A question on bottom paint...

[Jeff Kelety]

Considering pulling out the dink whilst leaving town for a week or so. Does this reduce or altogether deplete the creature-repelling capacity of the bottom paint assuming it goes right back in after I return?

Thanks,
jgk

[This message has been edited by Jeff Kelety (edited 07-23-2001).]

[Bob Cleek]

Well, it depends on the kind of paint you use. Cheapo ablative (sloughing off) bottom paint can lose some of its punch if it dries out. Most of the modern paints stand up to drying out without much problem. If it is a little dinghy, you shouldn't have to worry much about fouling anyhow. Just pull her out and clean off the bottom every so often and she should be fine. I wouldn't loose sleep over it. After all, what would it take to put another coat on next year?

[Jeff Kelety]

<Just pull her out and clean off the bottom every so often and she should be fine.>

Yeah, that's what I thought I'd do the first year I left dink in the water, so I didn't bottom paint it. Ask me how many times I hauled it up for brushing off? Right. Zippo. What an organic mess at the end of the season. Don't know about global warming, but the little creatures are surely prolific. I'll go ahead and pull the dink for my time away and maybe, just maybe I'll brush it off once this season.

Thanks,
jgk