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Author Topic:   To Paint or Not, That is the Question

minimontauk posted 04-23-2003 09:26 PM ET (US)
I have worked myself into a true quandry about bottom painting my 15 foot 87' Sport CC. Here are the issues:
1. Hull has never been painted, former lakeboat in good condition. Minor scrapes thru gelcoat along keel due to beaching.
2. I have a mooring in Cotuit Harbor on Cape Cod. I hope to use the boat from May through late September. I will be sharing the boat with my 70 year old father for the month of July. He will use it weekdays while I'm working. He doesn't want to deal with launching it for each use, so it will have to stay on the mooring at least through the month of July.
3. I have a wife and three kids, and will usually have to cart a bunch of toys, coolers, etc. for each outing. I keep the boat on a roller trailer in my yard, a 5 minute drive from the nearest boat ramp. When it's on the mooring, I have a ten minute row out to the boat in addition to the drive.
4. As I see it, I have two options:
A. Patch, sand, barrier coat, prime, and bottom paint the boat, and moor it for the season. This is the tons of work upfront option, probably easier long term.
B. Patch bottom gelcoat, put on some antifouling wax, and trailer launch for each use, except in July, when it will have to stay on the mooring. I could pull it out half way through the month and scrub the bottom. This is the "experimental" option, letting me see what level of hassle it is to launch every weekend before I commit by painting it. One advantage to trailering might be that I can load all the crap into the boat befrore towing it down to the ramp.
I am agonizing over the extra time involved in trailering vs. the horrendous wear and tear mooring in salt water imposes on a boat. Any insight or advice to help me break my mental logjam would be appreciated.
Thanks, AH
bgraham10 posted 04-23-2003 09:43 PM ET (US)
I had a hobie power skiff 15' that I used every day of the summer and kept in salt water. I used clear bottom paint at the time and it usually wore off completely in the first month, and was practically bare buy august. In other words, I used to go the month of august with little or no bottom paint. But remember i used the boat every day for clamming or fishing or water sports.
The only time i ever had to scrape the bottom was when I didn't use it for two weeks in september, and man did I have to scrape!!
I would say wax it up and don't worry about keeping it in the water for the month of July, as long as you'll use it every couple of days to knock off the latest inhabitants. You should have very minimal slime growth that you can ON/OFF in no time.
doobee posted 04-23-2003 09:45 PM ET (US)
My brother used to work for an oyster company in Cotuit. After 2 weeks in July, just roll your boat over, add some corn and you can have a regular Cape Cod Clambake. The anti fouling wax doesn't work in salt water. If you think barrier coat and painting is hard, wait till you try removing barnacles.
I would recommend painting. For me, the toughest question is what color. Don't think of it as hard work. Think of it as a bonding experience!)
jaccoserv posted 04-23-2003 11:31 PM ET (US)
Am I missing something? Why wouldn't you paint it? That way you could always leave it on the mooring... Whalers were designed for the saltwater, having their bottom painted is something they expect.
Besides, even with the 10 minute row, isn't it nice to just get in and go? Heck...after a 10 minute row I'd be happy to get in a Sea Ray.
hardensheetmetal posted 04-24-2003 08:22 AM ET (US)
Mini-
I'm with Jacco..on this one, paint it. I have never owned a Whaler that did not have bottom paint on it. Most of them I purchased used and stripped the previous layers of paint off. Starting this season i am using an ablative (Petit Horizons) and hope to never have to strip again. But simply for the ease of use i would paint it and leave it moored.
Dan
andygere posted 04-24-2003 09:11 AM ET (US)
Paint it with an ablative paint. Your hull will be in rough shape if the barnacles get started, and it doesn't take long for that to happen.
John W posted 04-24-2003 09:41 AM ET (US)
My boat has bottom paint, but I'd disagree with the others here. If it's easier for you to keep it on the trailer, except for the month of July, don't paint it. Pull the boat out three times in the month of July and wash the bottom. I've kept boats in the water for 1 to 2 weeks at a time on vacations my whole life, with no bottom paint, in the summer in saltwater in south Florida. I can't imagine the cooler waters of Cape Cod would be worse.
