Bottom Paint - how much is needed

[Zanshin]

My bottom paint is wearing thin and I was thinking of having it redone. How many gallons is a realistic number for a 2 layer job with an additional 3rd layer along the water? I just got a quote that said 4 to 5 (which means 5) gallons would be needed. As they are charging $280/gallon that does make a difference. Is this a realistic amount for a 43 footer?

[Geoff]

Hi

I have just used Seajet self polishing on my 36i and half a gallon dit it about one and a half times. I used a roller.

I guess that the same pot would do your size once fairly easily.

I have never put more than 2 coats on ANY boat.

Good luck.

Geoff.

[Zanshin]

I've seen these guys do boats before and they do use a roller. This is a for a boat in the Caribbean and they will use Pettit black bottom paint. I had assumed that the yard might pad their hours and materials a bit, but if a gallon could do a full coat then they really are "putting it on a bit thick"!

--> Just checked the Seajet site and see that they state 10.75L for a 44 footer, which is about 3 gallons. That is for 2 full coats.

[Don Reaves]

The coverage depends a lot on the type of paint. You can check the label (or internet) to see how many square feet one gallon will cover. As a rough estimate, you can figure the area you need to cover as waterline length * beam.

I have used a number of different paints over the years. My Catalina 30 used just under one gallon per coat of Micron CSC. My current SO35 uses just over a gallon of VC17.

Micron CSC requires quite a few coats because it wears off. But using too many coats of a hard paint can be really bad because it builds up and eventually starts peeling. Then you have to remove it all and start over.

Good luck.
Don

[tomatillo]

I painted my 43DS last season in Mexico using Petit Trinidad. I took her down to the gelcoat and put on three coats of primer. I then put two coats of Trinidad on the primer, with an extra coat on the waterline and the rudder. It took less than four gallons and I think it was an excellent coverage.

[tidetracker]

My 43DS takes just under 2 gallons per coat.

One way to save some money: switch to Pettit Hydrocoat. This water-based ablative paint seems to work every bit as well as the far more expensive solvent-based paint, but at less than half the price... and it's far easier to clean up afterwards. I've been paying around $90/gallon for it, as opposed to over $200 for the competitive solvent-based paints, and it lasts just as long, and is just as effective.

You can apply it over previous coats of CSC or whatever. The only hitch: when you're about to launch, and the boat is hanging in the slings, you can't use it to paint the patches beneath the jackstand pads. For that, my marina supplies a bit of solven-based paint.

[Zanshin]

thanks for that advice, I think I will see if budget marine has Pettit Hydrocoat