Paint the hull if boat sits in water

[Noelb]

I just read this in my owner's manual. Unfortunately there aren't many details. Has anyone did this?

They say that if you boat is kept in the water for ANY period of time, the wetted portion of the hull should be painted with epoxy paint formulated for blister protection.

[Excel94]

RE: Paint the hull if boat sits in water

Yep, at least in the older Nautiqus. The gel coat is porous and will allow water to enter, thus creating blisters. A few days in the water are no problem. When you get into weeks though you have to either get it out fo the water or use some sort of bottom paint. Not necessily anti-fouling paint, just something to provide a non-porous layer.

[Noelb]

RE: Paint the hull if boat sits in water

Yes, My boat will typically spend the whole season sitting in the water at the dock on the lake. I haven't noticed any of my neigh bour's ski/wake boats with painted hulls around the lake (mind you, I never really looked for that).

Will this paint undermine the boat's performance for ski/wakeboard?

[Excel94]

RE: Paint the hull if boat sits in water

You're right, you rarely see bottom paint on ski boats. I remember reading an article where the author asked "Why don't ski boats get blisters nearly often as sail boats"? His contention was that ski boat manufacturers did a better job of hull construction and thus gave a little more of a hedge of protection against blistering. You might luck out and have no problem. However, Ive definitely seen blisters on Nautiques though, so I know it can happen.

Not much help, huh. Many some of the old timers can chime in.

[skijones]

I have a 99 and have left mine in the water for 6-8 weeks at a time with no problem. I do use a product called super slick, it's an antifouling wax, comes off pretty easy with a pressure washer.

[Noelb]

Has anyone here actually had the paint done?

[east tx skier]

There's a guy on the MC forum named Andre who has a 94 190 whose previous owner had it painted with Imron (DuPont's antifouling paint). Don't remember if he has a login over here or not, but he has talked about it in the past. The way I've always understood it, as mentioned above, gel coat is pourus, so it's not about brand. Some people seem to have better luck than others. Apart from painting, waxing is good as is getting the boat out of the water regularly and letting it dry out for a day or so.

[east tx skier]

There's a guy on the MC forum named Andre near Sherbrooke, Québec who has a 94 190 whose previous owner had it painted with Imron (DuPont's antifouling paint). Don't remember if he has a login over here or not, but he has talked about it in the past. The way I've always understood it, as mentioned above, gel coat is pourus, so it's not about brand. Some people seem to have better luck than others. Apart from painting, waxing is good, but getting the boat out of the water regularly and letting it dry out for a day or so is also recommended.