If you paint it but later want to keep it on the trailer, the bottom paint will look bad, scrape off, etc, and trying to get it off later is more work than it's worth. So once you paint the boat, you'll never get that clean boat bottom back.
On the other hand, if you don't paint it, and you try the mooring this year and love having it in the water, and plan tro keep it on a mooring from now on, you can always paint it later. If leaving it in the water in July (and pulling it out three times) still leaves you with slight growth on the bottom, you paint it then...and the scum line will make painting a waterline easier anyway. I disagree with doobee on the barnacles, if you did get (very small) barnacles over 1 or 2 weeks' time, they aren't that hard to get off if you pressure wash or scrape them off IMMEDIATELY upon removing the boat from the water. If you let them die on there, they become MUCH harder to remove.
T Party posted 04-24-2003 09:55 AM ET (US)
I agree with John W, but I'd counsel against using a pressure washer to remove scum from the bottom. I damaged my gelcoat with a pressure washer trying to wash off loose bottom paint.
On/Off (or Zud or Snow Bowl) and a brush will take off the scum, then hose off the bottom. It shouldn't be that tough if the boat's not in the water more than a couple weeks.
John W posted 04-24-2003 01:26 PM ET (US)
T Party, you mean hydro-sandblasting hurt your gelcoat, right? I can't imagine gelcoat being damaged by an ordinary pressure washer. I worked at a boatyard while in college & we used a pressure washer on every boat coming in for a bottom job...it wouldn't even take off much bottom paint, much less damage gelcoat. I'm talking the type of pressure washer they have at do-it-yourself car washes.
Bigshot posted 04-24-2003 02:08 PM ET (US)
From experience:
I had a 13' for 4 seasons and a 15' for 4 seasons in NJ all season(april-october) with NO bottom paint EVER. I used it quite frequently and would beach it and scrub the bottom whenever I was out(20 mins while having a beer). If it started to get real yellow, etc I would yank it and drive down to the car wash and pressure wash it then scrub with comet or(later when I found out) mary kate's On/Off. You just spray it on and watch your bottom turn pearly white again.
In the Cape the water gets maybe 70degrees in late July/early August. In FL we hit 92+. With 92+ I have about 10 days before slime starts to grow, 2 weeks and I get small barnacles. 1 month....never tried that but can't look or smell pretty. One month in the cape and you pulling it for an hour a couple times during, you won't have anything more than a yellow bottom which will on/off in minutes. Problem with a mooring is you can't flush or even wash your boat off. The salt, dirt and seagull poop will have you yanking that thing every few weeks to clean the inside anyway.
Try it and if too much trouble....paint it next spring. You won't be painting it, trust me.
doobee posted 04-25-2003 12:31 AM ET (US)
I know you guys from off Cape are trying to be helpful, but I dare you to bring your own boats up to Cotuit (the oyster capital of Cape Cod) and leave it in for 2 weeks in July with no paint, in fact I double dare you !)
The salt ponds here are very warm, and very fertile. I speak from experience. When I was a kid I left a sailboat in for a couple of weeks. It had weed, barnacles, shrimp, and several life forms that have yet to be classified. The gelcoat was ruined, and the hull had to be faired before painting, and if that wasn't bad enough, the boat had some water in one of the floatation tanks so the waterline wasn't even straight.
If you're going to leave it in plan to scrub it every other day. If for some reason you can't get to the boat for a while, make arrangements with a local yard (Little River?)to haul it for you.
I saw a picture of a 13 that had accidentally been left in Katama Bay for 2 months. The barnacles were 6" thick (no kidding) If I can borrow the photo I'll get it posted.
