Bottom Paint, necessary for a ICW one off?

D

Dublin

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Seafarer
My 226 GW Seafarer has never had bottom paint as it is kept high and dry in Florida during the winter and Maryland in the summer. This spring I am planning to travel ICW from Stuart Florida to Middle River Maryland. This will likely take 7-10 days depending.

Should I break her cherry and bottom paint her?

Thanks for your opinions.
John
 
That's the answer I want to hear!! Waiting for more. Thank You Skunk
 
SkunkBoat said:
remember, before bottom paint you need multiple coats of an epoxy barrier coat. That can take days of good weather. Just not worth it if you are not keeping in a slip.
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Will always be racked high and dry except for an occasional ICW adventure. Thank you for reply
 
As long as you run the boat every day or so, you can go a couple of weeks without bottom paint.

I've taken mine down to the Keys and left it at a slip for 2 weeks. Fishing almost every day, I had little accumulation of bottom growth. A pressure wash of the bottom when I got back to my dry stack was all that was needed.
 
I like a clean bottom. Wait,,,,that sounds like a toilet paper commercial. :eek:

Anyway, I wouldn't bottom paint it unless it's wetslipped all the time. Mine isn't painted and had no issues while hanging out in Cape Coral this summer for 2 weeks, just a good fresh water spray down when I put her back on the trailer in Florida and then a good wash when I got her back home to Kentucky.
 
nope. 30 day or more maybe in standing water. You should be fine. Any growth will come off easy.
 
Fishtales said:
nope. 30 day or more maybe in standing water. You should be fine. Any growth will come off easy.
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Agree. I've done this many times with various boats. Usually nothing more than "ring around the boat". No "real" weed growth and certainly no barnacles.

FYI... if you do end up painting down the road, you don't "need" a barrier coat. Some boat manufacturer's use inferior gelcoat formulations - but the Grady will be just fine. I also have experience (as another comparison) with Sea Ray's and they don't require it, either. A 40 year old hull... sure, it's almost a given to barrier coat... but not anymore with the better gelcoat formulations.
 
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