it's that time of year again...bottom painting...

first,if you've got peeling paint,and it's peeling to the gel coat,you need to bite the bullet and strip the bottom.the boat was not prepped correctly from the start,if you've got this condition...

proper prep...

new boat,or a boat that's never been painted...
chemical dewax,that's first-even if the boat is a few years old,you still need to do this step...scuff sand,gotta rough up the finish for anything to properly adhere...
here's where you can take 2 different roads...
i like an epoxy barrier coat,for this to be effective,it needs to be as thick as a match book cover,otherwise,it's a real expensive primer...use alternating coats of white and grey...after you've got the barrier coat on,i like the "tell coat" way to fly...i use a different color hard bottom paint-use the absolute cheapest crap you can find,a different color then the finish color,i like and use micron csc for the finish,i do at least 3-4 coats of this...there's no need to repaint untill you see the finish color...slick huh ?

be sure to use trilux on any aluminum parts-including the outboard bracket-too many guys use the wrong type antifouling paint on the aluminum bracket-end result,galvanic corrosion,which will require to repalce the bracket...use the correct paint !!

side note...

beware of these guys driving around with their trucks that are gonna do bottom painting real cheap,same guys that are doing barrier coating too...granted,this is not brain surgery and we're not launching space shuttles,but,i've seen some big problems from these guys-i've seen the entire coating,barrier and all,peeling off,i've seen guys getting 1 season then having to repaint-i've seen alot of problems...bottom line...know who you get to do work on your boat-times are tough,lots of guys looking for work,lots of "fly by nite" guys out there with no insurance and no shop and not much abilities,trying to take advantage of people looking for a break in the cost of upkeep on the boat...be careful guys...i've seen all kinds of problems,problems from wiring,to fiberglass,to painting...i will mention one person..."manny",premier fiberglass,he works out of his van,he has florida plates,and he's gonna talk a good game,but this guy will rip you off-trust me...i've seen this a few times last year in cape may...i've heard of this guy and he travels up to this general area every season,then runs back to fla in the fall...do not use this guy for anything...there was a boat he painted the cockpit in cape may,he told the owner of the boat he would refinish the cockpit in awlgrip...the owner paid him a sizable deposit to start the job,manny,primed it and painted it,the paint never kicked...he claimed he was in contact with u.s. paint over this...truth is,he used a cheap enamel paint,and it wouldn't dry,it was too cold outside for it to dry...bottom line,he cost the owner $3,500,plus the price of the repair the correct way...again,watch out for this...