Bigshot posted 04-25-2003 09:09 AM ET (US)
My bud kept his boat in North Truro at Pamette Harbor, water was 60 degrees in July and by november he only had slime on his engine mounts and floating dock which were not painted.
Keep an eye on it and see what gives, no need to make a wrong decision.
andygere posted 04-25-2003 12:33 PM ET (US)
Pamet harbor, right off of Cape Cod Bay really flushes, in fact it's just about dry at low tide. It get's a lot warmer than 60 in the summer, trust me. Doobee is right about the tidal salt ponds which don't flush very much and are sometimes several miles to open water. I left my 13 in Meetinghouse Pond for a two weeks with old bottom paint on, and I still had some barnacles to scrape when I hauled her out. Nothing wrong with the try-it-and-see plan, just don't let it go too long without checking it.
minimontauk posted 04-25-2003 01:09 PM ET (US)
Doobee:
You have put the fear of god in me. I'm going to do it right, Interlux Interprotect epoxy sealer, then Micron CSC bottom paint. The Interprotect sounds a little scary, like a painting marathon you MUST win. Any advice on succeeding with this stuff appreciated. I am going to put the boat in the water for (1) week in May to get a waterline. I assume the waterline will be at or above the engine brackets on the transom. Should I take the motor off prior to Interprotect and bottom paint? It's a 48 HP johnson, so I assume I'll have to rent or borrow a motor lift. Again, thanks for your posts, any further advice greatly appreciated.
John W posted 04-25-2003 01:30 PM ET (US)
You don't need to remove the motor. If the motor mount and it's bolt holes are well sealed with caulk, you can simply tape off the motor mount & paint around it. As I mentioned in another post you'll need to tape off & paint the motor bracket with tin-based spray antifouling.
If you plan to leave the boat in the water for a week in May, why don't you use that as a test for whether you'll need to paint it at all? I know the water will be cooler in May than July, but it'll still give you an indication of how necessary painting is. Granted, I don't know the local waters like doobee, and I certainly believe the posters that say the fouling is bad there. But I still can't believe it could be much worse than still, salt and brackish waters in the tropics with water temps in the 90's....where I've kept boats in the water for up to two weeks with no problems my whole life. I believe that if you pulled the boat every 1-1/2 weeks in July (only two times during the month it's in the water), cleaning off any growth would be far less work and expense than the painting job you're contemplating.
I have nothing against bottom painting, but I get the impression you don't know if you'll want it in the water on a mooring long term...and until you know that, I feel it's a mistake to paint the boat. I painted mine with Micron, kept it in the water for a year, and now keep it on a trailer...and now I wish it wasn't painted.
hardensheetmetal posted 04-25-2003 05:05 PM ET (US)
Mini-
Heere is my little bit to add to this. i think that painting is the wise move. Last summer I bought a 16' Maritime Skiff that had been kept in Bourne, no bottom paint, usually trailered. i brought the boat up to NY in July and left it in until about Oct 10th. Where I am is brakish water so not very salty, but not pure fresh (all depends on the tides and temp) Anyway, when I hauled in Oct. I found several things: Barnicles, not a lot, but enough to be a pain in the neck to remove. I also found a small spot of blistering, which I recently had the joy of sanding, and filling. I just painted her last weekend with the Petit Horizons I spoke of. Now I just look forward to several years of easy cleaning and maybe a little touch up if needed, well worth the effort i think.
Dan
jaccoserv posted 04-25-2003 06:41 PM ET (US)
Doobee couldn't be more right on this one. People off cape see on The Weather Channel that giant 60 degrees mark over cape cod, well I doubt that minimontauk is keeping his boat moored in Nantucket sound. Those rivers and salt ponds can be 90 degrees in mid-July. And super stagnant... they're breeding grounds for this stuff. I went swimming in Tashmoo on the vineyard on the 4th this past year and the water was 87 degrees. Smart decision on the painting.
captbone posted 04-25-2003 09:34 PM ET (US)
Find out if the area is prone to growth, by me certain areas get tons of it then some areas get none, depends on the tide. I would say dont paint if the bottom is looking good.
