Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

General boating discussion
poppi57
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Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#1

Post by poppi57 »

I realize this has been covered in previous threads but would like to solicit what experts believe is the best paint on the market now for boats slipped in salt water for six months each year. I live in CT, and have had my boat painted the past two years with epaint and I don't like the results. Would welcome everyone's comments.
legend3521
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#2

Post by legend3521 »

I have been using interlux trilux33 this year in NY waters. So far its pretty good. It's a little pricey. Nothing is cheap for boating and fishing anyways. :thumbsup:
Take care and best fishing to all!!
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Challenge
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#3

Post by Challenge »

I just switched from Epaint to the Pettit Hydrocoat. After my first season I'm impressed, we will see how it holds up for next year!

I'm in RI and had very little growth even with not using the boat much in the fall.

Good luck :beer:

Rick
poppi57
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#4

Post by poppi57 »

Thanks for the replies. My boat is in a slip, in a bay with very little current. Transom faces west, gets the afternoon and evening sun. The transom looked like an underwater reef with so much growth on it.
Once I took a look at the bottom it wasn't as bad but enough growth to make it a real issue to power wash and clean up. Alot of growth found its way to the keel. The boat was primered and painted when I purchased it - and yes it was paint for aluminum boats. From my research on the web petit vivid seemed to get high marks. I know I have a few months to sort this out, just want to make the best decision possible from people who are using the product.

Thanks again.
kmorin
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#5

Post by kmorin »

poppi57, without any qualifications our resident expert is Chaps, so if he doesn't get around to giving a run down in reply to your post? (then)

#1 Search all his posts and read them, they're a catalog of experience, knowledge, expertise and current events in bottom coating technology- he's the "Pro from Dover".
#2 When you've read his posts and he has not posted in reply- PM him to see if he's off line and busy- Chaps is in the bottom coating business.
#3 Contact/call/email all the local coating services and ask for a quote- usually given by the foot LOA, and the product. This will give you a market picture of what is being done for how much by what firm for what clients.

The #3 result will allow you to see what the most effective coatings are in your area by polling the coating services and finding out what's working with their experience. In the final decision process, ask a given coating service for four contacts you can make directly to their existing clients for referrals. If you can't get any confirmed referrals- be cautious, that looks like shoal water.

Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK
kmorin
poppi57
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#6

Post by poppi57 »

Kevin,

Thank you for your comments. I will search his posts and reach out to him if he doesn't add to the thread.
Really appreciate your input, just want to make sure my boat is around longer than I am!!!! After cleaning numerous
NON ALLOY boats I can't believe I didn't go alloy sooner.

Have a great weekend.

Sal
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#7

Post by Chaps »

Thanks Kevin, I'm gratified by your comments.

Challenge, I hope your use of Hydrocoat was the type labeled ECO otherwise you have applied a copper paint to your boat so unless you have a substantial layer of epoxy primer under it (like 25-30 mil thickness) I'd be watching carefully for signs of corrosion pitting on the bottom.

Sal I agree that E-Paint at least in the form sold in most stores and yards doesn't perform that well. I stopped putting it on several years ago, maybe its better now but its hard to test paint on other people's boats if you know what I mean.

You didn't say if your paint is peeling or if the boat has a good primer system on it. There is more to a successful bottom job than just the choice of anti-foul paint. Assuming that the existing paint is solid and well adhered you can make a simple switch to something else after a thorough scrub and light sanding of the old finish. Its always a good idea to apply a tie-coat primer over the clean & sanded surface (like Seahawk 1277) to seal up the old stuff and ensure your new paint has an ideal surface to stick to. If your existing bottom paint is rough, chipped and/or peeling then a more vigorous sanding job is called for which might entail total removal by sandblast if its in real bad shape.

We don't have a ton of products to choose from in anti-foul coatings that are compatible with aluminum boats. Pettit Vivid uses the same biocide as Trilux 33 but in my opinion Vivid is a much better resin, its pretty much my standard on premium jobs. The alternatives to copper thiocyanate coatings like Vivid and Trilux are the products that use Econea and Zinc Omadine to keep the critters off and these products are working pretty good assuming the manufacturer is using a good resin system and putting in sufficient quantities of the active ingredients. Pettit Ultima Eco and Flexdel Armor are good ones in a solvent based system, Hydrocoat Eco is good if you want a water based product. There are many others as well, I can't claim to have tried them all.

