new bottom paint coming off

[philipadams]

My new Telstar (#383) has been in the water in Miami for a couple of months now. I clean the hull with a brush every 10 days or so (we have a lot of growth this time of year). The new black bottom paint is coming off in a few places. One area is about 3 inches X 3 inches; another area is about eight inches X four inches.

My hope was for the new paint to last about six months (during the "breathing" process of the new hull) and then I would repaint in January of next year (the cool/dry season). Can I just let it continue to let the paint drop/peel off until I repaint in January, or do I have to take corrective measures now (will I get hull blisters or other bad things if I do nothing)? Thanks for your input

[Dan]

You can let the paint peel off, but you will probably have some bottom growth issues on the areas where the paint has peeled off.

My new Telstar (#383) has been in the water in Miami for a couple of months now. I clean the hull with a brush every 10 days or so (we have a lot of growth this time of year). The new black bottom paint is coming off in a few places. One area is about 3 inches X 3 inches; another area is about eight inches X four inches.

My hope was for the new paint to last about six months (during the "breathing" process of the new hull) and then I would repaint in January of next year (the cool/dry season). Can I just let it continue to let the paint drop/peel off until I repaint in January, or do I have to take corrective measures now (will I get hull blisters or other bad things if I do nothing)? Thanks for your input

[Ron]

I'm assuming that this layer of black paint is what PC gave you with the boat, and you didn't put anything over it before you splashed. The paint should be an epoxy based Interlux Bottomkote. It should have lasted at least 6 months, but in-water storage under tropical conditions tend to create problems for any bottom paint. New fiberglass presents other problems as well. As Dan mentioned, you can let it peel off and take care of the growth in a few months, but I wouldn't wait any longer than that. This has nothihg to do with getting blisters.

You should do some research about what bottom paints work best now in Florida and points south. Last time I checked Petit's Trinidad SR was just about the best thing around for this warm water. That's based on Practical Sailor's on-going test of bottom paints for the last couple of years years. In theory, you could be better of with an ablative that works well down there, but the hard finishes like Trinidad seem to do better. And they can be scrubbed without taking off some paint which happens with most ablatives.

I spend the winter not too far from you (Punta Gorda) and I put in a boat lift for this reason. Didn't want to battle the soft and hard growth month after month, year after year. I don't want to leave it in the water down there for more than 7 to 10 days at a time, especially tied to a dock and not moving. Movement tends to shake some of the growth off of the hull.