half shell posted 04-26-2003 07:32 PM ET (US)
Paint it!I have seen a 2 week in water unpainted bottom it is not a pretty sight.
timbo posted 04-30-2003 09:23 PM ET (US)
Why waste time with chemicals and scrubbing, paint the bottom with a good ablative, it should prove to be much less labor intensive than pulling it out scrubbing it and such, if your worried about paint on the bottom and resale value or if you are selling in the near future be safe and scrub the bottom if not i would say go with paint, it may be a worth while investment.
glassman posted 05-01-2003 05:12 AM ET (US)
We deal with this one alot in Hawaii and here is what I find works. Best of all it's simple. It takes a well worth the money high pressure washer preferably a gas type. Keep the original gellcoat finsh and not paint. That way when you blast the hull your paint or bottom paint doesn't go flying off plus you retain a higher value being all original. Holding the trigger down on a pressure washer is a lot easier then scubbing the hull plus you can clean you driveway, house, trailer ext. A couple trailer moves to reach were it rest on it's hull is all it takes. As for the barnicals on your leg or engine mounts. Try this, it works. It takes some sewing though. I had mine made at a boat cover and uppolstry shop for cheap.Basicaly it's like covering the leg and what ever else with a heavy duty black garbage bag. I used a black nylon tarp sewn around a custom bent aluminium tubing. Like a hula hoop. Slip it over and tie it off. Get the picture. It works by blocking off the sun light and restricting current flow with drifting oranisms which cause the barnicals. you'll see what I meen when you pull off the bag after a few weeks and see way more algue and barnicals on your bag and not on your motor. It's not full proof though, it just bye's you more time you will get some mild growth. But at about a 75% slower rate. Which adds weeks in the water. try putting the bag on your boat and not your fiends and pull it off 2 weeks later. you'll see the diferance. When your custom made bag gets heavy and unsightly with growth. No problem blast it clean with your new pressure washer.

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Author	Topic: To Paint or Not, That is the Question
minimontauk	posted 04-23-2003 09:26 PM ET (US) I have worked myself into a true quandry about bottom painting my 15 foot 87' Sport CC. Here are the issues: 1. Hull has never been painted, former lakeboat in good condition. Minor scrapes thru gelcoat along keel due to beaching. 2. I have a mooring in Cotuit Harbor on Cape Cod. I hope to use the boat from May through late September. I will be sharing the boat with my 70 year old father for the month of July. He will use it weekdays while I'm working. He doesn't want to deal with launching it for each use, so it will have to stay on the mooring at least through the month of July. 3. I have a wife and three kids, and will usually have to cart a bunch of toys, coolers, etc. for each outing. I keep the boat on a roller trailer in my yard, a 5 minute drive from the nearest boat ramp. When it's on the mooring, I have a ten minute row out to the boat in addition to the drive. 4. As I see it, I have two options: A. Patch, sand, barrier coat, prime, and bottom paint the boat, and moor it for the season. This is the tons of work upfront option, probably easier long term. B. Patch bottom gelcoat, put on some antifouling wax, and trailer launch for each use, except in July, when it will have to stay on the mooring. I could pull it out half way through the month and scrub the bottom. This is the "experimental" option, letting me see what level of hassle it is to launch every weekend before I commit by painting it. One advantage to trailering might be that I can load all the crap into the boat befrore towing it down to the ramp. I am agonizing over the extra time involved in trailering vs. the horrendous wear and tear mooring in salt water imposes on a boat. Any insight or advice to help me break my mental logjam would be appreciated. Thanks, AH
bgraham10	posted 04-23-2003 09:43 PM ET (US) I had a hobie power skiff 15' that I used every day of the summer and kept in salt water. I used clear bottom paint at the time and it usually wore off completely in the first month, and was practically bare buy august. In other words, I used to go the month of august with little or no bottom paint. But remember i used the boat every day for clamming or fishing or water sports. The only time i ever had to scrape the bottom was when I didn't use it for two weeks in september, and man did I have to scrape!! I would say wax it up and don't worry about keeping it in the water for the month of July, as long as you'll use it every couple of days to knock off the latest inhabitants. You should have very minimal slime growth that you can ON/OFF in no time.
