Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Hi Everyone

Just purchased a 2002 245 STC freshwater boat and I am wondering if I should have the bottom done in Anti Fouling paint? It is going to be living on the ocean. I am going to have it in a berth at the local marina but I am planning to take her out of the water once a week to tow home and give a good scrub. It kills me to think that I have to cover up the hull in black paint. I checked to see if white is available and it is.. but im told it turns dirty looking after a while.
I have spoke to a number of local shops and its about 50/50 on what to do..Any suggestions ?

Thanks
Duane

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Hey , long as your faithful about cleaning that often I'd leave it alone. I don't have any experience with the anti foul paint , but it seems like every boat I have seen with it on looks like crap.
I'm sure one of the boys on the coast will pipe in:wink_thumbup:
Larry

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Petit Vivid White is a good compromise. Yes, it will show a scum line, but it scrubs off in the water easily. I know a few people who use it, it's definitely less of an eyesore than the black or blue. If you plan on trailering it once a week, you should let the marina advise you on which particular paint to do. Antifouling paints are soft and are ablative, so constant loading & unloading on the trailer every week will prematurely remove the paint, unless you use a much harder compound, which is where the marina would know the best option.

The real question is, would you load, drive home, scrub for hours, drive back, and launch in the water every week? If not, then get the bottom painted and save yourself all that effort.

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Thanks Guys

Called the marina this afternoon and they recommended doing it..The barnacles are pretty bad in the cove..They also said there is a few boats with the white done and they have turned a brownish color after the first year..

Thanks
Duane

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

I agree, you deffinaltely need the RIGHT paint. Certain paints are made to take in and out of the water and some are not. Make sure you do the outdrive too with the clear Antifouling paint. It doesnt last as long but much better treatment to the drive unit. And with it out so much you can get a spray application for that and hit it a couple times a season.

What about the inside of the engine? Does it have a Closed Cooling System?

Congradulations on a very nice boat.

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Hey,
I spoke to the shop this afternoon that is going to buff and polish the exterior and apply the anti-fouling and the best solution is the black ablative, show coat and the black..

I am having the QL Neutra-Salt Engine Flushing System installed before it goes into the water this spring.. It is from Volvo Penta.. You run it 45-60 seconds when you dock before you shut the engine down.. and it flushes the saltwater and leaves a corrosion inhibitor on everything the water comes in contact with..

Are you talking about Aquagard Spray for the outdrive? I do need to do a few touch ups on the transome mount. nothing too bad just a bit a bubbled paint.

Thanks
Duane

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Duane,

I think thats what I would do too. The black will look nice. And your decision on the Volvo Penta Neutra salt system is probably a good choice. The system I was mentioning is a complete cooling system with coolant that flows through the engine. But even then there are parts that get salt water exposure, so the desalination treatment is nice.

What I was talking about on the outdrive is just a clear anti foul paint. You want to protect the outdrive without the damage that some anti foul paints will do to it, but Im sure the experts that are applying yours have good suggestions for that. The stuff I used to use on our boat we left in was in a spray can for the outdrive and I could give it a nice clear coat each time it came out and it kept the drive protected.

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Keep us updated on the bottom job. If you can post a few pics, that'd be great! Not a lot of us have anti-fouling, but it's the smart thing to do for boats that spend a lot of time in the water. I think the black in a show coat will look nice.

BTW Excellent choice on the VP Neutra-salt system. Let us know how it works, and if you'd write a review for us, that'd be great!

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

I just bought my boat and the previous owner had the bottom painted but they did not paint up the sides and it does not look bad at all. I wanted a unpainted bottom as it will not be kept in the water. See attached pics. They did paint the transom area but the look from the sides look good and almost like it was made that way. Now if I could only figure out what the stickers are at the water line???????

Re: Anti Fouling Paint - To do or not to do..
 

Hey Guys
Thanks for the pics of the Anti Fouling paint job it does look pretty good. The guy who owns the shop stopped by today to have a look at the boat before I take it over.he looked at the lines and showed me how far the paint will come up.. He asked me to come over and watch the process that they do. I will take some pictures on the progress and post them up.
I will do the same and review the Salt system in the spring.. Now if we can just get winter started it will be over sooner..haha

Thanks for the help!
Duane