Scabby Bottoms

[jeanne]

Every spring, I'm always surprised at the number of people scraping away, cleaning many years accumulation of paint from the hull of their boat. It isn't the nicest job, and the rewards seem few. Beauty? Only the fish will see it. More speed? If thats what you want, buy a folding prop. And then there is the possibility that the old paint may actually be doing its job, and protecting the hull.

I can only think of two reasons to do it: one is the sort of reflex that makes a dog walk round in circles to make a pile of blankets into its bed, it is work to make a newly bought boat into your own prized posession, the other is to find out if it has osmosis. Is there a good reason to do it?

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[snowleopard]

it's a very good question, i think the answer is no-one wants to face the comments from other yotties if we painted over a load of grot.

then again it might just be that at the beginning of the season we're full of optimism that everything will be perfedt this year.

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[graham]

If you leave it to accumulate eventually it ends up a hell off a mess with cracks and lumps everywhere. Then you have a huge job on your hands.

I think the best idea is not to scrape it off every year ,just wet and dry it smooth repair any damaged bits ,wash again before a new coat.In some areas a light wet and dry will reveal enough antifoul left for another season if your lucky(or broke).

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[Gordonmc]

I am glad someone has posted this. I got some funny looks when I put a coat of a/f on over the old stuff. My argument that the stuff is eroding, so it makes little sense to reduce the thickness, fell on deaf ears. "Its what is done" seems to be the stock answer.
The surface was good with no cracking or peeling and scraping it off would inevitably damage the wood. So why bother?
I did once take a boat down to the gel-coat, but only because in parts the old a/f in places was falling off in small sheets.
I can think of better forms of masochism.

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[Martin_Billings]

What I wonder is why people who have laid out substantial capital sums for their boats and then pay thousands every year in marina fees are prepared to work with toxic materials rather than paying a few hundred pounds for someone else to do it.

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[Stingo]

because after paying thousands of pounds for marina fees, there aren't a few hundred squids left for paying someone else to do the dirty work

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[Magic_Sailor]

I can't see why either.

When I got the boat, the word was "that lot'll have to come of next year". Anyway, I couldn't face it. That was 3 years ago. A good wire brush over the particularly scabby bits. No probs so far.

Magic

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[Martin_Billings]

Yes, that would be it wouldn't it.

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[Evadne]

I remember when I first bought my boat, you had to get her in the water no more than a 6 weeks after antifouling her or it would "go off". For the last 15 years I've proceeded to put 2 coats of so-called self-eroding stuff on each year. This year I decided it had to come off, partly because some of it was doing so of its own accord leaving a decidedly uneven and scabby surface. Scraping off the stuff that wasn't falling off is hard work, so we are going to scrape one side (starboard, as it happens) and re-antifoul. The port side is going to get a light sand. If there is no difference in the barnacle population at the end of summer I shall leave it on until it all erodes off, then put on a coat of Blue before the usual red. After that all I need to do is sand her down and paint the blue bits.
Can anyone see any holes in the theory?



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[bigmart]

Ive just taken the loose stuff off & slapped a couple of coats straight on. So far all I have got is pleasant comments from the others in the Yard & I'm perfectly happy.

I don't like work.

Martin

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[graham]

I may be stating the obvious but only sand antifoul with wet and dry and lots of water to keep the dust out of your lungs,eyes etc.

You can get wet and dry stuck to a sponge backing pad to help keep it wet also its easier if you make a plywood holder on a 3 foot handle,especially for reaching between the keels on bilge keelers.

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

I am going to be touching mine up on the sand at low water over the next few weeks, if people in the yard think not sanding to gel coat is terrible, they will have a heart attack if they see me touching and scraping between tides.

Thing is, I really don't care what other people think, it is a much more pleasant way of life, I don't affect them, they don't affect me. When you start worrying about comments around the yard, it is time to join the caravan club, go off on holiday together, sit around campsites and talk about your caravans....no sir, not for me.

no offence meant to anyone, just trying to say, do what suits.

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[Heckler]

bravo bravo

exactly what i was going to say, is it because there are so many people with that attitude darn sarf that marina operators are able to charge what they do?

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