Bottom Painter recommendation

[giangi]

Hi Guys:
I have a Sea Ray 400 Sundancer in Ft Lauderdale that needs a bottom Paint.
I have taken to different marinas but they are really expensive.
This year I am going to take it to Playboy Marina where you can do it your self or have somebody to do it.
Can you recommend anybody that can do a good job?
Thank you for your replies

 

[JB MARSHALL]

I am going to have mine stripped and repainted. Trying to get an idea of costs, what have you been quoted?

 

[b_arrington]

I am going to have mine stripped and repainted. Trying to get an idea of costs, what have you been quoted?

I got mine wet blasted with glass media 2 years ago. 270 AJ. Cost was about $1200. I patched some gelcoat voids and applied epoxy barrier paint myself. Then my yard did the usual anti fouling paint.

 

[ExumaBlue]

I recently got mine done plus my sterndrives and as I didn't have any bottom paint before. These guys I went to did an incredible job....sanded, prepped and 3 coats of primer plus 2 top coats of anti-foul using top of the line products for $3K. Fibertech Fabricators in Hollywood. Super nice guys too!

 

[Zach312]

I am going to have mine stripped and repainted. Trying to get an idea of costs, what have you been quoted?

Media blast to gel, air void repairs, Full interprotec job plus bottom paint - $10,600

 

[TNT8808]

Zach. How did you discover the air voids? Thanks.

-Tom

 

[b_arrington]

Zach. How did you discover the air voids? Thanks.

-Tom

They appear after the bottom blasting.

 

[TNT8808]

They appear after the bottom blasting.

Thanks Brad.

 

[Henry Boyd]

I followed the same process on our 280 about ten years ago and it was about $750 for soda blasting. Guess that shows the effect of inflation. The surface after blasting does not come out shiny it’s more like a sliced bread texture so places needing filling are obvious. Epoxy based barrier coats are thick and applied with multiple coats, so the small pores fill in.

 

[b_arrington]

I followed the same process on our 280 about ten years ago and it was about $750 for soda blasting. Guess that shows the effect of inflation. The surface after blasting does not come out shiny it’s more like a sliced bread texture so places needing filling are obvious. Epoxy based barrier coats are thick and applied with multiple coats, so the small pores fill in.

Yep. Plus some larger voids are often uncovered. I filled those in with tinted gelcoat. The tinting helped ID the filler area so it could be faired.

 

[El Capitan]

To save costs. Get it hauled out. Have a soda blasting service come out. Fill in any voids w neutral color epoxy or gelcoat.
Then just roll a couple coats of primer yourself and pay for the final bottom coat.

The most important part of the job is the prepping which is all just labor.

 

[Boater71]

This will be my second year with boat but first year launching it. Bottom painted last year by MarineMax, What should I do this year?

 

[Henry Boyd]

This will be my second year with boat but first year launching it. Bottom painted last year by MarineMax, What should I do this year?

What shape is the existing paint in?
Was it pressure washed after it came out last fall?
What did MM use for paint last spring?

Although bottom painting is an easy DIY, you want to ID the existing paint to prevent compatibility issues. There are basically two classes of bottom paint (just talking fiberglass hulls here), ablative and hard.
Ablative has a chalky consistency and while it contains biocides to kill growth, it’s main mechanism for bottom protection is that it washes off as the boat moves through the water.
Hard bottom paint is as the name describes, a hard coating that is packed with biocides.

Ablative is a multi season coating as long as it’s on the hull it will ablate. Hard bottom paints unless you get really crazy are one, maybe two seasons (here in New England) before the biocides leach out.

Ablatives can be coated with more of the same, so if the hull looks good now you can just do the waterline and any bare spots. You can repeat that process indefinitely because the paint is wearing off. Keep in mind this class of coating works great, but you have to use the boat. If it does not move through the water the paint and growth won’t fall off.

Hard paint once the biocides have left presents a problem. The whole hull needs to be done. That in turn leads to build up and eventually flaking and peeling.

So this is where what the existing paint is and it’s condition comes in. Let us know about that and we can point you 8n the right direction.

