bottom paint

[badfish88]

ok, heres the deal. i bought a 20' angler c/c last year. the previous owner had the boat bottom painted with a antifouling ablative paint. he kept it in the water all season, i trailer with every use.
The current bottom paint is peeling off all over the place and the scuffed gel coat is showing. The cost of having the bottom re gell coated is rediculous. Ive read that for a trailered boat i need an epoxy based paint, ($90+). i was thinkin after i sand the big peeling chunks off, is there any other kind of paint i can use on the bottom of my boat with a smooth surface, that will hold up to the abuse?
ive seen truck bed liner on the bottom of jon boats but i think the rough surface would kill the hull speed. Even the expensive "trailer boat paint" needs to be re-applied every season, so i figured cheap paint that will hold up to being trailered would be better. what are your thoughts........


thanks in advance

[badfish88]

well, after all the responses...lol i decided to start removing the old bottom paint. and to my surprise, the hull is shiney? does this meen the gel coat was never sanded off. Now for the next question, whats the best way to get the paint off with the least damage to the gel coat

[Gerry Zagorski]

If you are seeing a shine under the paint that's your gelcoat. What most people do before applying anti fouling paint it just sand lightly to give the paint better adhesion so your gelcoat should be fine.,

If you are going to trailer the boat from now on, I wouldn't bother repainting the hull. I'd take it down to the gelcoat with some paint stripper.

Rather then go to a marine store and pay more, go to an auto parts store and get some Kleen Strip paint stripper for fiberglass. Don't get the stuff for metal, it has to be the one for fiberglass or you might damage your gelcoat. It's probably going to take a few applications but it's better then trying to sand it all off.

Most bottom paints are toxic so wear gloves and put a tarp underneath the boat to catch any loose paint. If you sand at all make sure an wear a mask.

[badfish88]

lol, i just came in from the garage trying to sand off dry bottom paint, 2+ hours and i only got about 3 foot square done, so fiberglass paint stripper?
do i brush it on and let dry, or brush it on and scrape off?

[Capt. Debbie]

Hi Capt.
If you're trailering the boat, why do you even bother with bottom paint?

With day trips you'll never need it's effects. It's not in the water long enought to need the anti fouling protection.

As such it's simply a waste of money and time.

[Fish Stix]

Most guys dont even sand the orginal gel coat before applying paint, they just wipe the bottom with solvent to remove the factory wax material. If the boat is usually 10-15+ yrs old, nothing is required before paint. Get the paint off safely and hopefully a good buffing is all youll need.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Most paint removers don't want you to let them totally dry. If you do it makes it harder to scrape the dried paint off the hull. which comes off way easier when wet.