BajaIceBreaker

I have always trailered my boat, but this year we will be letting it sit in the water all summer long. It's been in the water prior to my ownership, that's why there is old bottom paint on it. The question is...

What do I need to do to get my boat ready for sitting in the water all summer long?

What type of bottom paint? How do I esure the fittings are sealed up? Gimbal ring? Etc....?

Shore Thing

It's easy.

do a quick sanding of the existing bottom, to get any debris or loose paint off, then rub with acetone.

Tape the lines and then put two coats of Interlux bottomkote on it.

Replace all zincs and your done.

Pull the boat mid-summer to clean/inspect and possibly put another coat on if needed.

BajaIceBreaker

What about thru-hull fittings and gimbal ring? Do they need new caulk? Silicone?

Shore Thing

unless there is some sort of abnormal wear, they should be fine. Boats were meant to float in water, corrosion and growth are the issues.

formula31

Be sure to buy Magnesium "zincs". The real zincs dont work in freshwater and the aluminum ones are questionable if you are staying in. The real zincs are heavy, the aluminum ones light and the magnesium are even lighter. They are expensive but worth it. You should have the horseshoe around the front, the round plate over the prop and the semicircle caps for the cylinders. If the cylinders arent taped the "zinc", I can show you how. Its not hard.

Personally, I prefer VC-17 or 18, whatever they have now. NO sanding ever. Just put a coat on every spring and your done. You would have to see if it will go over whats on there now.

Shore Thing

Yeah, i should add that my experience is with brackish water in the chesapeake, so anything specifically for fresh water i don't know.

I like the interlux bottomkote because it will work on top of most existing bottom paints and in the past it has held up better than some of the other types I've tried. I bought a boat lift a few years ago when i got into go-fast boats, so my painting days are OVER!! Good luck.

stinger390

Petit Vivid bottom paint. Multi-season, and comes in lots of colors to match to the hull. I painted mine white and you cant even tell there is bottom paint on it. Great stuff.

BajaIceBreaker

This sounds like good stuff.
http://www.pettitpaint.com
When did you put it on? Do I have to apply a primer before I apply the Vivid?
How much paint will it take?

t500hps

I noticed something.
Your boat is bottom painted.....but ONLY the bottom. It doesn't appear to have paint up to the water line on the hull sides. The paint REALLY needs to be 2 inches above the water line when it sits still during the week. As for type of paint, I had cruisers for 10 years and stuck with Ablative (sp) paints. These will slowly wear away as the surface becomes in-effective and will not cause any build-up from repeated paintings.

t500hps

Primer on unpainted areas and you need to Prep the areas by lightly sanding or use a primer meant to help paint stick to fiberglass. 1 gallon of paint will be enough, but if you haven't used this stuff before you are in for a suprise. 1 gallon will weigh 50 lbs and you'll NEVER mix it with a stick. I have always talked the guys at Lowes/ Home Depot into putting the cans in the shakers for me.