Hull paint

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jacaldo

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Can't find any posts to do with painting below the water line on a small trailer sailer used only in fresh water. The condition of the hull up to the water line is solid but looks terrible. I'm not concerned too much about the finish, I just want it to look clean and fairly fresh. Topside and the interior are more important to me, this is a cheap winter project so I don't want to empty the bank account. The boat is an early single plate Skipper 17. Thanks in advance.
 
You know that 'if you can piss, you can paint' thing..? I'm not that good at it, but what I would say is Premier Antifouling is hard to knock for the money - really pleased with it, both in terms of antifoul (which will not really be what you want, but it is pretty cheap) and their topside paint...
 
For a trailer sailer you do not need a water line as such. Assuming you keep it on a trailer. So extend the topside paint down over the bottom. it will be seen of course when on the trailer. I would not advocate antifoul paint unless you really need it. Most are soft and designed to naturally strip away over time. (And of course crazy expensive.
I would paint mine on the topsides and underneath with polyurethane 2 pack using a brush. Very tough and commes up OK. good luck olewill
 
Our first boat was a Leisure 17. It had been used in salt water, then abandoned. It was covered in barnacles and not pretty underneath. I just scraped it, faired a few of the bigger imperfections, abraded it lightly, primed it and painted it with whatever International's single pack topsides paint was at the time. It was fine for the time we had the boat (even on the iron keels) and we only gave it occasional use in fresh water and a couple of times in salt water but only for a day or so. I was so green at the time, I didn't even know antifouling paint existed!
 
jacaldo said:
Can't find any posts to do with painting below the water line on a small trailer sailer used only in fresh water. The condition of the hull up to the water line is solid but looks terrible. I'm not concerned too much about the finish, I just want it to look clean and fairly fresh. Topside and the interior are more important to me, this is a cheap winter project so I don't want to empty the bank account. The boat is an early single plate Skipper 17. Thanks in advance.
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I used Trilux hard antifouling, and it looks fine. No point in using a soft/eroding antifouling as it will just go all over everywhere when you haul out. Actually there isn't much point in antifouling at all. My wee Hunter lives on a swinging mooring in fresh water for 4 - 6 months a year and the hull comes out only very slightly cleaner than the rudder, which is varnished wood.
 
My fibreglass dinghy probably spends as much time in the water as a trailer sailer. I painted the bottom with cheap oil based paint from one of the sheds. It has stayed stuck and still looks OK 5 years later (except where it has been scratched by hauling up the beach).
 
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