Yet another bottom paint question, now featuring picture

[scratchee]

Hey folks,

Last week I had my new boat hauled for the first time since purchase. (Yes, I bought a boat without looking at the bottom.) The anti-fouling paint is chipping in several areas, as described in numerous threads here and other forums. I didn't carefully inspect right as they pulled it out of the water, but based on what I saw then compared to what I see now, I believe most of the lost paint is from the pressure washing.

Just using my fingertips, I have removed additional paint from the edges of some of these areas. Eventually I reach firmly adhered paint and I stop. The chipped area in the picture is about 5 inches across.

My main question is, what am I seeing beneath the black anti-fouling paint? It's rough and blue. It doesn't look like gelcoat and it doesn't look like fiberglass weave. I'm hoping it is a roughed-up barrier coat.

Overall, the hull beneath the waterline has the appearance of too much paint built up over time. It looks like prior owners have encountered exactly what I did, and just put two more coats on top. Things are relatively smooth but with bumps and divots here and there. So my second question is, can/should I fill in the worst of these divots with something like Marine Tex? I'm not terribly worried about performance (speed, etc.) My primary concern is properly protecting the hull.

Eventually, maybe next season, I'll probably want to have the hull stripped using something caustic, carcinogenic, and deadly to the surrounding wildlife and my beloved Bay.

Thanks for any advice you can provide. Please preface any bad news with a compliment or other comforting words.

[mm2187]

Looks like the blue might be another color of bottom paint and the white might be barrier coat (usually white or gray). Does the blue ablate when you rub it?

[travlineasy]

Ditto!

[Faster]

You're looking at paint layers.... the blue is definitely older antifouling, the white could be barrier could be gel coat. DO NOT fill/fair with a hard filler. First of all it will be on top of old paint and if you're lucky it won't stick... if it does stick you'll have created a 'high spot' that shouldn't be there.

The proper thing is to take it down to gel/barrier and see how smooth/rough the actual hull really is. Big, ugly job but it will need doing at some point. If you simply can't get to that now, then sand/feather the area to get rid of the obvious edges and repaint for now. But at some point you'll want to bite the bullet and start fresh.

[LessTacksing]

There is a firm outside of the capital district area in NYS that has deveolped a new type of bottom paint. This supposedly increases speed and inhibits growth on the bottom. It hit our local papers last month. I do not know how well it works, and if I find the name of the paint or where to google the company I'll put it on this thread.

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by LessTacksing

There is a firm outside of the capital district area in NYS that has deveolped a new type of bottom paint. This supposedly increases speed and inhibits growth on the bottom.

Isn't that what all anti fouling paints are supposed to do?

[LessTacksing]

Originally Posted by Fstbttms

Isn't that what all anti fouling paints are supposed to do?

According to the newspaper it is supposed to be "environmentally friendly"

"A small chemical company owned by an amateur competitive sailor is making its bid for a share of the $4 billion global market for marine coatings with an environmentally friendly alternative that also saves energy by reducing friction between the hull and the water." From the Timesunion.

David

[LessTacksing]

Here is a link to the article in the newspaper:

Times Union - Albany NY

David

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by LessTacksing

According to the newspaper it is supposed to be "environmentally friendly"

"A small chemical company owned by an amateur competitive sailor is making its bid for a share of the $4 billion global market for marine coatings with an environmentally friendly alternative that also saves energy by reducing friction between the hull and the water." From the Timesunion.

"Foul-release" coatings (which is what this sounds like) are nothing new and have been available to the recreational boater from the major anti fouling paint manufacturers and others for years. I'd be surprised if this guy has come up with anything ground-breaking.

[Minnewaska]

The OP is witnessing, first hand, the danger of apply one paint over another. They are often incompatible with each other. Doing it again, could be a real waste of money.

Is it not possible to have it stripped and done right, which is what you will have to do eventually?

For those that have introduced the idea of environmentally safe paint, it already exists with some positive reviews. Modestly more expensive, but people say it works. That could be very region specific, as paints often are.

It is at least possible that we are all forced to go there, so if you're starting from scratch, it should be a real consideration. You may avoid having to start from scratch again.