Vivid bottom Paint

mcrags · #1 (**permalink**) 03-19-2009

I have Vivid Yellow Bottom Paint on a Catalina 42, looks great but is not smooth (used to use VC-17) Has anyone burnished Vivid? The Vivid rep. said that it would be a waste of time to burnish, any thoughts? McRags

Fstbttms · #2 (**permalink**) 03-20-2009

My opinion is; if you want to drastically reduce the lifespan of your already-short-lived Vivid bottom, go ahead and burnish. That stuff is so soft, a harsh look will take most of it off.

tager · #3 (**permalink**) 03-20-2009

What is the point of Vivid? Just better colors?

It's the bottom of the boat for chrissake!

Fstbttms · #4 (**permalink**) 03-20-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by tager

What is the point of Vivid? Just better colors?

It's the bottom of the boat for chrissake!

lancelot9898 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-20-2009

Speaking of Vivid bottom paint by Petit. If anyone has the latest issue of the Jamestown Distributors Catalog take a look at the back few pages which gives a summary of Petit Paint. There's a table showing what systems are best for coating underwater metal including props. The Zinc Barnacle Coat is shown as a good system, but the Vivid Paint is shown as a better and a best system after appropriate prep. It seems to me that their Trinidad SR is the best bottom paint that they make, but yet they reccommend the Vivid. Reasons??

lancelot9898 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-20-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcrags

I have Vivid Yellow Bottom Paint on a Catalina 42, looks great but is not smooth (used to use VC-17) Has anyone burnished Vivid? The Vivid rep. said that it would be a waste of time to burnish, any thoughts? McRags

Interesting that the rep said that since the catalog says that it's "easily burnished to a high performance racing finish."

KeelHaulin · #7 (**permalink**) 03-20-2009

I think that is assuming you have put enough coats on to maintain a good film thickness once you have wet-sanded it smooth. Usually this sort of prep is done in the yard at great time or expense. I have seen photos where it looked as smooth/shiny as the gelcoat above the waterline.

Vivid is closer to an ablative than a hard anti-fouling; and I think you are not supposed to scrub it heavily or very often.

Fstbttms · #8 (**permalink**) 03-21-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeelHaulin

Vivid is closer to an ablative than a hard anti-fouling...

+1 (plus obligatory extra stuff since you can't post just "+1"

)

rperret · #9 (**permalink**) 03-21-2009

yes.

i used vivid white on my bottom...PO had used it and I just kept it for now.

just using 0000 steel wool will remove the coating on vivid.

the best smoothness with vivid is to make sure you have a well prepared smooth surface, then use a foam roller. its about the best you can get with that paint.

Rick

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancelot9898

Interesting that the rep said that since the catalog says that it's "easily burnished to a high performance racing finish."

mvk · #10 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009

I have had good results using Vivid. Two coats of Vivid (white) were sprayed on top of an epoxy barrier coat. The bottom was then burnished to very smooth finish by the boat yard. This yard works with a lot of race boats... and are very experienced at doing this. Prior to launching, the finish was very glossy and smooth to the touch. It looked like gelcoat but felt slightly softer. Lots of folks were amazed that it was an ablative paint.

Over the past 18 months it has been very easy to clean and is still very smooth. Just a wipe-down with a soft cloth every few weeks (and right before any major regatta) and it stays nice and white. After 18 months the paint is getting a little thin at the water line and probably needs a haul-out... but it still cleans-up very easy. This is in So Cal, so your mileage may vary.

Last year we had a great race year, so I have no complaints about the speed. True, a hard paint may be slightly faster but based on our observations last year... one slight mistake will make much more of a difference.

- Mark