Hope that helps
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goatram
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#8

Post by goatram »

Wear your PPE. Chaps put the intial paint on my boat and it has held up real well. I raised the water line this spring and then put two more coats on it while I had it in my shop
I used a DA sander and my creeper. Bob is under paid
I used a DA sander and my creeper. Bob is under paid
After sanding my bottom.
After sanding my bottom.
.
John Risser aka goatram
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kmorin
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#9

Post by kmorin »

John, great Photo!!! you look like a SuperHero! not kidding one bit, the image is like Flash, Capt'n America, RisserMan or BottomCoater or some other superhero- perfect photo! and I agree that Chaps is underpaid.

Anyone who's been under a hull and goes back again has to be a glutton for punishment! Even with a rig to make it 'liveable'; the work is not for the faint of heart, or old washed up welder like me! (I don't do windows, regularly, so bottom paint is way outside my skill set.)

But, if any chain breaks at its weakest link: a quality aluminum boat without a matching bottom coat must be trailered all the time or suffer the consequences.

Cheers,
Kevin Morin
Kenai, AK
Last edited by kmorin on Sat Nov 14, 2015 1:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: typo
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poppi57
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#10

Post by poppi57 »

Chaps,

Thank you for the information. The primer/paint on the boat are fine - no issues whatsoever. No peeling, bubbling, pitting. Paint was labeled ECO. The only issue is the vast amount of bottom growth on the boat from sitting in salt water.

I pressure washed the bottom and was able to clean off the hull fairly well including removing quite a bit of the epaint. Was planning on sanding and applying a coat of Seahawk 1277. I'm assuming if I sand the hull even if I don't get all of the old bottom paint (Epaint) off the hull the Seahawk will provide a good surface for the bottom paint.

The big question is which vivid? I would welcome your thoughts. Exactly which paint would you use given the boat will sit in a shallow water bay for 5 1/2 month? I don't care about costs, want to protect the hull from all of the growth the Epaint did a poor job of.

Thanks again

Sal
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#11

Post by Chaps »

Yes, the 1277 primer can be put over virtually almost anything including bare sanded metal, old primers (including epoxies) and tight old bottom paint. 1277 is tough and sticks to old substrates like crazy while providing the new bottom paint with a surface that vivid (or other paints) can really grab on to. Thin it down a bit with xylene (or Pettit 120) and apply two solid coats, let it dry thoroughly before putting on the bottom paint. You'll want to use regular Vivid (not vivid free), put it on in 3-4 thin coats and let it thoroughly dry between coats, as with the primer thin it down a bit with Pettit 120 solvent. Best applied using 4" or 6" 3/8" nap mini rollers. Put the Vivid in a commercial paint shaker for several minutes and then with a stick be sure there is nothing stuck to the bottom or sides of the can before you start using it, the product settles out and must be thoroughly blended.

My comment about ECO on the label was for Rick. He mentioned he had used Hydrocoat on his boat and since regular Hydrocoat uses cuprous oxide for its anti-foul biocide its not a good choice for aluminum hulls at it can cause serious corrosion. Vivid on the other hand uses copper thiocyanate as its biocide which is a galvanically inactive copper compound that will not react with aluminum (though a primer under it is highly recommended). Many alloy boat owners assume that since Hydrocoat is a water based paint that it must be safe for aluminum but that would be a serious mistake as Hydrocoat is loaded with regular old copper. Hydrocoat ECO, on the other hand, uses no copper compounds of any type.
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poppi57
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Re: Bottom Paint for Aluminum Alloy Boats in Salt Water

#12

Post by poppi57 »

Chaps,

Excellent, exactly what I was looking for. Will look forward to next year to very little bottom growth!!!

I really appreciate the time everyone took to respond to my inquiry.

Thanks

Sal
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