[lumbercitybravest]

I washed my boat down the other day and found literally hundreds, if not thousands of tiny blisters in the hull gel coat. I contacted the local gelcoat expert, who told me he can easily repair it using the interlux system and anti fouling paint. The cost of this would be around $3200 plus tax to get everything right. My question is, does this sound like a reasonable price? The whole hull needs to be worked over it looks like...

[ShabahZ280]

If you've got a place to work on it, and time, you can do the whole Interlux Interprotect barrier system yourself. You'll just need a sander, lots of sandpaper, some fancy expensive interlux chemicals, and lots of PPE gear.

Just a warning though, it is expensive (~$85-$100/gallon, and you'll need probably 3+ gallons or so), it will require anywhere up to 5 coats of the epoxy barrier, and it's a little time consuming.

Next will be the bottom paint, which depending on what you use, can be expensive, and really as hard as you choose to make it. I'm in freshwater, and used VC17 Copper based paint (full writeup coming very soon!), so talk to people around your marina/boating area and find out what they're using. Go with what everyone else uses. Prep is different for all the different types of paint, but be prepared to sand and buy more fancy expensive chemicals.

One of the things most people forget while doing anti-fouling is that you'll need to do the outdrive too. This involves sanding all the paint down to bare metal, and applying an aluminum primer/protectant. Mine required 5 or 6 coats. THEN another 4-5 coats of a black antifouling paint.

So, the end-all answer is, if you've got a place to work on your boat (preferably indoors, away from the elements), and aren't afraid to do all the sanding and prep work, you can do it yourself and save a pretty good amount of money. However if you don't have a place to work, and don't want to do the work yourself, $3200 + tax for a full epoxy barrier coat and antifouling paint is a fair price, however I'd check with a few other shops, you may be able to find it slightly cheaper.

Keep us updated, and if I can answer any more of your questions, feel free to ask.

[lumbercitybravest]

Thanks for your response. The place I was considering using is a very reputable business. He is in the process of bringing boats back from NYC/NJ area and revamping them. My neighbor just picked up a 2001 32 foot sea ray with twin injected small blocks for $10,000. It needs some Fiberglas work, and a little interior work, which will run him between 6-7K, but when everything is said and done, he has a $50,000+ boat for less than 20K. Getting back to my boat.....It is wet slipped at my in laws house on the river, in fresh water for basically the entire summer. My Brother in law does auto body work and is researching the entire process. One thing the quote included from the local guy was 3 coats of anti fouling...the base coat being different that the top 2 coats. When I asked him why he does this, he said that it gives you a visual aid as to when its time to reapply. I will keep you guys posted as to which route Im going. Im winterizing this coming weekend, and then going to make a decision.

[ShabahZ280]

If they're a reputable business, then stick with them. However I don't know that you need the coat of a different color antifouling. The Interprotect 2000 Primer can be purchased in either white or grey, and once your antifouling paint wears down to those layers of the primer, and the white or grey starts to be visible, that should be enough of an indicator. If he's doing 3 coats, just as for 3 coats of the same color.

And just for future planning, most antifouling paints are thick and heavy (with the exception of VC-17, which is an ultra-thin teflon based copper paint), but you should be able to get about 2 freshwater seasons out of most of them before it's time for another coat or two. Also, you'll be adding some weight to your boat with this stuff, (and with the growth that will accumulate), so expect a few MPH loss off the top end, if anyone hasn't told you that yet.

Good luck with winterizing! If you can, post a few pics of your blisters so we can all see and maybe make some suggestions. Keep us updated with your decision!

[Hudson River Steve]

As the owner of one of the damaged NY/NJ boats from Sandy, I used the Petit system of High Build Epoxy under coat. It only requires 3 coats compared to the five required by Interlux. I topped it off with 2 coats of Petit HydroCoat bottom paint with a third coat at the water line as recommended. What I didn't mention was that I had the boat Soda blasted prior to undercoating to remove all traces of old bottom paint as well as providing an ultimate surface forthe epoxy undercoat to bond to. The soda blasting also made it really easy to identify any areas of the hull that required fiberglass repair. The Soda blasting cost ~$1300 but it saved me weeks of sanding. All I had to do was go over it with some 80 grit and then wash it down with water and then some Petit cleaner. All in all I think I spent about $900 on paint and supplies this spring...not including the soda blasting. Even with the time saving soda blasting...I think I spent 3 weekends getting the bottom ready for the season. Hopefully it will be good for another season or two before I have to repaint.