ablative bottom paint question

[Megunticook]

So my TyS got a fresh coat of Micron Extra last spring by the previous owner. I was planning to recoat with a different color this year, but am wondering if I should just recoat some critical areas and places where the paint has come off (where the trailer side pads scraped it upon loading, it appears) and save the full recoat for next spring. Micron Extra is supposed to go 2 seasons, from what I understand, especially in the colder waters and shorter season up here.

Am thinking about avoiding unnecessary paint buildup, plus saving a little dough on bottom paint if last spring's coat still has another year of effective use.

[Jim Walsh]

Where are you and how long were you in the water?

[Neil Gordon]

Ablative paint works as long as there's paint on the bottom. If you're thinking of changing the color, paint this season. From now forward, the undercoat will be your indication that the paint's wearing thin.

[John G.]

A lot of marinas are going to stop power washing this coming fall because they will be required to have a receptical for the waste water, very expensive. Maybe you should check to see what will happen in your area. Ablative paint wears off in the water, I'm not sure what the reasaon for not being able to power wash is but it looks like trouble is brewing. At my marina the owner said to hire a diver to clean the bottom first ($$$$$) but doesn't that still put the paint in the water. My boat comes home where I will........

[Oswego John]

Considering the cost of Micron Extra and the fact that I lean toward frugality, here's a few things that I might do if I was in your situation. I would take advantage of an extra year of protection

I would brush on a quick coat of any bottom paint to the spots that are unprotected. Hopefully, a friend or neighbor in the boat yard would lend you some paint from the bottom of his can.

If dabbing on a different color is totally unacceptable, maybe you could buy a quart of the same color presently on the boat. You could cover the missing areas and use up what remains in the can for high wear areas such as the keel bottom and the water lines.

Many owners do change the color of their bottom from one paint job to the next. As the new color wears thin in spots, the old, previous color shows through, sort of a tell tail.

It's just an afterthought, but where the bottom paint was scraped off by the pads, is some of the previous paint still on the bottom?

Good luck,
O J

[Megunticook]

It looks to my untrained eye that some of the spots scraped by the trailer pads are down to the factory epoxy coat, and one spot down to maybe gelcoat or glass. So my current thinking is to use some Interlux Interprotect epoxy primer on any areas that are down to factory primer or gel, then buy a quart of Micron Extra matching last season's color and do touch up, plus brush a coat along the waterline, other key areas. I'll save the color change for next spring.

[Big E]

IMHO...I used to repaint yearly but now i seem to get away with every other year. Unless you're a competitive racer, a little sea life wont make much difference. do your touch ups & sail your boat. Best of luck!