doobee	posted 04-23-2003 09:45 PM ET (US) My brother used to work for an oyster company in Cotuit. After 2 weeks in July, just roll your boat over, add some corn and you can have a regular Cape Cod Clambake. The anti fouling wax doesn't work in salt water. If you think barrier coat and painting is hard, wait till you try removing barnacles. I would recommend painting. For me, the toughest question is what color. Don't think of it as hard work. Think of it as a bonding experience!)
jaccoserv	posted 04-23-2003 11:31 PM ET (US) Am I missing something? Why wouldn't you paint it? That way you could always leave it on the mooring... Whalers were designed for the saltwater, having their bottom painted is something they expect. Besides, even with the 10 minute row, isn't it nice to just get in and go? Heck...after a 10 minute row I'd be happy to get in a Sea Ray.
hardensheetmetal	posted 04-24-2003 08:22 AM ET (US) Mini- I'm with Jacco..on this one, paint it. I have never owned a Whaler that did not have bottom paint on it. Most of them I purchased used and stripped the previous layers of paint off. Starting this season i am using an ablative (Petit Horizons) and hope to never have to strip again. But simply for the ease of use i would paint it and leave it moored. Dan
andygere	posted 04-24-2003 09:11 AM ET (US) Paint it with an ablative paint. Your hull will be in rough shape if the barnacles get started, and it doesn't take long for that to happen.
John W	posted 04-24-2003 09:41 AM ET (US) My boat has bottom paint, but I'd disagree with the others here. If it's easier for you to keep it on the trailer, except for the month of July, don't paint it. Pull the boat out three times in the month of July and wash the bottom. I've kept boats in the water for 1 to 2 weeks at a time on vacations my whole life, with no bottom paint, in the summer in saltwater in south Florida. I can't imagine the cooler waters of Cape Cod would be worse. If you paint it but later want to keep it on the trailer, the bottom paint will look bad, scrape off, etc, and trying to get it off later is more work than it's worth. So once you paint the boat, you'll never get that clean boat bottom back. On the other hand, if you don't paint it, and you try the mooring this year and love having it in the water, and plan tro keep it on a mooring from now on, you can always paint it later. If leaving it in the water in July (and pulling it out three times) still leaves you with slight growth on the bottom, you paint it then...and the scum line will make painting a waterline easier anyway. I disagree with doobee on the barnacles, if you did get (very small) barnacles over 1 or 2 weeks' time, they aren't that hard to get off if you pressure wash or scrape them off IMMEDIATELY upon removing the boat from the water. If you let them die on there, they become MUCH harder to remove.
T Party	posted 04-24-2003 09:55 AM ET (US) I agree with John W, but I'd counsel against using a pressure washer to remove scum from the bottom. I damaged my gelcoat with a pressure washer trying to wash off loose bottom paint. On/Off (or Zud or Snow Bowl) and a brush will take off the scum, then hose off the bottom. It shouldn't be that tough if the boat's not in the water more than a couple weeks.
John W	posted 04-24-2003 01:26 PM ET (US) T Party, you mean hydro-sandblasting hurt your gelcoat, right? I can't imagine gelcoat being damaged by an ordinary pressure washer. I worked at a boatyard while in college & we used a pressure washer on every boat coming in for a bottom job...it wouldn't even take off much bottom paint, much less damage gelcoat. I'm talking the type of pressure washer they have at do-it-yourself car washes.
