Bigger Savings on Paint

[Ken Textor]

Hi all, The time has come to share bottom paint experiences. Specifically, who has a full season’s worth of experience with Blue Water bottom paint and topside paints? How about Aquaguard Water-based ablatives? Obviously, I have become very price sensitive and no longer feel loyalty to Interlux (25 years) or even lower-priced Pettit (10 years). But I also know some paints can fail to deliver as advertised. In a tough economy, we need to help each other. Thoughts?
kt

[Bob Ohler]

Ken, Interlux is still making ACT... a one-season abaltive paint and it still comes in brown if you want or need brown. ACT is significantly less expensive (at least 30%) than the multi year ablatives from Interlux. For years, I was using multi-year paint and painting every year. That did not make sense, but I liked the way the boat looked after fresh paint was applied. I am now using ACT every year.

In addition, I have been using Petit zinc spray paint on the prop to fight barnacles and this practice has helped with that problem here on the Chesapeake.

[CruiseAlong]

For the South Chesapeake Bay....
Used West Marine CPP plus ($109/gal regular price) on my brothers CD26....down here we do not haul each year....absolutely clean after multiple years. Outperforming my CSC on my CD31 which was painted at the same time.
Dana

[Ken Textor]

Bob,
I've been using ACT but I now consider it too expensive, especially when some of the substitutes I mentioned are almost half the price. Likewise with the West Marine CPP mentioned. It's too expensive if competitors are making essentially the same stuff at a significantly lower price. So, Blue Water and Aquaguard users out there, what say you?

kt

[Bob Ohler]

Ken and others...

Did I read here on the CD Board or was it somehwere else that the boat owner had used regular house paint with good results. It may have been under the "What Color is Your Bottom" topic. It might be worth a second look. A Google search might turn something up too.

rbo

[Neil Gordon]

For years, I was using multi-year paint and painting every year. That did not make sense, but I liked the way the boat looked after fresh paint was applied.

Me, too, Bob. Paint was building up on the bottom faster than it was wearing off. As for how the bottom looks, most of that "look" is hidden most of the time. (The boat did look good in the yard though before launch.)

[John Vigor]

Ken and others...

Did I read here on the CD Board or was it somehwere else that the boat owner had used regular house paint with good results. It may have been under the "What Color is Your Bottom" topic. It might be worth a second look. A Google search might turn something up too.

rbo

It was Larry DeMers under "What color is your bottom?"

Frankly, though, I don't see the logic of it. Larry says there's not much encrustation of sealife in his cold, fresh lake water. But then, why paint at all, especially with house paint? Why not just rely on the gel coat?

John V.

[Ken Textor]

I think I agree with John V. Without putting too fine a point on the subject, it seemed as though he was saying house paint is NOT a serious solution for boats. I am hoping for a serious discussion of bottom paint options, mainly because I believe the big two (Interlux and Pettit) are playing us for suckers when their products are 30 to 100% more expensive than newcomer alternatives. No one wants to be a sucker and everyone wants to save $$$$, right? Maybe no one who looks at this board has had any experience with Blue Water or Aquaguard and I'll just have to be the canary in the coal mine. Power Boat Reports has given the nod to Blue Water but I trust the opinions of CD owners as much as any boating magazine, maybe more. Hope someone can add to the discussion. Thanks all so far,
kt
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[Ron M.]

Check out super shipbottom anti-fouling paint. I get 2 seasons from a coating here in new england. For the amount some of 'high priced spreads' go for you can get 2/gals. of ssb and 3 or 4 years of bottom coverage.

[Larry DeMers]

John,
The 'Logic' of using "House Paint" on a boat bottom is simple. The bottom has 23 years of old bottom paint (Micron CSC Brown) on it, of which I have removed perhaps 40-50% over the last few years. The bottom gel coat was not clear enough of the old brown paint to let it go au'natural. It looked crappy while on the hard, and when we saw pictures of our bottom while sailing, it was disgusting.

So I chose to use some of our spare house paint to make the bottom look better, and to see if the stuff would actually be a servicable, fresh cold water bottom paint alternative (since most boats will already have used a bottom paint, and removal is a large job).

So far, it has merit for us on Superior. I suspect that has no meaning for anyone that has salt water or even warm freshwater to deal with.

Thought that this was odd enough to throw into the discussion, and it may even benefit someone in similar waters.


Larry DeMers

Ken and others...

Did I read here on the CD Board or was it somehwere else that the boat owner had used regular house paint with good results. It may have been under the "What Color is Your Bottom" topic. It might be worth a second look. A Google search might turn something up too.

rbo

It was Larry DeMers under "What color is your bottom?"

Frankly, though, I don't see the logic of it. Larry says there's not much encrustation of sealife in his cold, fresh lake water. But then, why paint at all, especially with house paint? Why not just rely on the gel coat?

John V.

[John Vigor]

Larry,

Oh, I get it now. You just want everyone to admire your pretty bottom.

Okaaay . . .

John V.

[joelcunningham]

House paint for the bottom? WoW! I don't feel so bad now about using Benjamin Moore Aura ( lifetime guarantee for it's intended purpose ) on the deck. The non-skid is Interdeck, of course.

[Bob Ohler]

Please e-mail me... I have a question about balancing a CD30 fore and aft.

Bob O.

[RichS]

I now this is a late reply but it was a slow day so I was reading back through the comments. No one mentioned it but Kirby's makes a Bottom Paint called Red Copper and at $80/gallon you cannot beat it. A friend used it and was very happy with the results and the price on his old Bristol. The folks at Kirby's are, as has been said many times on this board that they are very helpful and willing to mix custom colors, that could mean brown for those that want to keep the original CD colors. I'm going to try it on my Corinthian this year and see what happens.

[Duncan Maio]

I've been using West CPP Plus for a number of years - full coat one year, touch up the bare spots the next. So a gallon plus a quart gets me two years in Narragansett Bay.