Anyone heard of West Marine "Boatshield" bottom paint?

[RhythmDoctor]

mstern - Thanks for the helpful advice. It's consistent with other things that I have heard.

Here is the dilemma that I am faced with. After survey on the hard the morning of March 25, we have to launch the boat to do a sea trial around noon. Hauling it back out again with blocking and re-launch will cost about $400. If I have it painted it's another $500 on top of that. If I do it myself the painting will be less, but I'm still in for $400 for haul/block/launch and will have to buy/rent a vacuum sander that the yard requires, plus personal protective equipment. So we're looking at $700-900 to paint it in the spring.

I briefly considered working with the current owner to have it painted before the survey. That would save the $400 for re-launch and blocking. But my broker advised against putting my own money into improvements on the boat before I own it. I think that is good advice.

So my choice is do I spend $900 for painting now, or try to make it until October with the current paint? If I'm in fresh water with no barnacles, will the growth on the bottom be of a nature that it could be removed and/or sanded off when I haul out for winter storage?

When it does come time to paint, I would be inclined to use a multi-year paint even if it costs more.

[Ulladh]

As Denise wrote, slime is going to happen fresh or old paint. Go sailing and most sloughs off.

If the bottom paint looks halfway good I would wait until fall haulout, let the hull fully dry over winter, then think about your bottom coat options.

Depending on how the bottom looks after removing loose paint, it may be an option to just recoat with an ablative next spring. Or remove all the old ablative and use a hard coat.

[RhythmDoctor]

Originally Posted by Ulladh

As Denise wrote, slime is going to happen fresh or old paint. Go sailing and most sloughs off.

If the bottom paint looks halfway good I would wait until fall haulout, let the hull fully dry over winter, then think about your bottom coat options.

Depending on how the bottom looks after removing loose paint, it may be an option to just recoat with an ablative next spring. Or remove all the old ablative and use a hard coat.

Thanks, Ulladh. I know you have local knowledge. Can you confirm no barnacles in Essington?

Just as a reminder, the current paint is epoxy based hard paint, except the rudder which was replaced last year and coated with ablative. The activity of the epoxy hard coat is shot, but the paint is in pretty good cosmetic shape aside for a few chips that I hope to touch up during the survey.

We're still on track for survey March 25 and, assuming successful, bringing her downriver on March 26 weather permitting.

[CalebD]

RD,
I don't keep my boat on the Delaware River but on the Hudson, about 25 miles north of NYC. The river water by us is brackish, slightly salty and we get both slime and barnacle growth on the hull. Ablative bottom paint has proven to be helpful but not 100% effective. Barnacles are the one form of growth that can resist the forces of a power sprayer and can require manual scraping to remove them. I don't believe that barnacles harm the gel coat but they do mess up your hull boundary layer and reduce the speed of your boat. It does not take much barnacle build up on your prop to render it fairly useless.
All of this is to say that a lot depends on the salinity of the river where you keep your boat as to whether barnacles will be an issue for you. I notice that at Philly the river has about a 6' tide. That is a lot of water running upstream from the Bay. I believe that the tide goes all the way to Camden but where the halocline or salt barrier is I don't know. I am sure that the fresh/salt water barrier varies during the year with river flow as well.
All of this to say, if I were you I would bite the bullet now and paint the bottom this spring so your boat does not end up with a beard of various growth come fall - been there, done that, saw the movie. I would also paint the bottom myself as I know that for the hired labor it is just a job but for me it is my boat, my baby.
Your boat, your money, your choice.

[Ulladh]

No barnacles at Essignton. If we get extended dry weather in the Delaware watershed for an extended time period the salt line may move above Wilmington DE.

I have swallowed Delaware River water a few times, unwraping a dock line from a prop, and slipping of the dock due to inapropriate footwear, and did not taste salt.

Essington has some rather large catfish, does anybody know the salt water tolerance of catfish?

[JimMcGee]

Hey RhythymDoctor,
I had my 22 at Winters for two seasons with West Marine hard bottom paint. I think it was called epoxycop.

No barnacles and the slime power washed off when the boat was hauled.

I saw my old boat in the yard at Winters' last open house. The bottom still looked good and that's four years after it was originally painted.

Jim

[CalebD]

Originally Posted by Ulladh

No barnacles at Essignton. If we get extended dry weather in the Delaware watershed for an extended time period the salt line may move above Wilmington DE.

I have swallowed Delaware River water a few times, unwraping a dock line from a prop, and slipping of the dock due to inapropriate footwear, and did not taste salt.

Essington has some rather large catfish, does anybody know the salt water tolerance of catfish?

Then that is good news for RD.

It is interesting to me how each river/estuary differs from one another. I guess the broad expanse of the Delaware Bay helps keep the brackish water from reaching Philly. The Hudson by contrast provides a fairly straight shot for the incoming tide to reach about 35 nm. up river at Haverstraw Bay before making a few 'S' turns. Salt water fish species are caught along the river in this range. I've also seen Sturgeon in the Hudson. The tides in the Hudson reach as far north as Albany.
Catfish are quite tolerant of a little salt as are many species of carp.

[RhythmDoctor]

Here's an interesting site that shows salt line location (current, average, and record locations) vs. important landmarks on the Delaware:

DRBC - The Salt Line

We're quite a bit further up the Delaware than CalebD is up the Hudson. Essington is about mile 88. But the salt line is a bit closer than I thought.

It's surprising that with all the rain and snow melt we've had this month that the salt line is 7 miles further north than normal. Maybe someone drained a reservoir for maintenance over the winter and is trying to fill it up now.

You guys up in Riverside/Torresdale/Rancocas are still well north of the highest ever salt line.

[chef2sail]

The slime will wash off in the fall. The way I see it you have two choices.

First choice: ( make sure you have a new zinc what ever you chose. Do it right. Block it again, sand it, put on two coats of different color ablative Micron Extra, Red and Blue. This way you will have two seasons before you need to paint again. It will also let you know when you are wearing through the first coat when the oher color pops through. Have the forward part of the keel and rudder be given an extra coat. Paint your shaft and prop also with special paint (forgot if you have an inboard)

Second choice, drop it in the water. Go until mid july and then have a diver go down for about 150 and delime and scrape the barnacles and check the zinc. We have a diver go down mid season every year. You would be amazed how much growth you get.

Anyone telling you you wont get barnacles or growth is crazy...its part of keeping it in the water. Leave a line in the water for 2 weeks and see what happens. The move you use the boat the less the growth. The warmer the water the more the growth. But a snorkel and fins and suction cup and go overboard at anchor occasionally and scape some yourself.

Dave

[RhythmDoctor]

Yes, I think I'll consider hiring a diver for mid-season. That's a good middle ground.

FYI, the motor is an outboard (2000 model year), and I suspect its zinc (installed on the cavitation plate) is due. Are there other zinc locations for a boat with an outboard?

Ulladh has said the current can run up to 6 knots through the marina. So the boat will be at hull speed even when it's in the slip. That may help keep it clean! Could also keep me from docking, though! I'm glad the motor is 15 hp.