Painting my bottom

[Wandering Star]

Evening all. Spent today scraping about 30 years worth of antifouling off most of the bottom of my boat. I plan to finish it off tomorrow. My question is, can I slap fresh antifouling onto the hull as it looks now or should I prime the whole underwater surface first and then antifouling?

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I think something like Primocon would be a good idea. It is designed to cling onto both the substrate and the new antifoul.

Alternative is to clean the hull completely and apply multiple epoxy type finishes. It may already have had that treatment at some time. You may be able to tell.

It looks like the ballast keel is encapsulated . If so, no special rust treatment would be required.

 

[Boathook]

I would prime and then use antifoul.

 

[Tranona]

This smlmarinepaints.co.uk/products/cu_pro_pack will do the job very nicely. Primer and effective AF at a sensible price.

 

[Wandering Star]

Thanks for all the advice - looks as though it would be sensible to prime the bottom first. So a second question, at the moment the boat is sitting in a yard cradle and also has several wooden props helping to support the boat all (obviously) set up by the yard.

Do you think it’s possible to provide enough support of the boat using props all round from the ground to just under the gunwhale (set up by the yard) so that the 4 cradle arms can be dropped and the short random props removed, to provide an unobstructed underwater surface for me to prime and antifoul. Maybe that’s quite a standard request of the yard? Maybe it’s too dangerous?

Obviously I can and will ask the yard directly, but I don’t use the phone and I won’t be visiting the yard until next week and I’d like to know before then!

 

[johnalison]

Thanks for all the advice - looks as though it would be sensible to prime the bottom first. So a second question, at the moment the boat is sitting in a yard cradle and also has several wooden props helping to support the boat all (obviously) set up by the yard.

Do you think it’s possible to provide enough support of the boat using props all round from the ground to just under the gunwhale (set up by the yard) so that the 4 cradle arms can be dropped and the short random props removed, to provide an unobstructed underwater surface for me to prime and antifoul. Maybe that’s quite a standard request of the yard? Maybe it’s too dangerous?

Obviously I can and will ask the yard directly, but I don’t use the phone and I won’t be visiting the yard until next week and I’d like to know before then!

I had the same problem when using Optima a/f that needed to be properly cured before launching. I always spoke to the yard chaps and they would ease off the pads and if necessary add props. I would say on no account try to do it yourself. If nothing else, it will be on their insurance. It can be quite time-consuming moving the props around and I solved the problem by changing to a normal a/f that could be touched up in the slings before launch.

 

[Wandering Star]

I had the same problem when using Optima a/f that needed to be properly cured before launching. I always spoke to the yard chaps and they would ease off the pads and if necessary add props. I would say on no account try to do it yourself. If nothing else, it will be on their insurance. It can be quite time-consuming moving the props around and I solved the problem by changing to a normal a/f that could be touched up in the slings before launch.

Thanks for this, this is what we’ve decided to do. A bit (a lot actually) shocked at the price the yard have just quoted to move the props, 2 hours work at £85 an hour plus VAT! That’s disgraceful imo. I could do the job myself in 40 mins although I won’t for H & S reasons.

 

[RogerJolly]

Pricey! Having a twin keeler I'm glad I'm not faced with the problem. Can't remember seeing it mentioned as an advantage of twin keels though, so maybe it's not the faff I think it is.

Good call on the H & S. Poor chap crushed to death in Weymouth a few years ago in apparently similar circumstances.

 

[johnalison]

Thanks for this, this is what we’ve decided to do. A bit (a lot actually) shocked at the price the yard have just quoted to move the props, 2 hours work at £85 an hour plus VAT! That’s disgraceful imo. I could do the job myself in 40 mins although I won’t for H & S reasons.

Good grief. Mine did it as part of the service. You should come to Essex.

 

[PabloPicasso]

I had the same problem when using Optima a/f that needed to be properly cured before launching. I always spoke to the yard chaps and they would ease off the pads and if necessary add props. I would say on no account try to do it yourself. If nothing else, it will be on their insurance. It can be quite time-consuming moving the props around and I solved the problem by changing to a normal a/f that could be touched up in the slings before launch.

Crane drivers here don't allow any touching up once in the slings.

Apparently after a health & safety incident "somewhere" where slings werw damaged by solvents.

So we werw told. I have no details of said incident.

 

[johnalison]

Crane drivers here don't allow any touching up once in the slings.

Apparently after a health & safety incident "somewhere" where slings werw damaged by solvents.

So we werw told. I have no details of said incident.

I don't know about elsewhere but round here it is normal. It is usual to leave the last of the a/f in the tin and a manky old brush under the boat, and the lads will touch up the bare patches. I assume they are careful to avoid going anywhere near the slings, but this shouldn't be hard.

 

[Dellquay13]

Pricey! Having a twin keeler I'm glad I'm not faced with the problem. Can't remember seeing it mentioned as an advantage of twin keels though, so maybe it's not the faff I think it is.

Good call on the H & S. Poor chap crushed to death in Weymouth a few years ago in apparently similar circumstances.

I have a twin keel too, saves a fortune on a yard cradle.
One downside in the yard is it is much lower down and hard on your back when painting. Getting prep and paint between the keels is usually flat on my back getting covered in drips and splashes

 

[Momac]

Thanks for this, this is what we’ve decided to do. A bit (a lot actually) shocked at the price the yard have just quoted to move the props, 2 hours work at £85 an hour plus VAT! That’s disgraceful imo. I could do the job myself in 40 mins although I won’t for H & S reasons.

I don't worry about the patches where the supports are located. I expect they are unavoidably at much the same locations each time but only the fish may notice the difference

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We’re very fortunate that our boat can be supported on 4 pads under the beam mounts on the main hull. We put trestles under the outriggers so that we can step on them, but they can come out for work underneath. That leaves the whole underwater section available in one go. The centreboard comes out fairly easily, it weighs about 25kg.

 

[Lucky Duck]

I have a twin keel too, saves a fortune on a yard cradle.
One downside in the yard is it is much lower down and hard on your back when painting. Getting prep and paint between the keels is usually flat on my back getting covered in drips and splashes

I do not miss for one moment working between the keels….

MDL ‘kindly’ charged me around £80 to paint where the cradle and other supports were located which fortunately no one else has so far thought to do so.

 

[jaminb]

My marina will hold the boat in the slings over night, to allow an evening and early morning coat where the patches are, for £100.

 

[johnalison]

My marina will hold the boat in the slings over night, to allow an evening and early morning coat where the patches are, for £100.

My marina will occasionally leave a boat in the slings during their lunch break and let an owner work on it, without charging.