which bottom paint?

[ridepowder]

hello

well i purchased my FIRST o'day and the bottom is nice and smooth and there is no paint, for the pre-owner did not go into the salt water with it and he also trailered it. i will be in a salt water creek where i will be leaving it and depending on the moon at low tide it MIGHT rest itself on the sea ground. (soft mud, no rocks)

my questions are:
what is a good bottom paint that will hold up and protect my hull?

am i crazy to even put bottom paint on?

should i dilute it so the paint goes on smooth and allows the boat to be fast??

will crap get up inside the centerboard crack??

please any thoughts and suggestions will be greatly appreciated

thank you

[Reef]

relax - it's a small boat. i would recommend that you use a recognized marine product such as interlux, etc. unless you leave the boat to whither for months on end - i don't believe you'll have much accumulation of seaweed, mussels, barnacles, etc. in the centerboard trunk. just give the hull a decent coating and you'll probably get a couple of seasons out of it...

[MarcCram]

Welcome to the forums!
I too purchased my first O'day a few months back. You'll find everyone is full of information and a pleasure to deal with.

On to the bottom paint. If you're going to leave it in the water you'll need to protect the gelcoat. There is a thread here http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2062

Hope that helps!

Cheers!
Marc
196* DS1 2902