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Next week my 26x is coming out of Lake Michigan for a small refit before sending it down to Miami for the winter season. During this refit, I'm planning to sand it down to the gelcoat and put on a new coat of primer and bottom paint. I'm looking for some suggestions on which paint/primer combos I should go for.

The boat spends the summer season on Lake Michigan and the winters in Miami/the Caribbean so whatever paint I put on there needs to work in both seawater and freshwater. I'm considering Interlux Micron CSC but I'm open to other suggestions. Any thoughts?

I did three coats of Micron CSC two years ago. The boat has been in saltwater continuously since then and the paint is still going strong.

rsvpasap wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:20 pm I did three coats of Micron CSC two years ago. The boat has been in saltwater continuously since then and the paint is still going strong.

Did you sand and prime as well?

I used copper coat. Should hold 10 to 20 Years. Have it since 7 years now. Not touched once. stays in lake 360days a year.

Before the micron CSC, I had previously painted with non ablative bottom paint because at that time the boat was in freshwater about 6 months of the year and on its trailer the other 6 months. So I just sanded before applying the uplative paint.

kurz wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 11:39 pm I used copper coat. Should hold 10 to 20 Years. Have it since 7 years now. Not touched once. stays in lake 360days a year.

Hi Kurz
copper coat is it still ok after being out of the water for a month or two say for maintenance most hard paints can only b outa the water for no more than 72hrs I guess it would b ok if u could water down the hull every day but where I store my boat when its outa the water for repairs "DIY" or just storage I had no access to water sadly, do u know if the quote below applies to copper coat ?

You should not use a hard paint if you boat comes out of the water such as on a trailer or a lift. After 72 hours, the hard bottom paint will oxidize on the outer surface from the air and becomes ineffective.

Thx J

Ah found my answer here !

https://www.coppercoatusa.com/faq.php

Is COPPERCOAT suitable for trailer sailors/lifting keels and dry storage?
Yes. COPPERCOAT is an epoxy coating and unlike traditional anti-fouling paint it is not affected by drying out. In fact, time out of the water adds to the lifespan. COPPERCOAT is the perfect choice for dry storage and trailered boats as it is highly abrasion resistant and doesn’t come off on the skids.

So now all I need to know is if my epoxy is a one part epoxy or a two part epoxy

Does COPPERCOAT protect against Osmosis?
The inherent waterproofing qualities of the epoxy in COPPERCOAT will offer extra protection against osmosis in fiberglass craft and extra protection against corrosion in steel vessels. However, the COPPERCOAT application is so thin that it should not be relied upon as the only barrier coat if one is needed to protect the boat.

Do I need to put a primer or barrier coating on my boat before applying the COPPERCOAT?
COPPERCOAT does not require a primer or barrier coat prior to application. However, if your hull needs a barrier coat for protection, this is the time to do it. COPPERCOAT is not thick enough to provide enough protection if there are blisters or the hull has been damaged. Most people who have boats made with Polyester resin find that a barrier coating is beneficial to prevent blisters.

Can COPPERCOAT be applied on top of epoxy barrier coatings and epoxy primers?
Yes, COPPERCOAT can be applied over a 2-part epoxy, following our “Application Instructions and Do’s and Don’ts” to prepare the existing barrier coat to successfully accept new COPPERCOAT. This does not apply to single-part, aka “modified” epoxies.

What will happen if I do put COPPERCOAT over a single part epoxy?
The COPPERCOAT will pull the single part product off; never put a 2-part epoxy over a single-part epoxy or coating.

Can COPPERCOAT be applied on top of my existing anti-fouling bottom paint?
NO! Traditional anti-fouling paints are made to come off, that’s how they work. COPPERCOAT cannot be applied over existing bottom paints or it will peel off within a few months. If you have ablative bottom paint or hard bottom paint on your boat, it must be removed prior to the application of COPPERCOAT. After removing the existing bottom paint, the surface must be sanded in preparation for the application of COPPERCOAT. It is not necessary to strip your hull down to bare fiberglass! If you have epoxy primer, gelcoat or an epoxy barrier coating on your hull that is still in good condition, you can just remove the existing bottom paint down to that layer, sand the surface, and apply the COPPERCOAT following the Application Instructions.

Now if I had found this out 4yrs ago I,d have definitely went this route , so hopefully the epoxy on my boat is a 2 part epoxy
I think this info will more than helpfull to a few guy,s on here now I just have find out how much it,s gonna cost me lol
J

Where can I get Coppercoat and how much does it cost? Their website doesn't seem to list any distributors or prices. Just a UK phone number

https://coppercoatusa.com/ gives the cost as $140.00 per 1.5 liter. The price is given under the Quantity tab. It also has a coverage calculator to assist. I don't see any distributors. I guess you can only buy direct from them.

Mike

VC17!

It's your call, but after sanding my X (2 4 hours days), I put four coats (white/black/white/black) bottom paint (30 minutes, followed by 3-4 hour drying time, before putting on my antifoul paint. If you are going to do it once, the extra times aren't hard to add on.