I've had good luck with Pettit Horizons which is a less expensive paint compared to the Ultima. But I am in the Northeast so cooler water, however barnacle growth is a real issue in our harbor. I'm on a mooring.

 

If slime is a local problem ... slime accumulation promotes barnacles attaching to ablatives in severe infestation areas. Then Micron Extra or its Pettit equivalent would be (actually is) my choice. You dont need to paint the entire hull with a slime reduction paint ... many in the Carolinas use the 'slime' formula down to ~3 ft. below the waterline ... and 'anything' below that level.

 

We've used Micron CSC for the past dozen years to good effect, though our water in CT may be a bit cooler than yours. With changes to ablative paint regs, we're thinking of looking for something else.

 

I've just looked on the Interlux website, and i do not see a listing for Micro CSC under their "Product Literature" menu. Everywhere else it is now listed with a "*". I found a product description pdf on their website, but the data sheet is an older version of what Interlux is now using. Given the product descriptions provided on vendor sites, I wondered the difference. I now guess that Interlux is discontinuing the CSC.

 

Ive used the Interlux products CSC, Micron, etc and switched to Pettit SR40 last year and have had great success. I wont go back to the overpriced and underperforming Interlux products anytime soon.

 

Ive used the Interlux prodcuts, CSC, Micron, etc and switched to Pettit SR40 last year and have had success.

Is there any reason why you did not go with the Pettit SR60?

 

I've used Micron CSC up here in the Northeast with good results. Last year, I went to West Marine's CPP because I was told it is the same stuff but made for West Marine and is sold at a significantly lower price. (Something like $169 v. 119/gallon.) I don't know if it really is the same stuff, but I had clean bottom at last year's haul out and will go forward with the West Marine product.

 

We've used SR60 for the past two years on the Chesapeake. The bottom almost doesn't need to be power-washed when we haul for winter. Of course, it's the Chesapeake, not Florida, and we haul for winter. But for what it's worth, we've had a good experience.

If you're doing the application, I found the suggested thinner useful when it was warmer or windy. I stuck to the recommended ratios, but it did help the paint flow better.

Best of luck,
J

 

If I recall SR 60 says they recommended it be applied by a "professional"? So I thought I would try out the SR40 first, but may try SR60 next year.

 

I'll chime in that I've been satisfied with Pettit Hydrocoat after using it on my previous boat and current one on the Chesapeake.

A slight coat of slime is all I've ever had to deal with leaving the boat in the water 2 seasons at a time, hauling out every other year.

 

I've used Micron the last two paint jobs, as that is what came with the boat for the PO in his 20 yrs of owning the boat. Worked overall pretty well in Puget sound. I just painted after 3 yrs with WM's equal with slime.

Do not know how it will work, but was cheap, and am hoping to haul in the next 6-18 months and do a complete bottom remove and redo with hard paint. With that, I will swag my Jeanneau 30 is about the same sq footage and disp as your C&C, fin keel 6500 lbs disp, 25.5 waterline, I used ~.8 gal with two full coats, 4 on the waterline down a foot, leading and tailing edges of fin and rudder. I think I have a pic out of the water I can post if you want a view of my boat to see how close it is to yours. I would start with one gal, assuming the supply place is close by. You may only need 1-1.25 gals, a qt on the tail end is way cheaper than having .75 gals left over!

Marty

 

NE Gulf coast -- go with Micron. That's what most sailors here use....

 

Shaun....were you implying J was not a professional???????

We are switching from Micron Extra to the UltimaSR40 on Chefs recommendation ( we have had good luck however with the micron Extra)

Chef.... should I be going with the SR60 instead?

Dave

 

I've been using Pettit Hydrocoat, which is water-based) for at least 3 years with good results here in Connecticut. It was applied over CSC, which I had previously used for over 10 years.

Every spring I simple buff the bottom (which the boatyard had power washed in the fall) using plain water and a scouring pad (the kind that has a handle) and roll on a single, thin coat.

Another bit of advice: If you have a substantial build-up of a solvent-based ablative paint,you might simply wipe your bottom down with acetone or paint thinner and a rag to refresh the surface. You might touch up the water line, but you can avoid applying a whole new coat.

 

Anybody else know if Micron CSC has been discontinued for certain? It's been our paint of choice for the last 20 years.

 

Why do you think it is discontinued it is still on the Interlux website.

 

Defender has both CSC and CSC Extra on their website. Their annual warehouse sale starts next week. Stock up.

 

Another Experience

My boat is in Salem, MA. It goes in end of April and gets hauled mid-November. It is used every week 1-3X.

The previous owner used Interlux Micron 33 and when I bought the boat, the bottom was so smooth, I asked him what he used. When I went to repaint, I couldn't find the Micron 33, so went to Micron 66. The was a great paint, but it was a lot of money. Since I haul my boat yearly, I decided last year to try West Marine's Version with anti-slime and am very happy with the results.

The WM version may result in a tad more slime, but but not enough to make a difference. It also may wear a little worse. I seem to have less residual paint than the Micron 66 so, for extended seasons or heavy use, it may mean a shorter duration bewteen repaints. For a 6 to 9 month season, I don't think it makes a differnce, The bottom power washed of well when she was pulled.

Since the WM stuff is 50% of the price of the Interlux Micron 66 and they are are almost equivalent in performance, the WM paint is recommended.