Bigshot	posted 04-24-2003 02:08 PM ET (US) From experience: I had a 13' for 4 seasons and a 15' for 4 seasons in NJ all season(april-october) with NO bottom paint EVER. I used it quite frequently and would beach it and scrub the bottom whenever I was out(20 mins while having a beer). If it started to get real yellow, etc I would yank it and drive down to the car wash and pressure wash it then scrub with comet or(later when I found out) mary kate's On/Off. You just spray it on and watch your bottom turn pearly white again. In the Cape the water gets maybe 70degrees in late July/early August. In FL we hit 92+. With 92+ I have about 10 days before slime starts to grow, 2 weeks and I get small barnacles. 1 month....never tried that but can't look or smell pretty. One month in the cape and you pulling it for an hour a couple times during, you won't have anything more than a yellow bottom which will on/off in minutes. Problem with a mooring is you can't flush or even wash your boat off. The salt, dirt and seagull poop will have you yanking that thing every few weeks to clean the inside anyway. Try it and if too much trouble....paint it next spring. You won't be painting it, trust me.
doobee	posted 04-25-2003 12:31 AM ET (US) I know you guys from off Cape are trying to be helpful, but I dare you to bring your own boats up to Cotuit (the oyster capital of Cape Cod) and leave it in for 2 weeks in July with no paint, in fact I double dare you !) The salt ponds here are very warm, and very fertile. I speak from experience. When I was a kid I left a sailboat in for a couple of weeks. It had weed, barnacles, shrimp, and several life forms that have yet to be classified. The gelcoat was ruined, and the hull had to be faired before painting, and if that wasn't bad enough, the boat had some water in one of the floatation tanks so the waterline wasn't even straight. If you're going to leave it in plan to scrub it every other day. If for some reason you can't get to the boat for a while, make arrangements with a local yard (Little River?)to haul it for you. I saw a picture of a 13 that had accidentally been left in Katama Bay for 2 months. The barnacles were 6" thick (no kidding) If I can borrow the photo I'll get it posted.
Bigshot	posted 04-25-2003 09:09 AM ET (US) My bud kept his boat in North Truro at Pamette Harbor, water was 60 degrees in July and by november he only had slime on his engine mounts and floating dock which were not painted. Keep an eye on it and see what gives, no need to make a wrong decision.
andygere	posted 04-25-2003 12:33 PM ET (US) Pamet harbor, right off of Cape Cod Bay really flushes, in fact it's just about dry at low tide. It get's a lot warmer than 60 in the summer, trust me. Doobee is right about the tidal salt ponds which don't flush very much and are sometimes several miles to open water. I left my 13 in Meetinghouse Pond for a two weeks with old bottom paint on, and I still had some barnacles to scrape when I hauled her out. Nothing wrong with the try-it-and-see plan, just don't let it go too long without checking it.
minimontauk	posted 04-25-2003 01:09 PM ET (US) Doobee: You have put the fear of god in me. I'm going to do it right, Interlux Interprotect epoxy sealer, then Micron CSC bottom paint. The Interprotect sounds a little scary, like a painting marathon you MUST win. Any advice on succeeding with this stuff appreciated. I am going to put the boat in the water for (1) week in May to get a waterline. I assume the waterline will be at or above the engine brackets on the transom. Should I take the motor off prior to Interprotect and bottom paint? It's a 48 HP johnson, so I assume I'll have to rent or borrow a motor lift. Again, thanks for your posts, any further advice greatly appreciated.
John W	posted 04-25-2003 01:30 PM ET (US) You don't need to remove the motor. If the motor mount and it's bolt holes are well sealed with caulk, you can simply tape off the motor mount & paint around it. As I mentioned in another post you'll need to tape off & paint the motor bracket with tin-based spray antifouling. If you plan to leave the boat in the water for a week in May, why don't you use that as a test for whether you'll need to paint it at all? I know the water will be cooler in May than July, but it'll still give you an indication of how necessary painting is. Granted, I don't know the local waters like doobee, and I certainly believe the posters that say the fouling is bad there. But I still can't believe it could be much worse than still, salt and brackish waters in the tropics with water temps in the 90's....where I've kept boats in the water for up to two weeks with no problems my whole life. I believe that if you pulled the boat every 1-1/2 weeks in July (only two times during the month it's in the water), cleaning off any growth would be far less work and expense than the painting job you're contemplating. I have nothing against bottom painting, but I get the impression you don't know if you'll want it in the water on a mooring long term...and until you know that, I feel it's a mistake to paint the boat. I painted mine with Micron, kept it in the water for a year, and now keep it on a trailer...and now I wish it wasn't painted.
