Bottom Paint in California

[Hale Moana]

On the waiting list to get my Gulfstar 37 hauled at Port San Luis. Takes forever to get hauled. Sometimes over a year. The owner of the yard doesn't care how long a boat sits in the yard. It is a mostly DIY yard.

My Gulfstar is a cruising boat. Last time I hauled I used Blue Water 45. It worked ok. Wondering what other people are currently using on cruising boats.

 

[justsomeguy!]

Wondering what other people are currently using on cruising boats.

Doesn't matter. You'll need to repaint in two-three years anyway.

 

[Borax Johnson]

A friend of mine told me you should drive to Mexico, have a cold beer and fish tacos and come back with the 'good stuff'. I don't know what he means about good stuff bottom paint, but, he's a friend.

But then I'm not a biologist, either.

 

[justsomeguy!]

I don't know what he means about good stuff bottom paint

He means high copper content. The stuff that CA doesn't want in the state's waters.

 

[167149]

He means high copper content. The stuff that CA doesn't want in the state's waters.

or TBT

 

[justsomeguy!]

or TBT

We'll have to watch that.

 

[Hale Moana]

I spent 7 years in Mexico hauling out every summer for hurricane season. Their bottom paint came from the US. Didn't seem to be any higher copper content then the US stuff. I tried all kinds of additives from cayenne peppers to roundup to adding extra finely ground copper powder. Didn't seem to help. Only made the surface rougher.

That was a few years back. Maybe things are different now. I have friends down there now on their boat. I will ask them.

 

[ExOmo]

A friend of mine told me you should drive to Mexico, have a cold beer and fish tacos and come back with the 'good stuff'. I don't know what he means about good stuff bottom paint, but, he's a friend.

But then I'm not a biologist, either.

Pretty good drive in a Gulfstar 37 from Morro Bay...and then you'd have to come back north!

 

[Hale Moana]

The only hard part about coming north from Ensenada to Morro Bay is going around Point Conception. Time it right and it is no big deal. Time it wrong or go more than a mile or two off the beach and you will be hating life.

When I brought my boat up to Morro Bay we hugged the beach with no problems. Another boat came in a couple of hours after us looking like drowned rats. Their paid captain hired to help bring the boat north had them over 5 miles offshore. They got hammered. The owner was not happy after he talked to me.

 

[justsomeguy!]

Their bottom paint came from the US....Maybe things are different now.

I doubt it, meaning I beieve you about the origin of the paint.
My boat's in San Carlos, Sonora.

 

[justsomeguy!]

I beieve you about the origin of the paint.

But I'm going to try to check on that. I'm due for new paint.

 

[Blue Crab]

or TBT

I just checked and it's 2598 miles from here to FastBttms in SF ... but I can hear his grumbling about TBT from here and predict he'll be along shortly.

 

[Hale Moana]

I hauled out at Marina Seca San Carlos several times. It was a trip watching their hydraulic trailer pick my boat up. Had never seen that before. Then I hauled out at Gabriel's yard in Guaymas for several years. Typical travel lift at Gabriel's yard.

I chased down all of the rumors of superior bottom paint. Go to the yellow building on the corner of such and such. He has the best paint. Or go to the PPG store. They sell the paint used by the US Navy. Go to the shipyard next to Gabriel's. Bring your own pails because their paint comes in 55 gallon drums. When your are hauling every year for hurricane season I don't think the paint matters too much. Your boat is only in the water for 6 to 9 months. I only put on one coat because it was going to get another coat next year. Never had to pressure wash my Gulfstar. What little growth there may have been dried over the summer and came right off with a light sanding.

I bought some black paint one year. Did not like it at all. Could never tell how dirty the bottom was. Blue is my favorite color.

Need to strip off your paint. No problem. The paint stripper they sell in Mexico works really good. I did that one year. Only took a couple of hours to strip all of the paint off of my Gulfstar. I got it at the PPG store in Gauymas.

Still looking for what people are currently using in California.

 

[justsomeguy!]

I bought some black paint one year. Did not like it at all. Could never tell how dirty the bottom was.

There's a consideration. That's the color that gets used by the local yard workers here. Was thinking of using them.
For the same price I paid for three gallons of green Micron 66, painting it myself, they'll sand, rinse and paint my hull with the black stuff.

Still looking for what people are currently using in California.

Ask the folks in Morro bay?
Or maybe try sailboatowners.com

 

[Hale Moana]

There is not a shipyard in Morro Bay. You have to either go to Port San Luis where for a variety of reasons there is a waiting list to get hauled currently running over a year, or go south to Santa Barbara, Ventura or Oxnard, or go north to Monterey. Those places are over 100 miles away. Some people wait for the king tides in the spring and fall to beach their boats on the sandspit to do a bottom job.

I was number 10 on the waiting list when I sign up last September. Still waiting.

 

[longy]

Once you get South of SB there are a plethora of boatyards hungry for your business

 

[LewSipfher]

or TBT

Also known as the paint choice of the ethically and morally bankrupt

 

[Blue Crab]

100,000 US boat owners save the planet. Film at 11.

 

[LewSipfher]

100,000 US boat owners save the planet. Film at 11.

Millions of douchebags fuck up the planet. 24/7/365.

 

[Blue Crab]

Exactamundo.