DrB

 

From Pratical Sailor in regards to the Pettit SR-40

"the West Marine paints made by Pettit: PCA Gold (re-branded Ultima SR-40)"

Not sure if it's 100% true as Pettit advertises the SR-40 as a dual biocide paint with PTFE (Teflon) and WM only clams Irgarol as the biocide and no PTFE.

 

ok...I bought 2 gallons of the Petit Ultima SR60 as recommended by T37chef. Any special notes I need to know about application as it has such a high Cu content?

BTW. Defender is having a great sale on Petit Bottom Paints. I got the UltimaSR60 for $200 / gallon no tax with a twenty dollar rebate per gallon to mail in.

Dave

 

Use a drill with a stirrer and stir it frequently and right before each pour into the roller tray. Only pour enough into the tray for a few "dips" of the roller.

I actually made the move over to Pettit Horizons or the Ultima SR series due to slower ablative speeds. It begins to ablade, wear away, at slower speeds than the Micron line does thus working better at sloughing on a sailboat. I found with Micron I rarely got to my tracer color and the slime would build up worse than the slower speed ablatives. I wanted to try Hydrocoat but after speaking with the rep and tech support I discovered it does not begin to ablade until a higer speed is reached. This is fine for a power boat, Sea Ray's ship with Hydrocoat, but on a sail boat I like a paint that begins to slough at 2-3 knots vs, 6-7+ to avoid build up..

Some slow speed ablatives:

Multi-Season:

Ultima SR products
Petitt Horizons (the non-slime version of SR)
West Marine PCA Gold

Single season:

Interlux ACT (this stuff is about as soft as it gets)
Pettit SSA (Single Season Ablative or as the rep calls it "Super Soft Ablative)

 

Thanks Maine for the advice on the drill stirrer. I imagine with the extra CU content its important to keep it in solution

Your reasons for swtiching over from Micro to Petit were exactly mine. The sloughing off of the sline layer at the sailboat speed should make an improvement. I must say I was always happy with the Micron Extra...but I use the boat quite frequently so I may not have seen the difference others have.

Dave

 

I have had great luck with micron extra. Also tried the west marine version and it is much cheaper, the results where ok but it was evident that I got what I paid for.

 

We all have different needs for different waters. We are fresh water - no barnicles at all. I'd just like a little help making the slime come off easier at the end of the season. So I'll chime in on my paint choice, since it's different from anyone else here.

My boat had stale WM Bottomshield on the hull when I bought it a year ago. Not the right paint choice because the boat is hauled every year. However, the rudder had an ablative - not sure what grade, but the marina who replaced the rudder typically uses Interlux Micron.

In the 2+ knot tidal currents of the Delaware River, with the occasional piece of driftwood that would get stuck in my slip and slide past the rudder 4x/day, the ablative wore off at the waterline in less than a month. Even below the waterline, it was gone after about 2 months. The current was just too much for that paint. I estimate that the current causes my boat to effectively "sail" about 20 miles a day just sitting in the slip.

Because of these wear issues I went searching for a hard paint that can survive haulout every winter without needing to recoat. Pettit Vivid is the only one I could find. Apparently the cuprous thiocyanide does not lose its effectiveness in the air like cuprous oxide. So I have it on order.

Have any of you used Pettit Vivid? Comments on it?

 

Have any of you used Pettit Vivid? Comments on it?

Vivid is possibly the least durable ablative paint on the market. Good luck.

 

The only problem with using the hard paints is that you should sand sown before applying multiple coats so it is an added step. Thats amazing that the ablative wears off so fast as I though most were not effective until you hit 6 knots or so,

Dave

 

Yeah, I actually meant to talk to you about this last night. I spent all day Saturday (ran home for a quick shower before our dinner) and a couple hours today sanding. I've got hard paint on the hull, so I don't need to sand it all off. I'm just smoothing out the paint drips, scuffing the surface, and fairing the edges of chips. The rudder needs to be completely stripped, and I'm considering a chemical strip since it's not that much surface area.

I was shocked about the ablative wearing off so fast. Along the waterline the driftwood really does a number on it fast. The rudder paint was not completely worn off - just the points of high turbulence like the edges of the rudder and the level at the bottom of the transom a couple inches below the waterline (note I have a transom-hung rudder). But when I hauled the boat, there was no grass at all - I suspect it can't attach because of the constant scrubbing action of the current.

 

Well I can only report what my actual (limited) experience has been in my area. I was actually on my way to WM to buy PCA Gold ablative, but just could not bring myself to pull the trigger given my experience with the rudder. Once I put ablative on, I would need to take it all off if I didn't like it and wanted to go back to back a hard paint. So I'm going to try the Vivid hard paint on top of my current (sanded) hard paint, and if I don't get at least 2 seasons out of it I'll sand it smooth again and try an ablative next time.

I'm just putting it out there since my experience represents a different sailing range than others have reported.

 

For anyone buying Pettit paint this spring, here's the link for the $20 per gallon rebate:

Pettit Marine Paints - Bounce Back Rebate

 

Are you sure you are not referring to "Vivid Free"? That's very different from "Vivid."

I'm just very puzzled that a paint that is marketed as a hard paint can turn out to be softer than the softest ablatives.

 

I am not talking about Vivid Free. I am talking about the standard Vivid. It is not marketed strictly as a hard paint, it is a hybrid. Even the Petit web site lists it under both "Hard" and "Ablative" categories. It has attributes of both types. One of the ablative attributes is that it comes off the hull easier than just about anything else I have ever seen.

I'm just telling you what I know from years of real world experience.