The Boating Forum - Bottom Paint HELP

Ok here is the deal when the boat was bought new from dealer they painted the bottom. Great job except on the sides where the waterline is keeps flaking off. It is not an abblative paint but a multiseason paint form Interlux the Micron CSC. Every year the sides flake off. Can't figure it out.. Did they not prep it right? My neighbor has the same paint no problems.

If the prep was ok and the paint was bad, it would be falling off all over. As scum collects at the side of the boat, right at water line, I would suspect that more attention should have been given in this area. Take here back to the dealer this winter for a touch up at his cost, at his leisure.

Is it trailered or slip kept?

If in a slip - sunlight gets to the sides at waterline - not the underneath - there are different organism's wanna grow at the waterline (algea's etc) that want to get a decent hold on the hull compared to the underneath.

Cheers!

Boat is in a slip from March till Dec. The side where it is flaking off does not get sunlight. What kind of bad prep work could this be? Can't take back to dealer not a new boat 6 yrs old it has always done this. Every year when I get it ready to put back in I paint the entire waterline again after knocking off flaking paint and it still flakes off. Should it be completly stripped and done again?

I'm no expert, but whould suggest that you clean side of boat with a degreasing solvent, then acetone.
Use fine grit palm sander to remove wax, crud, bottom paint, and give some texture to surface to be painted. Use heat lamps if not completely dry and whiite (no internal blisters), then paint from water line (when loaded) down and over the slightly sanded paint on bottom that edges up to the sides, using same paint, following directions on can.

Agree with Bullshipper - Also Micron CSC IS an ablative paint.

You might want to check with Interlux their ablative anti-fouling paint is ACT. www.yachtpaint.com while CSC does release biocide into the water it does not act as and ablative paint. Therefore it is a multiseson/mulithaul paint where as ablative paint becomes inactive after being out of the water for a prolonged amount of time.

I'm a little confused as to what an ablative paint is. I have micronCSC on my boat, and thought it was ablative. I thought that ablative paints gradually come off during the season, taking the growth with it. That is how the CSC works. I did see that the website said the ACT was the ablative. My CSC comes off with the slightest touch of a brush or a foot, and there is blue paint in the water. Also, the CSC does become inactive after being out of the water and the website says to pressurewash or brush it to reactivate. Maybe someone can explain that to me.

Anyway, whether it is or not, I have a primer on under the CSC. I just raised the waterline, without the primer and so far so good. My friends tried it without the primer, and it fell off. The instructions don't call for the primer, I bought the boat with primer and CSC already on it. Is the paint wearing off or actually flaking off? I haven't ever seen it flake off. Seems to be working fine for me. I wonder if they painted over wax? The hull needs to be cleaned, roughed up a little, and a nice dry day, the weather can screw it up.

CSC is a mulit season paint I use to sell the stuff for a livin. It does release in the water but I repeat it is not an ablative paint. CSC is a copolymer paint that can be hauled and relaunched. It leaches out the biocides in the water and does no leave the hard paint shell as do Hard Antifoulings. A true ablative has a quicker release rate and will rub off easier than the Copolymer but becomes inactive after 30 days out of water. Sailboats like this stuff Power boaters like the CSC more resistant to abrasion. And mine is flaking off I think the dealer did not do a proper clean of the sides of the hull and there is some residual gelcoat release agent on the sides under the paint causing the flaking.