Boot top

[seaangler23]

Bought the boat last year and it had an unsightly thick black boot top around 4" wide and made from a fair few layers of crumbling and patchy black antifoul, this wasn't the worst part as the dingy would rub against it and leave big black marks up the top sides which annoyed me more than anything, I live aboard most of the summer on a swinging mooring so no avoiding it.
So I have scrapped it off and in the process of sanding and sorting a few chips under it but undecided what to do next, I can get away with bringing my hull antifoul up another inch when I repaint as its low anyway and will look a little less bulky, but I'm undecided whether to paint the strip in black toplac first then if needed get a hard black antifoul to cover as little a strip along the lower part as I can get away with, or am I being daft and just get a decent hard antifoul and the dingy won't rub it off? Looking for the lower maintenace option

 

[Tranona]

Depends on whether you get fouling in that area. It is common on boats on a swinging mooring because of the greater movement of the boat leading to it being alternately wet and dry. If this is the case then you have to either raise your AF line to cover the area or use a contrasting shade boot top AF such as Trilux 33 which is non eroding so should not rub off on your dinghy.

 

[James_Calvert]

I use trilux for my boottop, but it does transfer onto mooring lines and the like if they rub against it.

Maybe it's because I'm mean in application but it's also not nearly as effective as the regular antifouling, so raising your existing antifouling by an inch is probably a good idea anyway.

 

[VicS]

Bought the boat last year and it had an unsightly thick black boot top................................./QUOTE]

Raise the level of the main antifouling and do away with the boot top ! It takes nearly as long to mask off and apply a boot top as it does to do the rest of the antifouling.

Trilux is expensive if you are buying small quantities for a boot top and still tends to rub off to some degree !

 

[Leisure 27]

I used Trilux which as worked very well for 4 years and still going strong.3 coats But it is a pain as it rubs off on everything. Even polishing the sides I have to tape up the boot top. Next time I may use hard racing. I need to ask international if I can paint over the trilux with hard racing. Trilux to messy. But that is what they recommended and the bright red does look great when its not smudged.

 

[Daydream believer]

I used Trilux which as worked very well for 4 years and still going strong.3 coats But it is a pain as it rubs off on everything. Even polishing the sides I have to tape up the boot top. Next time I may use hard racing. I need to ask international if I can paint over the trilux with hard racing. Trilux to messy. But that is what they recommended and the bright red does look great when its not smudged.

Surely the point is that the OP wants something that does not rub on to everything because being a summer liveaboard his dinghy keeps rubbing against it making a mess
I would have thought complete removal & a hard antifouling paint best option on the boot top line. If he raises the other antifouling up too far & it is the erodable type then that will possibly rub off as well. Really depends how high in relation to the waterline everything is now.

 

[Leisure 27]

I was advising to use hard racing If you ask International for boot top they will advise Trillux. they don't tell you it doesn't dry properly However it does keep the weed off and is long lasting. I was expecting it to dry completely. It doesn't

 

[crewman]

I found that white spirit removed trilux. Wiping over the hull before antifouling with white spirit and got red stains everywhere!