Underside of Boat?

[Rulfs13090]

I am going to build a Diablo this winter and am wondering what to do with the bottome of the Boat.
I will be leaving the boat in the water from May 1st untill Oct. 1st. At this time I have an alluminum Jon Boat that is covered in zebra mussles and algae.
My question is how well will a wooden boat with a glassed bottom do, left in the water all summer?
:confused:

[Art Read]

About the same as your aluminum boat? Might not do any "structural" harm, but if she'll live in the same waters that fouls your other boat, I'd expect you'll have a nasty clean-up job in the fall. Fiberglass and googe ain't any more "anti-fouling" than aluminum. Or even plain, painted wood. Why wouldn't you just put some good old, garden variety, anti foul paint on her?

[Rulfs13090]

I never herd of anti foul paint.
That is something I will have to look into.
Thank you

[Art Read]

Ah, well then... Some folks just call it "bottom paint". In the old days, it was usually red and had lots of copper in it. Now it comes in all sorts of colors, and also some pretty fancy chemical formulations. It can get pretty spendy. You don't have to buy the most expensive, high-tech, bullet-proof stuff on the shelf though. Ask around the docks where your boat will live, preferably folk who work on the water for a living, and see what they use. The good news is that it goes on pretty easy. The bad news is it's usually pretty much an every year job. But it beats mussels, barnicles and slime on your bottom after a few months. More importantly, it'll keep worms from searching for hairline cracks in your fiberglass/epoxy sheathing. That IS bad news...

(BTW, a "Google" search under "Marine Anti-Fouling Paint" will probably give more information than you'll ever want to know about it... ;) )

[martin schulz]

And then if there is any iron on your wooden boat coming out under the waterline (prop, shaft,...) keep her clear of the aluminum boat.

[Rulfs13090]

Thank you for all the help.
It looks like anti foul paint is the way to go.

[Bruce Hooke]

BTW - If you get to liking the idea of anti-fouling paint and decide to put it on the Jon Boat too, be careful, because I believe aluminum requires special paint.

[Meerkat]

I wonder what aluminium boat owners do for anti-fouling these days now that the tin based stuff has been banned for all but very limited, specialized uses (outboard drives being the only allowed use I can think of).

[Donn]

Interlux makes an ablative paint for aluminum...called Trilux.

[On Vacation]

The best combination for your bottom , IMHO, would be to use 2001 Interprotect primer, made by Interlux, rolled on the fairing or glass, as fits your finished needs, and then bottom paint with an ablative paint. The primer is epoxy based, that is considered a barrier coat for fiberglass hulls. Do not attempt to apply with a brush, as it will lap really bad, and in the wind. Apply two coats, waiting for it to skin over between coats. You will need to apply the bottom paint, in the prescribed time, on the can, pertaining to the ambient temperature, so you will not need to sand it. It is one tough stuff. But also do not apply indoors, if you can help it, without a huge respirator. In a garage, it will stay with you in the house also.

[ 08-09-2003, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: Oyster ]

[Maguire]

My wooden punt (with a layer of fiberglas on the bottom) has spent the last 4 summers floating in zebra mussel-infested waters. I do not put any special bottom paint on her -- just the latex house paint I used for the rest of the boat.

Once you pull the boat and the zebra mussels die, they are easily sprayed off with a hose.

I just wash the bottom every fall and so far that's been all the maintenance necessary. There's a little staining, but nothing worth worrying about.