VC17M Bottom Paint

[boatino]

I'm having the bottom of my 2000 Marlin stripped, barrier coated and re-painted. I boat on Lake Ontario. The marina is recommending VC17M for the bottom paint versus the Micron CSC that is on the bottom currently. They said any boat that is being stripped down to the gel coat the only thing they use now is the VC17 paint. Has anyone on this site used this paint? Do you like it? Does it really increase your speed at cruise by 2 mph +? I know I'll have to re-coat every year or two but with marina gas at $5/gallon it would be nice for the hull to be a little more efficient. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

John

 

[antaris]

If you plan to leave your boat in the water, I'd consider waterproofing the sanded hull with epoxy barrier coat before antifouling. Especially since you'll be removing old stuff from it.
Mind you, I'm on the other side of the planet and in seawater, so your situation might be different - and the primer might be overkill.

My hull was painted with "Hempel’s Light Primer" - 4 coats. It is, in fact, a not-so-light-as-the-name-suggests waterproofing two-part epoxy underlayer, that protects the gelcoat from osmosis. That was covered with Hempel’s Mille Dynamic antifouling, as the boat stays in the water for 8/9 months (again, I am in seawater and in Europe!). Hempel is a European brand, but I guess there are US onew for you to choose.

In Europe, it is sometimes considered an advantage to sell primed hulls (since you've cared for them), albeit in the US I have a feeling that you prefer your hulls clean and, if possible, unpainted...I also understand that it adds (minimal) weight and cost.

Just my 2 (euro) cents...

 

[Tuna Man]

Many years ago I stripped the paint off of my 1992 24' Explorer, added VC Tar epoxy and covered that with VC17 sprayed from an airless sprayer. As a result, the bottom was very smooth and the boat was very fast. I was able to match the Grady test reports with an aluminum propeller (they used a stainless prop for their tests).

Unfortunately for me, we did not realize the VC17 did not contain anywhere as much copper as the older stuff did and I had a lot of growth in our saltwater (actually brackish) lagoon within a few weeks. Ended up covering the VC17 with Petit Ultima SR, lost a little top end if memory serves me correctly.

As long as your sure that the VC17 is works well with your water I would reccomend using it. Keep in mind this VC17 paint is very thin, I seem to recall it has about the same consistancy as chocolate milk (much thinner than conventional bottom paint). I would spray it on a calm day, some even burnish it after spraying. Not sure if this is still true, but VC17 It used to be very popular with sailboaters as it could give them a half a knot or so (10 percent on some sailboats).

Hope this helps.