latest info on bottom paint from practical sailor
Try applying the Micron as FLAT as you can.
Use a WEST system foam roller to apply the first coat, then when the
paint is fully dired/cured ... a few days - take a palm sander and
knock the peaks down with a palm sander this will leave be about 25%
of the surface sanded and leave a 'gauge' for the following steps.
Get a wide polyethylene trowel .... the kind used for fairing
fiberglass hulls, paint a 2 ft. wide 'stripe' with the roller and
QUICKLY take the trowel and level the paint, leave a 2 ft. dry strip
and make another stripe continue until the boat is 50% coated. You
will be using the 'trowel' like a window cleaner with a squeegee. Then
when the original stripes have dried go back and fill in the skipped
areas. It may take a session or two of 'stripes' but if you follow
this soon the suface will become very smooth and very flat ..... and
the total exposed surface arfea will be less that with the pimples when
solely using a roller. Once you get the surface flat, the next time
you wont need so much paint. Being flat the hull will release the
scum better when at hull speed and you will have little need to scrub
the hull .... and the boat will be FASTER.
I use a contrast color under my 'usual' color and only recoat about
every 2-3 years when the contrast starts to show through ... in the
Upper Chesapeake where the slime and barnacles can be bodaceous.
In intervening years I may do a very light sanding to get the FLATNESS
that I want. I sail my boat HARD and often.
Hope this helps.
In article .com,
boatgeek wrote:
I was wondering if anyone had the latest info from practical sailor on
the best bottom paints. The boat yard uses Micron CSC which is alway
rated well, but is so soft it seems to last only a season and a half on
the chesapeake. For a sailboat, btw.
Thanks,
Doug
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