SailNet Community - View Single Post - Is bottom paint necessary in fresh water?
View Single Post
  #11 (permalink)  
Old 01-17-2008
Omatako's Avatar
Omatako Omatako is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Auckland New Zealand
Posts: 1,809
Rep Power: 9
Omatako will become famous soon enough
Whilst being a long way from an expert on the subject, I was once told that fresh water is far more likely to cause osmosis and gel coat blistering because the water is less dense and thus has an easier time migrating up follicles of glass fiber.

As far as personal experience with goes, I lived on an inland lake many years ago and took a boat from the coast that lived in a marina for several years with no blisters and in two years in fresh water it was like a golf ball.

This doesn't perhaps prove anything but it seems reason enough to put a decent coat of anti-foul on, hobbly gobblies aside.

Andre
Reply With Quote Share with Facebook