Cruiser''s Bottom Paint???

[staceyneil]

A question for southern cruisers (we''re in Maine so have no experience with this!) ....what''s the best bottom paint?

We''re prepping our boat for a (up to) 2 year cruise, a good deal of which will be in the Caribbean. Ideally, we''d like to NOT have to haul the boat until we return after 2 years. She''s stripped and about to be barrier-coated. A paint salesman recommended Trinidad SR now, which *might* last the whole time, then when we return to Maine and are hauling every year we can go back to using an ablative so we don''t build up too many coats.

Anyone have any other thoughts?

THANKS!!!

Stacey
www.sailnamaste.com

[WHOOSH]

Stacey, I think you''ll be VERY pleased with Petit''s Trinidad, either the original or SR version (we were seeing little performance difference in St. Pete when discussing this with yard owners). Mod epoxy paints like Trinidad benefit by being ''maintained'' - an occasional scrub using a very soft medium like WM''s Doodlebug or a piece of soft carpet (harder to hold onto) will give you much longer service and is consistent with your cruising waters. The last full cycle (in Florida waters) with Trinidad, I got 3 1/3 years before the rudder and waterline finally lost coverage; easily removed slime and occasional barnacle. We''re now at almost a full 2 years this cycle, in cold Euro waters, and I''m expecting to avoid a haul this season as well, just doing a pressure spray and zinc replacement instead - a big savings.

FWIW in warm Florida waters - which I think are similar to Caribbean waters re: growth types and conditions - Trinidad is extremely popular.

Jack

[GordMay]

I agree that Trinidad is likely to give you excellent protection for a 2-year cruise.

Trinidad (& SR) Tech Sheets
http://www.pettitpaint.com/pdf/antifouling.pdf
http://www.pettitpaint.com/pdf/trinidadsr.pdf

Boat Painting Handbook
http://www.pettitpaint.com/handbook.asp

HTH
Gord