Bottom paint on a trailered boat

Kwik

Active Member
Jun 14, 2019
195
Indianapolis
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer
2017 F150 Ecoboost 4x4
Raymarine Axiom 9
Raymarine Sirius 200 reciever
Engines
5.0 Mercruiser w/Bravo III drives
I have studied a few posts that have brief mentions of bottom paint on trailered boats. But, not seen a post dedicated.

We have the 2004 240DA. It had bottom paint on when we bought it last year. It is starting to wear off. I'm personally fine with it going away. I would prefer a smooth shiny bottom to reduce drag in the water.

We trailer to whatever fresh water lake we decide and it is only on the water as long as we are in it. There are no intentions to put it in salt. Longest it has been in the water is 5 days. But, wouldn't think we would be in it longer than two weeks ever. We pressure wash the boat outside every time we come home.

Does anyone have a reason why I should repaint the bottom?
What is the best way to get rid of the rest of the paint that is there?

TIA
 
they do make a chemical stripper for fiberglass. However, I doubt that the end result will look good or like the rest of the unpainted hull. If you're looking for a nice smooth bottom, I'd just lightly sand it with 800 or 1000 grit paper.
 
Just let it wear away. To get the bottom back to "nice and smooth" will be VERY labor intensive. Under the boat is also an awfully awkward place to be working - even more so if you aren't able to take the boat off the trailer. If the paint was originally applied correctly, it was either sanded (rough) or chemically etched (color will be ugly).
 
In your case, I would only re-paint it for looks... if you don't mind the look, and it appears to wearing off consistently, let it go.

Others may chime in, but you could try a chemical to clean it off... acetone come to mind, but I'm not sure that's the best. What ever you use, you will have to buff and wax after it's off.

I have a 150CC Triumph that was bottom painted when I bought it. It eventually wore off almost completely which was fine with me. It's a Roplene (polymer based) hull though...
 
Just throwing this out for consideration...

I trailered my 260DA and it never sat in water for more than 2 weeks. I bought it used (one owner) and it was already bottom painted. I felt it was useless to keep up with the bottom painting when it was really of no functional help. All I ever did was touch up the water line and a little deeper at the bow - basically what was primarily visible on the trailer. And... I usually just used black spray paint... :eek::rolleyes:
 
That is good to know. The 280DA I just got is bottom painted, but I keep it trailered at my house.

Did you use flat black to match the look?
 
No need for bottom paint on a trailer or lift kept boat. I am a bit particular as I have even waxed the bottom of my boat just for the asthetics. Soooo I would try get the bottom back close to the original non-painted look. If that is not really p ossible, then I would paint the bottom with a hard (not ablative) bottom paint. You don't care about the anti-fouling properties, just the look. Personally I don't mind the look of a bottom painted boat, you see a lot of new boats now with dark bottoms.
 
That is good to know. The 280DA I just got is bottom painted, but I keep it trailered at my house.

Did you use flat black to match the look?
I probably just used whatever I had laying around. I doubt I would have used gloss, though. Come to think of it, I probably didn't use flat, either. Probably used something around a matte or semi just so it looked a little "newer" and was easier to wipe off. I wasn't really concerned about it matching what was underneath as I never really see what is underneath.
 
Showing my age a little here...you remind me of when I was a kid and watched The Gumball Rally. The French guy tore off the rear view mirror and said, “What is behind me, does not matter!”
 
Since I keep my 320 in dry storage, I have always wanted my 320’s bottom paint removed and the gel coat then wet sanded, compounded, polished and waxed. At least the portions you can see while it rests in the water. But yeah, sounds like a lot of work for someone, and a lighter wallet for me. I like the black spray paint idea though.
 
There are options for removing the paint and getting a smooth bottom. Buy you'll have to pick your poison for tradeoffs.
  • Manual sanding off all the paint will be huge chore and the dust will be very unpleasant (and toxic).
  • If you go a media blasting route it will leave the hull pretty rough, like 80 grit sand paper, and certainly expose voids in the gel coat that would need to be filled. Then you should paint with an epoxy barrier coat to for smoothing and anti-blister protection.
  • A chemical paint stripper will be messy, and will leave the bottom pretty ugly.
  • Leaving it alone is not aesthetically pleasing and may contribute to drag via a rough bottom.
  • Going straight over the existing paint with the VC epoxy may not be possible due to compatibility issues with the two paints. And possible loose, rough existing paint.
With that I would try to achieve a smooth, clean bottom via something like the VC epoxy. Assess the bottom to see if the paint is well adhered and relatively smooth, or is loose and rough. If smooth you could knock down any minor rough spots with a sander, apply a mid-coat that would be compatible with both the current paint and the VC, , then apply the VC.

If substantially rough (chipped, peeled, loose) you need to determine the way to remedy it. Such as media blasting, epoxy barrier, then VC. Rough bottom paint can be a major contributor to poor performance. I picked up 6-7 mph after media blasted my bottom paint.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,945
Messages
1,422,750
Members
60,928
Latest member
rkaleda
Back
Top