can it be done??

D

deltabighat

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exMember
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Aug 17, 2004
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14904
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493
I just pulled my boat out of Capitola Harbor where it has been for a month of fun and fishing. The bottom was a holy mess. Not wanting to pay two or three thousand for a anti-fouling paint job on the bottom, I began to think (after a little Jack) that I could do the job myself at home. Anyone ever attempt such a thing? Is it possible for someone like myself who is fairly handy and a little crazy, to do this job? If someone has done it, I would appreciate some advice and I won't mind if that advice is just to "forget" the whole thing.

DBH
 
It depends on what a Holy Mess is.
Barnacles mess or slime mess?
Does she already have paint on her?
 
Slimy mess, mostly removed by high pressure hose and elbow grease. All thats left is some left over dried green stuff that can be removed with a little more work. I am talking in terms of an eventually clean bottom that would need painting to prevent a repeat performance. The boat is painted, 24 ft Trophy thats in very good condition and 12 years old.

DBH
 
West Marine and other chandleries routinely sell bottom paint, and it comes with application instructions. 35+ years ago, when tin was still allowable, my father and I sanded and repainted the bottom of a 38 ft. houseboat. Never again, but with a samller boat with a deeper "V" hull (easier to access) it would certainly be possible to get the job done. Follow instructions, and remember two key itmes:

1. Adequate surface preparation accounts for about 75% of whether or not the job lasts.

2. There are several different formulations for bottom paint, from "soft" to "hard", some of which require fairly immediate immersion and some of which do not. Be sure you read, understand, and follow the directions.

BTG
 
If you are going to have the boat out of the water for more than a few hours use ablative antifouling. The hard bottom paints will lose their effectiveness if the boat is out of the water for as little as a week.
Two or three coats of a good ablative paint will keep the bottom clean, and you do not have to repaint after the boat has been out of the water for some time.
 
Thanks for all the information. My boat is on a trailer at my home. I have it in the water five or six times a year mainly in lakes and delta. I put in salt water only once a year and that is for a month, then take it out. With that in mind, what is the best product to use? By the way, not one of all you nice folks out there even bothered to offer help when the sanding starts.

DBH
 
LOL, I ain't helpin!!!! However, before you prep it run the boat in FRESH water for about an hour. then take it home and power wash it again. That should get the remnants of the salt water slime off. Then you can prep and paint the bottom. Ablative type will be best for your needs.

For the future, remember if your boat sits in fresh water for a week or more to run it in salt water to get the bottom clean. [Of course flush the engine and outdrive, etc.] If your boat sits in salt water for more then a week, run it in fresh water to get the bottom clean.

This is the lazy man's way.......good luck!
 
Have you priced local boatyards to be sure of the "two or three thousand" estimate? I know of a local yard that does it on a per foot basis and it is pretty reasonable.
 
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