hardensheetmetal	posted 04-25-2003 05:05 PM ET (US) Mini- Heere is my little bit to add to this. i think that painting is the wise move. Last summer I bought a 16' Maritime Skiff that had been kept in Bourne, no bottom paint, usually trailered. i brought the boat up to NY in July and left it in until about Oct 10th. Where I am is brakish water so not very salty, but not pure fresh (all depends on the tides and temp) Anyway, when I hauled in Oct. I found several things: Barnicles, not a lot, but enough to be a pain in the neck to remove. I also found a small spot of blistering, which I recently had the joy of sanding, and filling. I just painted her last weekend with the Petit Horizons I spoke of. Now I just look forward to several years of easy cleaning and maybe a little touch up if needed, well worth the effort i think. Dan
jaccoserv	posted 04-25-2003 06:41 PM ET (US) Doobee couldn't be more right on this one. People off cape see on The Weather Channel that giant 60 degrees mark over cape cod, well I doubt that minimontauk is keeping his boat moored in Nantucket sound. Those rivers and salt ponds can be 90 degrees in mid-July. And super stagnant... they're breeding grounds for this stuff. I went swimming in Tashmoo on the vineyard on the 4th this past year and the water was 87 degrees. Smart decision on the painting.
captbone	posted 04-25-2003 09:34 PM ET (US) Find out if the area is prone to growth, by me certain areas get tons of it then some areas get none, depends on the tide. I would say dont paint if the bottom is looking good.
half shell	posted 04-26-2003 07:32 PM ET (US) Paint it!I have seen a 2 week in water unpainted bottom it is not a pretty sight.
timbo	posted 04-30-2003 09:23 PM ET (US) Why waste time with chemicals and scrubbing, paint the bottom with a good ablative, it should prove to be much less labor intensive than pulling it out scrubbing it and such, if your worried about paint on the bottom and resale value or if you are selling in the near future be safe and scrub the bottom if not i would say go with paint, it may be a worth while investment.
glassman	posted 05-01-2003 05:12 AM ET (US) We deal with this one alot in Hawaii and here is what I find works. Best of all it's simple. It takes a well worth the money high pressure washer preferably a gas type. Keep the original gellcoat finsh and not paint. That way when you blast the hull your paint or bottom paint doesn't go flying off plus you retain a higher value being all original. Holding the trigger down on a pressure washer is a lot easier then scubbing the hull plus you can clean you driveway, house, trailer ext. A couple trailer moves to reach were it rest on it's hull is all it takes. As for the barnicals on your leg or engine mounts. Try this, it works. It takes some sewing though. I had mine made at a boat cover and uppolstry shop for cheap.Basicaly it's like covering the leg and what ever else with a heavy duty black garbage bag. I used a black nylon tarp sewn around a custom bent aluminium tubing. Like a hula hoop. Slip it over and tie it off. Get the picture. It works by blocking off the sun light and restricting current flow with drifting oranisms which cause the barnicals. you'll see what I meen when you pull off the bag after a few weeks and see way more algue and barnicals on your bag and not on your motor. It's not full proof though, it just bye's you more time you will get some mild growth. But at about a 75% slower rate. Which adds weeks in the water. try putting the bag on your boat and not your fiends and pull it off 2 weeks later. you'll see the diferance. When your custom made bag gets heavy and unsightly with growth. No problem blast it clean with your new pressure washer.