either email response or posted reply welcome
Thank you
I would paint it. Those little critters can grow fast.
Authorized Customer wrote in message <34c0b192...@news.tiac.net>...
>Hi, I will be entering my second season as a boater in New England and
>will be getting a slip this year,
>my question is, is it really necessary to paint the bottom of my
>fiberglass boat, or would it be ok to just take it out of the water
>every few weeks and wash the bottom, or when the water gets warmer
>just scrub it while in the water?
>
>either email response or posted reply welcome
>
>Thank you
Bottom Paint it!!
I made the mistake of putting my dinghy in the water unpainted for a
couple months. I only used it a couple times (or I may have noticed
earlier). When I pulled it out of the water it had about 3 inches of.....?
mussels or something living on the bottom. It took 2 hours to scrape the
bottom well enough to even consider putting it in the back of the truck to
take it home.
Scott
< Hi, I will be entering my second season as a boater in New England and
< will be getting a slip this year,
< my question is, is it really necessary to paint the bottom of my
< fiberglass boat, or would it be ok to just take it out of the water
< every few weeks and wash the bottom, or when the water gets warmer
< just scrub it while in the water?
No, you do not have to paint the bottom of your boat in order to leave it in the
water. You can substitute frequent cleanings. How frequent depends upon where
you are and upon the water temperature. In my area, in Central Florida, you
will begin to get hard barnacles on the third day, so you had better clean your
hull every other day. I actually know people who have done this, but all that
underwater scrubbing is not for me. One diver operator I know in West Palm
beach actually scrubs his bottom every day in the summer.
I do not know how long it will take for the critters to grow in your area. It
would be best to ask around at the local marinas.
While I do monitor this newsgroup, my server is
famous for losing Usenet articles. If you reply to
this posting, please also route a copy to me via E-mail.
Have a great day,
plk...@iu.net (Paul Kruse)
cheers, Thomas Ling
When I lived in the panhandle of Texas, I vaguely remember seeing a
device much like what you are talking about. They had floats around
the outer periphery and what looked like a fairly heavy liner attached
that would encapsulate the water underneath the boat, so it would be
floating in a contained amount of water. My guess is that they would
then treat it with a weak biocide to keep the bottom of the boat clean.
Of course, it was in fresh water, but if you were able to obtain an
EPA registered biocide, it might work....
Barber
I have painted and not painted, depending upon the condition of the bottom
surface. If the bottom is in very good condition and smooth, I have had good
experience with keeping the surface waxed, and as you say cleaned every two
weeks or so. Bottom paint is expensive and a pain to keep up every year.
However, if you keep the boat in for longer than three weeks I would use Micron
CSC.
Good luck
BY ALL MEANS KEEP IT CLEAN AND U WILL NOT HAVE THE NEED TO HAUL AND PAINT