<< Subj: Painting the bottom
Date: 99-01-11 10:20:13 EST
From: tbodine@seabrook (Tom Bodine)
To: wwpotter@tscnet.com (West Wight Potter p)
Hi
I'm planning to sail from Galveston to Corpus Christi.
From the discussion about florida and bottom paint, I
see I'll need to do this before I start my trip. What
is the safest, cheapest way to support the boat while
painting?
If I got a yard to do it how much should it cost?
# Regards Tom Bodine @
# Skipper "Frimi" P-19 #1019 ,-+-'
# Dancing to the music life has given me. A
>>
Tom:
There are many opinions on bottom paint in Florida. I have a neighbor does
not paint bottom but has it scraped by a diver service weekly. This is a very
expensive option and the bottom still gets stained yellow/brown permanently
with mangrove acid (forgot the name). It looks better painted.
Based on my experience in Pompano Beach, FL I would recommend as follows.
If you plan to leave boat in water for more than 9 days I recommend you paint
bottom with either Petit ACP50 or Interlux Micron CSC extra (about $35/qt.).
(ACP50 is the preferred bottom paint for trailer sailboats). These paints are
called mud paints and do not build up on your bottom but rather waste away and
need very little sanding before re-coating. If you use a NO SAND PRIMER
instead of sanding and apply only one coat of paint you can remove the paint
later with fiberglass paint remover. It comes off completely in about 5
minutes after applying the paint remover, leaving the bottom clear and ready
to re-wax. If you will leave boat in water less than 9 days use some of that
super slick bottom wax from Overton's and wipe it every three days. My
powerboat got sand sized barnacles from being in water 6 days at Pompano Beach
Marine center. It was no fun scraping them off with several plastic scrapers.
I wore out 4 of them scraping. My 13' Sovereign "Solar Fry" got the same
stuff on bottom after 4 days in brackish water last summer. My P19 is going in
the water and it's bottom has 2 coats of Micron CSC extra while the sides and
center of bow have 3 coats. It takes about 2 quarts to paint whole bottom
once and sides, bow stem and bottom stem twice. That should be more than
enough for 6 months on the water.
When trailering, make sure your daggerboard (dgrbrd) sticks about an inch
below bottom of trailer to avoid damage to dgrbrd well inner gel coat. You
might also want to stick some rags into there from underneath to protect it...
I have used three stacks of 5 heavy concrete blocks each (laid with holes
facing up last one with holes facing sideways) topped with foam pads to
support my 20' Powerboat (3,500lbs.) while repairing scratches and waxing
bottom. I did the same thing last week to my P19 so I could repair damage to
inside of dgrbrd trunk while trailering. One stack was placed on each side of
the stern and another about 9 inches in front of dgrbrd well. I used an
automotive jack to lift stern so I could place stacks slightly sticking out
each end of transom ( 1 inch). Once the stern was up I raised the trailer
tongue then used the jack to lift bow some more so it was even with stern,
lowered trailer tongue, moved trailer out slowly, lowered jack so bow rested
on trailer, moved jack behind axle, cranked tongue up, jacked bow up, stuck
stack of bricks under bow, tongue down, removed jack pulled trailer completely
out. I called a couple of neighbors/friends to help jack boat up and pull
trailer. Also to watch me paint and talk to me while I worked just in case
something...
If you do bottom antifouling paint yourself it will cost:
2 qts of paint @ 35 each $ 70
2 solid core/epoxy paint rollers 10
1 roller kit 5
6 cheap brushes 6
2 qts dewaxer @ 12 each 24
1 qt NO SAND Primer 20
15 concrete bricks 15
1 bottle of diswashing liquid 2
Rent on spray washer/rem dewax 30
1 pair of cheap jeans ruined 15
1 bag of 20 shop towels/dewax 5
total $202
You can save on the rental of the spray washer if you have high water pressure
at your faucets and REALLY hose the bottom down to remove soap and dewaxer.
This is without counting the driving back and fourth to the stores...
Because of continuous unrelenting pain in my right hand I had to have bottom
of P19 professionally painted by Giannone Marine. They used only one coat of
paint on bottom, two coats on sides and charged $380 dollars. They had to
remove boat from trailer with travelift, dewax bottom, wash it with detergent,
spray with powerwasher, sand lightly with 200 grit (edges, skeg and sides
only), apply no sand primer, paint with a roller, lift it with straps and
paint under jack stand positions, while I watched. They did an average job.
I recommend, if you have someone else do paint job, before you pay, crawl
under boat with a flashlight during the day and check that all areas of
fiberglass keel stem up to bow including inside dgrbrd well have been covered
completely by paint before leaving yard/marina.
In Tampa Bay we stayed at E. G. Simmons park during our FL Internet Potter
Club Convergence. This is a very nice county campground allowing you to dock
between mangroves next to a camping site... If you are headed for Florida
Keys, the best place I have found for sailboat docking and sailing has been
Plantation Yacht Harbor (PYH) on Plantation Key. PYH is close to the only
access to the ocean side (Snake Creek) and about 5 miles from some really
beautiful snorkeling reefs. When it is very rough oceanside it is always flat
on bayside where PYH is. There are other fine places to stay but these are the
ones we have had best results with.
You can obtain free copies of local area charts (Teal's guides) at fishing
equipment outlets and local marinas.
E-mail direct to me where you are headed and your home address and I will e-
mail to you my address and phone number in Pompano Beach, Florida. Maybe we
could meet and get a beer along the way.
We at the FL Potter Club are planning get-togethers in February, March and May
or June at the FL keys. Also, in Tampa Bay area in late July or early August
and a possible other meet in the St. Johns river area. Most of the time I sail
out of Hillsboro Inlet off Pompano Beach ( see NOV 98 Cruising World page 33 -
it is not ft.loud as they claim but really Hillsboro Inlet.) I am out by Lake
Santa Barbara...
Best
Solar Fry
member FL Potter Club on the Internet.
P19 # 1028, "Elusive Margin"
Pompano Beach, FL