Bottom Paint and other preparations for wetslip

[jcalvinmarks]

I may have lucked into a great deal on a place to keep my DSII in wetslip. I found a guy with a private dock who's renting out space for less than half what a wetslip at a marina would cost (and without the 3+ year waiting list). It would be great to just be able to get out and go, rather than having to spend 20 - 30 minutes raising the mast and setting the rigging each time before we go out, then another 20 - 30 minutes taking the mast down and stowing all the rigging when we're done. So I'm pretty excited!

The problem is, my boat has (as far as I know) always been a trailer sailer, and so there isn't (again, to be best of my knowledge) any antifouling paint on her bottom. And even if there was, I'm sure by this point it's more than spent, because I don't think she had been sailed in a few years by the time I got to her. So my question is this: in preparation for putting her into the water as a permanent home in a freshwater lake in Virginia/North Carolina, what do I have to do to the bottom? Do I have to get antifouling paint specifically, or will a new coat of Rustoleum do? Or if I'm diligent about hauling her out every 3 or 4 months to spray off any goo and growth that may have accumulated, would that be sufficient? I'm not racing, so top notch performance isn't a concern. And if I do have to paint her annually, what would that cost? I'd like to be able to keep her on the water, but if I have to drag her out each year and drop some great sum of money on bottom paint, then maybe a trailer sailer she'll stay.

Also, I've noticed that when we go out, the bilge takes on some water; not a whole lot, maybe a gallon or two in 4 - 6 hours. My guess is that, like most DSs of this vintage (1972), the centerboard gasket is in need of some attention. Hopefully just some tightening, but possibly replacement. But since I've never careened the boat, I have no idea how to access the gasket and attachment point. Do I use the two inspection ports just aft of the cabin? Is there another way? Or will it all make sense once I tip her over, and I'll feel stupid for even asking?

Thanks!

[jdubes]

I live in New England, if i could find this option for $125 it would be like a X-Mas gift. A mooring without pick-up or drop-off run $1000-1300 for 4 months.

[GreenLake]

Price: some of the suggested prices, even it not paid for the whole year, would double my entire sailing budget.

Yes, it would be nice not to have to set up the mast each and every time, but keeping the boat on the trailer means that I can launch it where the wind is.

I regularly launch from different nearby locations depending on weather, whim and crew, so being tied dowm to one place isn't really ideal (and not worth spending much money on).

Not having to worry about bottom paint is a nice plus in my book

[persephone]

Looks like nobody has addressed the question of painting the bottom yet, so I'll chime in on that.
I re-painted my entire hull this spring so it's fresh in my mind.
Prep.
First you have to determine if the bottom has been painted or if it is bare gel-coat. If it's paint you will either see flaking, chipping or general loss (an ablative paint wears off like powder).
If you have paint and it is in very bad condition you should remove all of it. If it is in good condition you can prime and paint over it with the right products. My opinion is it is better to remove all old paint due to unpredictable chemical reactions different paints have to each other.
Once you are down to the gel-coat (or if there is no paint) you will want to asses the condition of the bottom. Look for cracks in the gel-coat, scrapes and blisters. You will want to repair anything that has compromised the gel-coat. These are sources of water getting into the fiberglass behind the gel-coat and will cause more blistering in the future.
Barrier coat?
This is an epoxy mixture of resins and additives to stop or slow the absorption of water via osmosis. If you want to use an inexpensive paint you might want to apply a few coats of barrier coat to protect the gel-coat/fiberglass underneath.
Choosing a paint.
At this point you have to decide about work. When and how much are the questions.
An anti-fouling paint is going to need to be re-painted at best every two years. So it means some work prior to launching (a week or two of part time work yearly, perhaps bi-annually if you are lucky).
A paint with no anti-fouling properties will need to be scrubbed periodically. How often depends on the the body of water, amount of time the sun shines etc... The more you scrub the sooner you will have to re-paint (or add a coat if using the same paint). Figure an hour or so to careen and scrub.
Also you need to decide if you want to use a one part enamel or a two part epoxy paint. Epoxies are generally stronger, offer some osmosis protection and last longer. They are somewhat more difficult to apply (time and temperature requirements) and usually more expensive.
Some paints require primers, some can be applied directly to old gel-coat.

My gel-coat was completely compromised (cracks and blisters). After repairs I applied two coats of west epoxy with their barrier coat additive to the entire hull. This was then sanded smooth.
I used a non anti-fouling paint (Interlux VC performance epoxy). I put 4 coats on the bottom, then sanded it smooth (I race). I have to careen and scrub about once a month in the somewhat icky water my boat lives in. VC performance epoxy is a hard shell paint. It cost around $150 for the gallon kit (it is actually 2 gallons of material to be mixed 50/50). After 4 coats on hull, centerboard and rudder I have enough left for maybe 2 more coats in the future. I rolled it on.
Additional costs not thought about include roller trays, sand paper, tape, chemicals, cleaners etc... I would figure $150-200 for supplies per paint job.
Personally I wouldn't leave a boat in the water without a good paint and barrier coat to stop osmosis. I don't mind scrubbing so I don't need an anti-fouling paint.
If you are a very lucky person and you have bare gel-coat in excellent condition I would leave it alone and scrub it with nothing more abrasive than a sponge.
I hope this helps. Ultimately it will cost you something no matter what you do (periodic re-paint vs blister and crack repair and re-paint vs periodic cleaning).

[kokko]

I had the blistering problem, so the boatyard applied an epoxy barrier coaty first, then VC-17. I prefer a hard antifouling to the ablative. VC-17 is easy to touch up in the spring before launch.