This dude bought west marine bottom paint..

[groundhog]

I was talking to him this weekend. He repainted his boat about, maybe 6 weeks ago.

I painted mine about the same time. He asks me what type I used. I say epoxycop. Got pracitcal sailor budget buy.

So he says... "I think I made a big mistake.."

He is from michigan, bought this boat a couple of years ago and never takes it out. He just works on it. Mostly probably because it's a big boat and it's only him to run the boat (his wife is there too, but cant help).

So this week, is he big week. His family is comming down and they are all going to go out for several days. He finally has crew.

He then tells me that in preparation, he dove down and found barnacles.
Not a few. Tons. He says it's worse than when he started painting the boat.

He was very worried that he wouldn't be able to take the boat out. Was trying to scrape the bottom with his wooden paddle the best he could. Family was arriving very soon.

This morning the boat was out of the slip.

Anybody else had this problem with the west marine bottom paint. He said this was black one-year hard bottom paint.

groundhog

[k1vsk]

If he is "from Michigan", are we to assume you and he are using the wrong paint for fresh water?
Regardless, WM does not formulate bottom paint - they re-label one of two paint formulator's paint and without knowing which, it's not reasonable to draw any conclusions. If the boat does not get used much (or at all as you imply), that makes a big difference in accumulation regardless of the efficacy of any paint.

[wwilson]

Originally Posted by groundhog

Anybody else had this problem with the west marine bottom paint. He said this was black one-year hard bottom paint.

groundhog

I've been using West PCA (ablative) for years. It is made for them by Pettit. It has performed as well as Hempel, Interlux, or Pettit that preceded it.

[winddancer88]

WM CPP+ get's good reviews from Practical Sailor. I get two years from two coats, no barnacles.

[patrickrea]

Those aren't barnacles, they are zebra mussels and require paint formulated for freshwater. They are a major problem as invasive species go. They clog municipal water filtration systems all the time.

If a boat sits still zebra mussels will cover the bottom. An ablative paint needs motion to expose a new layer of biocide and drop the critters off.

[groundhog]

Sorry. This is the chesapeake.
Barnacle country.

And even if he let the boat sit for 6 weeks, that means the barnacles were forming in the first few weeks?
This is 2 week bottom paint? Not 1 year?

[winddancer88]

Originally Posted by groundhog

Sorry. This is the chesapeake.
Barnacle country.

And even if he let the boat sit for 6 weeks, that means the barnacles were forming in the first few weeks?
This is 2 week bottom paint? Not 1 year?

Still need to know what kind of paint he used.

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by winddancer88

Still need to know what kind of paint he used.

+1

If, as you say, the bottom fouled in a very short amont of time, either the paint was improperly applied or he used a product that was not meant for use in the fouling conditions your boats live in.

[groundhog]

I suppose.

He got it from the local west marine.
So I guess they put paint for the great lakes on the shelf for him to buy.
It is possible.

I will have to ask him what version of west marine paint he bought.
gh

[Jeff_H]

There are a lot of factors that affect how well bottom paints perform from which paint he bought (Hard racing bottom paints need to be cleaned nearly every week in summer on the Chesapeake) to where the boat is located (flow or no flow, lots of neutriants vs none), usage, and most importantly how it was applied (stired frequently, all solids off the bottom of the can, thick enough application, minimal if any thinning). I have not used West Marine Bottom paint in a very long time but boats at my dock have and have gotten excellent performance so I don't know what the story is.

Jeff