FL bottom paint help

[dogboater]

I''m looking for recommendations for bottom paint here in The Keys. What''s been used and how its held up. I''m leaning toward a hard paint, ie Trinidad, as opposed to an ablative hoping to get 2~3 years out of it. Any shared experiences will be greatly appreciated.
Thanx, Tom

[Jeff_H]

Harder paints generally have a shorter useful life than the Abblative paints which can be built up to a sufficient thickness to go 2 years or so. The Keys is hard duty as the warm water promotes rapid growth and so more frequent cleanings. The harder paints are also more prone to ''paint sickness'' making them harder to maintain over the long haul.

Jeff

[jack_patricia]

Dogwhatever:

We''ve kept a boat in St. Pete for some years now, so our experience is in waters somewhat similar to the Keys. I''d highly recommend either Trinidad or the new form of Trinidad. More recently we have carried this paint throughout the Caribbean, where it''s continued to perform well. Friends on another boat spending the Spring in the Bahamas after a year''s cruising (mostly in Florida) report similar results.

Divers in St. Pete that I''ve met/used/talked with will ONLY recommend one of the Trinidad products; that''s how good it is. After our first bottom job since buying the boat, I did in fact get 3.2 yrs from 2 coats (& 3 at the waterline). It finally failed at the rudder & stern area, where the boat had constant sun exposure and therefore got the most cleaning action from me. However, I dove the boat regularly, scrubbing lightly every 4-6 weeks in the warm months & 8-10 weeks in the cold months. This allowed easy cleaning (and less paint removal) and better performance.

In Trinidad (the island nation), the SeaHawk 44 product (a hard paint like Trinidad)is recommended by the local yards, and I''m switching to that simply due to the widespread view its the optimum paint.

Jack Tyler
Aboard WHOOSH, lying Port of Spain

[patrick303]

Hi! Do you have any information on what happens if you paint the bottom ( 2 coats ) and then do NOT re-launch for 6 months. The boat is on a trailer and I painted the bottom in Oct, 00. It had never been painted before,(used Rhodes 19). I want to launch now, and it will sit on a mooring all summer in Lewis Bay, MA. Thanks, P J Corbett

[paulk]

To find out about anti-fouling longevity out of the water, you have to read the can. Some paints (e.g. Micron CSC) will retain their anti-fouling properties over extended haulout periods. Others specifically say to get the boat into the water ASAP after paint''s dry. Hope you still have the can around.