lanolin vs. wax.

I'm in fresh water. In warm salt for more than 3 weeks at a time, I would definitely do bottom paint.

I'm curious what other brands of antifoulant wax folks have used. Aurora at $60 a bottle from Canada is too much and I don't think it's better than auto wax. YMMV

--Russ

[Kittiwake]

I had no clue there was even such a thing as bottom wax. ?.....

The above was my first response to the title of this post too. But I had already independently taken to using ordinary "Meguiars 45 Boat & RV Polish" (heavily applied to the hull water-contact portion and NOT BUFFED) just kind of figuring it might be better than nothing. And I think it is useful for a week or two in BC, Canada salt water.
Kittiwake has never been bottom-painted. She lives on the trailer except for periodic trips that last 10 days in the water, and the occasional longer stay at a marina. When I take the boat out of the water after a trip you can still see the (UNBUFFED) layer of wax ... and the slightly-gritty film of tiny-critter growth is easily rubbed off lying under the trailer rubbing with a soft-plastic pad and a bucket of fresh water.

RussMT is correct though that results depend on water temperature and local conditions ... and probably whether you are doing some high-speed planing while in the water. And after 3 weeks there are places on the hull where gritty things (likely barnacles-in-the-making) are now really hard to remove. So my experience is that 7-10 days is the limit .... and I am now wondering if I should be looking for a wax specifically designed for the purpose. But at $60 per bottle I would want some encouragement that it is a lot better than my present wax.

[Newell]

I bought and used the Aurora Wax many years ago, for the racing claims. Don't know if it worked for either purpose, though I did win many races. Never have bottom painted my X and just pulled it out of Alabama waters after 6 weeks. Yikes! Wife and I scraped for 3 hours and only got it half done. Plan on putting wax on for dunking in NOLA in 2 weeks.

[Russ]

I bought and used the Aurora Wax many years ago, for the racing claims. Don't know if it worked for either purpose, though I did win many races. Never have bottom painted my X and just pulled it out of Alabama waters after 6 weeks. Yikes! Wife and I scraped for 3 hours and only got it half done. Plan on putting wax on for dunking in NOLA in 2 weeks.

You know what I found works great for cleaning, this stuff.



It's some nasty stuff, but works magic. Spray it on..wait..brush it off.

There are other hull cleaners that work well and are less toxic, but I have used this stuff many times. Saved me HOURS of work.

[Norca]

I have been using the VS 721 for three years now, and I thought it didn't do much good, but since I don't want to take on the hassle of bottom paint, I waxed again last fall after hauling the boat.
This winter we spent over four weeks in the water in Florida, and after two weeks the bottom had a layer of brown slime so I cleaned part of it with a scouring pad, and I left some of it as it was.
The last day before hauling out, I went out for a last sail, and then some fast motoring, maybe 10 min total, To my surprise the bottom was perfectly clean when it came out the next day.
I wonder if maybe the wax becomes more efficient after using it several seasons?
It can not be the warm Florida waters there must be more growth there than here in Canada?
I am looking at this:
http://www.mclubemarine.com/antifoulpolish/
for next season
Nor-Ca is never in the water for more than 5 weeks at the time, so antifouling paint is overkill in my situation.

[Kittiwake]

That is impressive Norca!
I wonder if you will be able to do a comparison in Isles De La Madeleine. I would sure love to be able to end up with a smooth hull after 2-3 weeks of boating in the ocean here. Now I am tempted to get a bottle of that stuff and try it on one side of the hull versus my usual wax on the other this summer.

[Chinook]

On our Sea of Cortez cruise we had an unusual experience with bottom cleaning. We were tied up at the marina in Santa Rosalia, on the Baja side, waiting for weather before crossing the Sea to San Carlos, where our truck and trailer were waiting for us. It had been quite a few weeks since I'd scraped the bottom, in a shallow bay down near La Paz, and I knew I had a very nasty bottom cleaning job waiting for me when we pulled the boat out at San Carlos. An enthusiastic young Mexican guy offered an alternative. He said he'd clean the hull there at the marina. He had breathing equipment, and would do the job for $30. I took him up on his offer right away. He pulled on his wetsuit and dropped into the 65 degree water (spring water temps down there can be surprisingly chilly). He scraped away for more than an hour, before getting out of the water to warm up. He wasn't quite halfway done. He politely asked whether I would be willing to pay a bit more for the job, since he had clearly underestimated the extent and difficulty of the job. I told him "no problemo". I'd pay him a fair price for his work. That settled, he got back in the water and resumed scraping. He worked at it steadily for over 2 hours, and he was satisfied when we settled up. When I got across to San Carlos and hauled the boat out of the water, I did notice some fall off in the quality of his work on the second half of the hull. I couldn't really fault him, considering the difficulty of working underwater and the limitations of his gear. He did save me several hours of scraping.

[seahouse]

Like you, I go out for a high-speed run to strip off the fouling, Norca, except I have an anti-foul coating on the hull (I stay in a slip the entire season).

Mac powersailors become faster sailboats (for the ones that race) relative to other sailboats in the area that don't clean their hulls (most don't, but serious racers do) as the season progresses and the fouling accumulates.

Other sailboats aren't capable of reaching the speeds needed to remove the excess growth like a Mac can, so the other boats accumulate the drag disadvantage at a higher rate.

If you waxed one half of your hull, and repeated the cycle, you'd have some hard evidence for comparison, but it's an impressive result you got with it just he same.

[NiceAft]

Other sailboats aren't capable of reaching the speeds needed to remove the excess growth like a Mac can

I have read this before. What speed is that?

Ray

[Russ]

Other sailboats aren't capable of reaching the speeds needed to remove the excess growth like a Mac can

I have read this before. What speed is that?

Ray

88 MPH

[NiceAft]

As a side thought, that video brings to mind a mindless fact. In “Back To The Future”, it is stated that the Cubs win the World Series in 2015

Ray