bottom paint alternative?

[wharfrat]

Has anybody had any experience with AquaplyM by Sound Specialty Coatings Corporation. I saw a bit about it in North West Yachting in their New Product section. Their claims sure sound positive.
Sound Specialties Coatings (http://www.sscoatings.net/aquaplym-info.htm)

[WoodenBNut]

Well, I looked at that site selling the new environmentally friendly bottom paint. If I read the specs right, it seems to be nothing more that an epoxy paint. Now, they say that you will need to clean your bottom each month and maybe more in tropical waters. Do you have a diving outfit? If not add that to the cost of this mothly bottom cleaning exercise or you are going to have to hire a diver to do the cleaning - that will get pretty expensive, I would think? Hum, I don't know? Could be something to it, but sounds like a "sales gimic" to me to sell you epoxy paint at a high price. See if you can find someone else that has used it or get verification that it does what they claim it will do before buying and applying.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Actually, they don't seem to really claim that it does anything at all - which is probably good, because it most likely doesn't. They don't claim that it's an epoxy barrier coat for preventing gelcoat blistering - which is good since there isn't enough thickness or any kind of barrier coat additive to help it be one. They don't claim that it actually has any antifouling power at all - since it contains no antifouling ingredients and they clearly state that the only antifouling is going to be the boat owner going over the side and scrubbing off the growth. They do claim that it will make your boat "slickery" - a term that one doesn't normally see on most technical data sheets. I'm not sure just how important slickeriness is in the grand scheme of things, once some fur starts growing on the bottom - since from their own hype it doesn't seem to be slickery enough to prevent that. It's a very nicely worded piece of junk advertising with lots of positive stuff but once you've read through it all the discriminating boater should be left wondering "Then what the hell good is this stuff???"

[Bob Cleek]

Get ready for more grief, guys. The econazis are at it again. There is a move afoot to outlaw bottom paint. It's not enough to outlaw tributyl tin, which made the old stuff work. Now they are after copper. The "solution?" Hire a diver to scrub your bottom-paintless bottom! Check out:

http://seagrant.ucdavis.edu/nontoxicdemo.htm

If you really want to get steamed, check out the official report on the San Diego harbor. Remember when they outlawed heads? This is the next bunch of BS to come our way. Pushed, of course, by those who will be making money off of it!

[pipefitter]

Ok,not exactly related to this post but a bottom paint alternative question nonetheless. What does one do when they want their bottom paint to match say their sheercap.This is for a trailerable boat.I see most of the do it yourself paints labeled as "above the waterline only" Is there a paint other than awlgrip or the likes that can be used on the bottom of ones boat if it is trailered?Not particularly fond of antifouling because of the limited colors. I see white bottom paint and performance epoxy bottom paint but they only come in white.

[Keith Wilson]

If the boat lives on a trailer, and is out of the water unless its actually being used, then any paint that will work on the topsides will work on the bottom too.

[ 07-11-2005, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: Keith Wilson ]