Bottom
This topic contains 11 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
Hello all-
I am getting closer to launch. Due to poor availability of cranes/lifts/draft limitations, etc, I have drecided that TRAILER TRASH will be wet sailed. I have a few blisters, none look bigger than 1/4″ and seem superficial. She has been out of the water for 5 or 6 years, so hopefully plenty dry. I am planning on stripping the bottom and barrier coating. She came with a gallon of Interprotect 2000. Seems like a pretty strait-forward job, but a couple of questions-
1)How much wetted surface does this boat have?
2)Any recommendations for bottom paint? Fouling is generous here in the sub-tropics. I have always used ablative on my cruising boats, but this is a different deal.
3)I did a little repair and filling around a couple of thru hulls and am curious about the layers. My bootstripe is blue. Under the bottom paint (I believe there is only one coat of paint) is a blue layer, then a thicker white layer before the laminate. I assume the blue is gelcoat, but what about the white? Could this be an old barrier coat? How did they come from the factory?Ignore the dumb third question. I realized the blue is the deeper layer of bottom paint underneath the faded surface.
If you have blisters..they will come back. Grind/fill/fair and then put on the barrier coat. Make sure you strip off all paint first. A quick overall sanding will highlight the ‘raised’ bumps. Ton of work, but mandatory on a balsa core boat. Take advantage of the 5 years of drying.
Tropical…out of my cool freshwater knowledge. I like hard paints…get all the copper you can is my guess.
We use Pettit Trinidad SR in Hawaii and get multiple seasons.
I had a boat that was wet sailed its whole life and successfully beat the blister problem for at least the 10 years I owned my boat after applying the barrier coats.
I used sandblasting to open up all the blisters. I found that most all the blisters in an Olson 30 are in the gelcoat and not in the structural glass fabric. If you get your sandblasting technique down, it only opens up the weakened areas and leaves everything else intact. If I remember correctly, it took me 4 to 6 hours of sandblasting to do the whole bottom. Be sure to remove any bottom paint before sandblasting as the sand can drive the paint into the area you want to bond to. Wash to blasted area as there is contamination that caused the blisters in the first plasce that you want to remove. Allow the boat to dry thoroughly, the longer the better. Use heat lamps to speed up things if needed. I sandblasted my boat in the Fall and allowed it to dry all Winter. I then faired the open blistered areas and then rolled 5 or 6 barrier coats of Interlux 2000(?). (I think that’s the right number.) You need a gallon per coat for the Olson 30. If you’re going to sand & fair the barrier directly, you might want to add a couple of extra coats. You don’t want to sand through any of your barrier which you’ve worked so hard to add.
West Epoxy had a booklet 20 years ago, now I think the have all the information online.
If you can chase down the current owner of Thumper in Maine, you could see if the barrier coat is still intact that was done almost 20 years ago.
Its a tremendous amount of work but it is well worth it for the boat. I was shocked at how much the boatyards charge for a barrier job until I figure out how many hours I put into my job. Using their fees it came out just about what they were charging.
Good luck, let me know if you have any questions.
Bill vosteen
I wet sail and use Baltaplate. I dive my boat weekly, an activity I consider recreation. It stays in good shape in the brackish water of the Chesapeake. That said, smart guys have told me what works well in one locality may or may not work elsewhere. I think the best advice is to check with local racing boats to see what has worked/not worked for them.
I got my boat in May from someone who wet sailed her in the puget sound (estuary: pretty salty water), I don’t know the last time a bottom job was done. She has some ugly blue ablative paint on her bottom as well as a completely bare spot from the rudder rubbing against the hull. I am now in lake union (fresh water) and plan on doing 6 or so weekend trips out to the sound a summer. I have been reading around and given that she will just stay in fresh water, it is recomended wetsanding the current paint to 400 grit and leaving it alone until I have the time to redo the barrier coat and put on some hard paint (next winter). Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
If you are racing it…strip it all off! Hope you have a barrier coat…fresh water I have heard is worse for blisters. Fair the whole bottom longboarding. Then 3 coats of barrier (inter2000). Then check with local racers what they use. Hard paint with a lot of copper is the mix for racing. You can polish it to a mirror. Up north, we use VC17. I think there was a salt water version. I love this stuff…can recoat every year with no build up. I’ve heard it is not so good for anti fouling in warmer fresh climes.
You might also want to check out Interlux (127) VC Permormance. It is a 2 part epoxy paint and is an “abative” paint. Very hard and can be wet sanded or burnished. Some of the Melges 32 guys use it here in SF.
Thanks Curt, Is this something I can paint over a well sanded ablative?
@Bruce, I fully plan on doing that, but that is going to wait for next year.
I’m not sure about that. The guys at Interlux were very helpful. I shot them a question online and they answered right away. I found the paint online for $49 + shipping which gets you 2 quarts (being a 2 part epoxy paint). It is mixed 1:1.
I do not think anything can go over an ablative paint except another ablative. Too soft and low internal cohesion. Ablative in essence does not stick to itself well.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.