Single Season vs Multi Season Ablative Bottom Paint

[sailingcal21]

What's the difference? Seems to me that ablative paint will slough off over time so if you put on single season thick enough does that equal a multi season paint.

Is multi season ablative paint just a harder version that sloughs off at a slower rate than a single season ablative?

[Maine Sail]

The difference is with a multi-season ablative you could apply 3 coats run it for a season then haul for 6 months and put her back in the water without painting and the paint would still work and be effective.

A single season paint will not work after a haul out and re-launch hence the single season part.

If you never haul, a single season should work for more than a year with enough coats, but, if you haul winters or to do out of the water repairs for more than a day or two a multi-season is necessary..

[JimsCAL]

The multi-season paints are "copolymer" and retain their antifouling ability during the winter storage. The less expensive single season ablatives do not. Perhaps a chemist can explain why.