Bottom Paint: Is it really important that I do this?

[I, Rowboat]

I now have a dream commute. Previously, I rode my bike to the Kingston dock and then took the WSF ferry to Edmonds, where I work. The wife and I have moved and are now renting a house on the water in Appletree Cove. So now, instead of the bike part, I can row to the marina, about 1/4nm away. :cool:
I've got the rowboat (a Shellback Dinghy) on a clothesline anchor system, which is necessary so that when the tide is less than about +3.0, the dinghy grounds on silt and sand instead of the gravel and cobbles higher up. Other than that, the boat is always in saltwater. All of my previous boating experience is with boats that come out of the water regularly; i.e., in the water for no more than 3-4 days, and I've been able to get away with high quality exterior house paint (my craftsmanship merits no more). I have no experience with bottom paint.
My questions/issues are thus:

1) OK, I probably have to use bottom paint. I'm okay with striking a waterline. I assume that I'll have to sand off all of the house paint where the bottom paint will be. The areas to be painted include portions of the garboard strakes (which have an epoxy and fiberglass layer) and a hickory skeg (which is currently varnished). Are the any special preparation issues with either of these surfaces?:confused:
2) How long before I need to get around to this? Also, what if I haul the boat out and wash it periodically, instead of bottom painting? Will a fresh water rinse do the job? Do I need to use soap? What if I just haul the dinghy out and let it dry thoroughly to dessicate and kill any marine critter eggs? If I need to do any of these more than once per tidal month, I'll probably just resign myself to bottom painting. :(

There are certain parts of the tidal cycle when I'm high-and-dry either in the morning or evening during my normal commute, so those days would be a good opportunity to hang the boat under the pier and let it dry thoroughly.

Any ideas or answers greatly appreciated.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

1. Lucky you.

2. YES. You need to apply antifouling. You probably don't need to sand off the existing paint but you may need to apply a barrier coat of antifouling primer. You have about ten days with current weather conditions before the job becomes unpleasant to so.

The counsel of perfection, however, is to remove all the external finishexcept where you have epoxy, get the boat really dry and then coat with epoxy those parts that currently are not so coated.

I keep my tender on a club float which dries for about three or four hours a tide; she definitely needs antifouling.

[Michael Beckman]

I've got friends that put a dinghy in at Mystery Bay around this time of year, and leave it till September or so. A good scrub every month or so takes care of the growth. That boat has an oil finish, not sure if that makes a difference.

[Hwyl]

Bottom paint would be best, but you can get away with not using it. Let it dry out much more often if you can, park it occasionally in water of different salinity if you can.

Scrubbing it will probably make you want to go the bottom paint route. Scotch pads and bleach, a pressure washer will rip into the wood.

Your waterline is indicated by the scum line that is there.

[I, Rowboat]

Your waterline is indicated by the scum line that is there.

Yes, I figured that would probably be the most reliable indicator. It seems to me that I wouldn't want to go more that about an inch or so above the waterline. Is more than an inch likely to be necessary?

[I, Rowboat]

I've got friends that put a dinghy in at Mystery Bay around this time of year, and leave it till September or so. A good scrub every month or so takes care of the growth. That boat has an oil finish, not sure if that makes a difference.

Michael --
Thanks for the info. I will probably not be at this place for more than two years, so a scrub-a-month schedule may be less work than the effort to dry, prep and paint with antifouling paint, plus the damage to my liver.

[Michael Beckman]

It was never all that hard. As long as you keep up on it its just slime and nothing really solid.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Yes, an inch over the line shown by the scum will be ample.

[Yeadon]

What you really need is a second rowboat to conduct a side-by-side study.

[pcford]

I am not sure what the performance of the paint over epoxy and glass would be, but certainly topside paint over a wood bottom will get blown off in short order.

[Uncle Duke]

I can't add much that isn't covered above, except to re-iterate ACB's "Lucky You".

I have a good friend who lived between Kingston and Eglon for years, down some little dirt road hidden in the woods, down to his house overlooking the Sound and did the Ferry to work in Edmonds. Every time I'd visit I would come back even more jealous... That is a beautiful place.

[johnw]

Your avatar should be that Shellback.

Bolger claimed that if the boat dried out for a sufficient length of time each day, he didn't need to put antifouling on it. I think it had to take ground at least half the day, though.

A nice, traditional red bottom is better than a dirty bottom, don't you think?

[Vinny&Shawn]

Michael --
Thanks for the info. I will probably not be at this place for more than two years, so a scrub-a-month schedule may be less work than the effort to dry, prep and paint with antifouling paint, plus the damage to my liver.
We keep two dingys in the water all summer and just haul them up on a dock or beach once and a while when growth gets built up and scrub them with a stiff brush. Sometimes we leave them to dry. Use them and repeat.

[Mike Vogdes]

We keep two dingys in the water all summer and just haul them up on a dock or beach once and a while when growth gets built up and scrub them with a stiff brush. Sometimes we leave them to dry. Use them and repeat.

Sounds like you could use some bottom paint as well.. With bottom paint I manage the whole summer befor needing a good scrubbing, and its just a matter of a quick coat of paint in the spring.

[TerryLL]

Antifouling is not required. A light scrub with Joy soap and a Scotch pad will keep the green slime and barnacle spat in check. I had an aluminum skiff permanently on the salt for years on end and never used bottom paint, just scrubbed it regularly. Different story of course if you need to protect the hull from marine borers.

[James McMullen]

Ahoy Rowboat,
I think a coat of genuine bottom paint is probably worthwhile. And for such a tiny boat as that Shellback you sure won't need very much of that $400/gallon premium anti-fouling paint. If you ever get up to Anacortes or I to Kingston anytime soon, I'll donate the bottom of a leftover can of primo, high-tech ablative paint in admiration of your delightful commute.

[I, Rowboat]

... in admiration of your delightful commute.

Not to rub it in or anything (hint: I am trying to rub it in), but sometimes I put up the rig and sail home, instead of rowing.
:D

Thanks for the bottom paint offer. I'll PM you on a pickup arrangement.