Great Lakes - Bottom Paint for Lake Michigan? Yey or ney?

Hi Guys!

Taking ownership of a 2007 285 Boston Whaler Conquest in a day or two. It does not currently have bottom paint.

A good friend is desperately trying to talk me out of bottom paint. He said an acid wash at the end of the season with a decent scrub brush will save me a lot of headache and costs. He also said it hurts resale a lot. I'm not 100% sure I'll have this boat in the water at all times in the next few years, but for now it's going to be permanently stored in Chicago.

What are your thoughts? I was also quoted $1600 for a 30' boat for brand new bottom paint.

Regards,

Tom

If it is going to kept in a slip, then I would bottom paint it. Have never heard that bottom paint hurts resale, esp a boat that size. Not like it is going to trailered a lot if you do sell it. As long as it is done right, with barrier coat first, then paint, I would say do it!!!.

Capt. Rich

If it is going to kept in a slip, then I would bottom paint it. Have never heard that bottom paint hurts resale, esp a boat that size. Not like it is going to trailered a lot if you do sell it. As long as it is done right, with barrier coat first, then paint, I would say do it!!!.

Capt. Rich

+1

I've recently bought a couple boats -- wouldn't have one with bottom paint -- I store my boat in a lift. No reason to maintain bottom paint. It has to hurt resale -- it would narrow the number of potential buyers.

Guys, would it be better to just pay a diver $50-100 every month to clean the hull? It would probably cost me about $1600 over three years if I had a diver doing this and could then avoid bottom paint.

I kept a boat in the (fresh) water 8 months out of the year for about a decade without bottom paint. I eventually had some blisters show up, but otherwise nbd. Run around with a brush at the water line every now and again. Maybe a barrier coat, but antifouling paint probably not needed.

If you leave a white bottomed gel coat boat in the water all summer with no paint it will end up stained to some extent even with an acid wash cleaning at the end of the summer. Plus how do you get to the parts where the bunks are without a major effort?

A 28' boat is right on the size bubble as far as whether bottom paint is an issue on resale... Especially in the Great Lakes..

Barrier coat done early enough and correctly will help with osmotic issues.

The whole "I won't buy a boat with bottom paint" thing is a little over worried about in my estimation. For every guy with a lift or in the rack there is a guy leaving it in the water. Boats 25 or 26 and under are one thing but hit 28 or 29 and the ratio changes... Especially in the Great Lakes...

Nay

manosteel - Check your PM. Sorry I didn't see your message right away.

+1

X2

Guys, would it be better to just pay a diver $50-100 every month to clean the hull? It would probably cost me about $1600 over three years if I had a diver doing this and could then avoid bottom paint.

Yay.

Or you could pull it out every couple of months and pressure wash it and put it back in.

I can keep my boat out my back door in fresh water and have decided against it. This was due to water penetrating the gelcoat, blistering and water-soaking the fiberglass. I went so far as to talk to one of the owners of the company and he recommended no more than 4-5 days at a time w/o a barrier coat. Cleaning the growth was a non-issue as long as I kept after it.

I pasted on buying a boat because it wasn't bottom painted. It was left in the water all season and I was afraid of hull soaking up water and blisters.

I pasted on buying a boat because it wasn't bottom painted. It was left in the water all season and I was afraid of hull soaking up water and blisters.

Yea on the paint but I don't think I'd pass only from a concern about blisters. This is not usually a big deal and might well be covered in a sales agreement regarding a survey.

I just had the bottom of my 31 Contender done. If you are going to wet slip it, I would have it painted. Mine sits in the water all season so I had it barrier coated and painted with V/C Offshore paint. South Shore marine in Huron, Ohio did it for me and they did a wonderful job. As for bottom paint reducing resale value, I think the lack of bottom paint will reduce the value. If you are going to keep the boat on a trailer or a lift maybe I would not paint it. If you will be leaving it in the water for more than a week, paint it. Just my 2 cents.

It seems 50/50 here...I'd like to know myself, as I to plan to keep one on lake Michigan. Anyone with real time facts please chime in. Are there certain brands that have more trouble w/blisters than others?
If there is, and the Board God's don't allow them to be revealed due to bashing brands, P.M. me.

Thanks

Went 5 years without it on my Caribe tender, what a mess to deal with each fall! (Lake Michigan). Had the bottom painted with the new white bottom paint this spring, it's clean like new after all season in the H2O, and you can't even tell it's painted unless you get really close.

Captain Tom
Hot Tomolly Yacht Charters
www.hottomolly.info

Is there a brand that's glossy to aid in friction reduction? I haven't seen anything.

For friction reduction use VC-17. I share a dock with a serious sailboat racer and all the guys into that have VC-17 for friction reduction.

If anyone is interested in seeing the difference between boats with and without bottom paint, take a walk around a local harbor. Those without are absolutely trashed this time of year.

VC17 here!