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I decided to paint the bottom of my 1984 Outrage 20. It will be in the ocean all summer. What kind of bottom paint should I use? I assume anti fouling, but I don't know anything about it.
I was going to use Jeff's desert tan, but it has black on it now and I'm not ready to strip it. I'm thinking I better stick with black for now.
Roger you could roll the tan over the black however, I have not tested it yet to know how the tan would cover the black. With out stripping the bottom the easiest thing to do would be to get a gallon of the Micron SC in black and put another coat on if it needs it. Or try the Micron SC in Shark White (grey). Since it is on the same unsaturated color family if the black bleeds (most likely not) it will be less noticeable than the Tan.
Here is David Thickens 22 with the shark white. It is more noticeable than the tan but visually better than the black. Shark White
I use "Interlux" bottom paint abblative #669, I went to a boat show a few years ago and the company rep from "Interlux" was there, I learned more about paint in that 15 min. conversation than I ever knew, I love the small boat shows for the local area, the BIG boat shows, (like here in NYC) are important to go to because, the company reps are there from many marine manufacturers, and can answer more questions than the usual small marine business owner, of course the B/W guy's are a favorite !
Here's some info I found at Jamestown Distributers that says I should use a special paint (Interlux Micron 66) for saltwater -
SELF-POLISHING COPOLYMERS: SPC technology antifoulings work because the film contains a patented resin called an SPC Copolymer. This copolymer reacts with saltwater in a controlled way. As a result, the chemical reactions controls and sustains the release of biocides throughout the lifetime of the antifouling without decline. This chemical reaction will take place at the same rate whether you boat is underway or sitting at the dock. This type of technology has previously only been available in tin-based copolymer coatings, which are restricted in their use to boats over 82 feet in length. This new, patented Interlux technology is available for professional application to boats of all sizes. It is not recommended for use in fresh water. Micron 66 is a good example of this kind of bottom paint.
Jeff, you freshwater boaters are indeed blessed in that regard. Guess where I'm going to look the next time I'm in the market for a used whaler? (I will first check with Joe and see what he has or knows about... California is pretty kind to boats, too, especially boats that are garaged when not in the water.)
Arthur, I wanted to chime in that I like the look of the blue bottom coatings (almost Pacific Blue) that I often see on Whalers, especially in the Long Island and Massachusetts areas. I know that color is not the primary consideration when choosing a bottom paint, but if a good paint came in that blue, I'd go with that. The sage advice often repeated is to ask around locally. The folks in Florida deal with a whole different set of slimes than those in the Great South Bay.
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