 

[Boater71]

What shape is the existing paint in?
Was it pressure washed after it came out last fall?
What did MM use for paint last spring?

Although bottom painting is an easy DIY, you want to ID the existing paint to prevent compatibility issues. There are basically two classes of bottom paint (just talking fiberglass hulls here), ablative and hard.
Ablative has a chalky consistency and while it contains biocides to kill growth, it’s main mechanism for bottom protection is that it washes off as the boat moves through the water.
Hard bottom paint is as the name describes, a hard coating that is packed with biocides.

Ablative is a multi season coating as long as it’s on the hull it will ablate. Hard bottom paints unless you get really crazy are one, maybe two seasons (here in New England) before the biocides leach out.

Ablatives can be coated with more of the same, so if the hull looks good now you can just do the waterline and any bare spots. You can repeat that process indefinitely because the paint is wearing off. Keep in mind this class of coating works great, but you have to use the boat. If it does not move through the water the paint and growth won’t fall off.

Hard paint once the biocides have left presents a problem. The whole hull needs to be done. That in turn leads to build up and eventually flaking and peeling.

So this is where what the existing paint is and it’s condition comes in. Let us know about that and we can point you 8n the right direction.

thank you for the detailed explanation. I don't know which one it is. I have to ask MM, however the branch that did it closed. I took some pictures, can you tell from looking at them? I did powerwash but would do it again before bottom paint. I believe MM just repainted the bottom, there was no mention in the service records of blasting.

 

[Boater71]

 

[Henry Boyd]

The MM dealer wouldn’t be Russo in Peabody by any chance? Last time I went by 9n 128 it looked open. I’m kind of surprised as I spoke with Larry Sr. at the boat show briefly.

Did you get the boat from MM, or were they just the service contractor for the prior owner?

if you take a wet sponge and rub the paint does the sponge immediately gunk up and get black? If yes, it would be ablative. If the wet sponge just takes off dirt, then it’s hard.

There is a good possibility the paint is an ablative, Pettit Hydrocoat. Hydrocoat is the OEM spec for Sea Ray and it’s pretty good paint. It’s not terribly expensive, abt $175 a gallon. Good news you can pretty much do a one coat touch up with one gallon of the stuff on a 310, and it’s also water based.

In any event, if the pictures are representative of the bottom, it looks really good from a paint adhesion perspective. Where did you have the boat last season?

Until you determine whether it’s ablative or hard, you are limited to ablative as a re-coat. Ablative can go over hard if the paint is solid, but you would need to check with the label on the new paint for any incompatibility issues. Also going with a hard coating in the future might be problematic.

 

[Boater71]

The MM dealer wouldn’t be Russo in Peabody by any chance? Last time I went by 9n 128 it looked open. I’m kind of surprised as I spoke with Larry Sr. at the boat show briefly.

Did you get the boat from MM, or were they just the service contractor for the prior owner?

if you take a wet sponge and rub the paint does the sponge immediately gunk up and get black? If yes, it would be ablative. If the wet sponge just takes off dirt, then it’s hard.

There is a good possibility the paint is an ablative, Pettit Hydrocoat. Hydrocoat is the OEM spec for Sea Ray and it’s pretty good paint. It’s not terribly expensive, abt $175 a gallon. Good news you can pretty much do a one coat touch up with one gallon of the stuff on a 310, and it’s also water based.

In any event, if the pictures are representative of the bottom, it looks really good from a paint adhesion perspective. Where did you have the boat last season?

Until you determine whether it’s ablative or hard, you are limited to ablative as a re-coat. Ablative can go over hard if the paint is solid, but you would need to check with the label on the new paint for any incompatibility issues. Also going with a hard coating in the future might be problematic.

Yes, purchased from MM, Warwick (branch closed down) and they did the bottom paint. It was part of the package (store and launch) when I purchased the boat in Oct 18 and launched May 19. I believe the SR310 was purchased factory bottom paint. I put about 90 hours on it last season. I will try the sponge today and report back. Thanks for you help.