Bottom paint????
 

Decided to keep the center console as a second boat and have a slip I can keep it in for the season. My boat is perfect and I dont want to bottom paint it but a lift is out of the question at the yacht club. Do I bottom paint it or just pull it from the water every couple weeks to clean the bottom? New boat is very fast so not really worried about top speed on this boat. Just want the convenience of running up to the marina and going out on cc.

I'd say pull it it every couple weeks that way down the road if you do sell it the boat won't have bottom paint. What you end up getting?

why dont you look into an air filled blatter (i forgot what they are called). a guy at the yacht club up the road from me has one. he pulls his boat into his slip, hits the power switch on the air pump and it basically picks the hull up out of the water. when he is ready to go out, he depreasurizes the blatter until the hull is floating.

Are you in fresh or salt? If fresh, I would say leave it in, and pull it every other week. We leave our boat in all summer, pull it every other week, give it a quick clean and throw it back in. However, we are moored out, and not in a marina, and the boat is used almost every day so there is never any growth. For me, any boat with bottom paint is a deal breaker, I hate it unless you are talking a cruiser, and not a 400ss

In addition, what about something like a jet dock? I guess similar to the bladder lift, not as permanent as a hydro hoist. Don't know, price, but I think that marinas may be more for a jet dock if they are against a serious lift.

www.airdock.com
The marina may allow this since it just ties up to the cleats on the dock. The PVC piping also just ties up to the dock cleats.

Might look into a "boat bunker," which is basically an underwater bag that surrounds the hull. The theory is that the bag cuts off oxygen to the water, which prevents algea growth.

Partnered up on Rifices 32 Skater.

I'd say no on the bottom paint. It's one thing if you leave it in the water forever, but if you ever put it back on the trailer it is going to look like a p.o.s.

I like the airdock or jetdock idea if you can get away with it. My local marina is the same way...they are geared tword large sail boats and cruisers....

They have white bottom paint you know. Also, on some boats the bottom gel coat starts to get blisters if left in the water without bottom paint.

That was more of what I was worried about. I figured if I pull it every other week I could prevent that and get a good cleaning on it. Plus I can fill it with gas at a regular gas station and not pay marina gas numbers!

True about the blisters. We had a boat that sat in the water every summer for 10 years, never had a problem, another boat we have sat in the water 1 summer and had blisters on the bottom.

We had a boat blister with bottom paint on it. I would try to pull it as often as possible, leave it out as long as possible, and wax it regularly.

It's always amazed me that some hulls don't seem to be quite "waterproof" :eek:

On the 3212? Congrats!! Look forward to seeing it on the north shore.

Thanks, Cant wait!

Did you find something you could steal? :angry-smiley-038:

I'ld hate to the see the bottom of that pretty boat painted. I grew up with boats that were painted. What a PITA. Never again!

If you must...definitely do white.

I'd get a cheap high dry if you did not commit!Value loss on sport boat not worth it to paint it!?My 02

Decision made to not bottom paint. I will just pull it out once in a while. Went out on the skater with Vinnie and Jimmy and got the boat into the 150's like it was nothing. The boat is unbelievable.I will be spending the next few months getting used to the boat and learning with Vinnie and Jimmy. Free lessons was part of the deal!!!

Maybe a fiberglass person can correct me but I thought it had to do with the type of resin, GP resins were more prone to blisters, but the more expensive vinylester would be fine.

I got a 16,000lb hydro hoist for sale, 7k

I think it also has to do with the coring or lack thereof. A solid fiberglass hull will not blister as bad one that is cored with wood.