What color is your bottom paint?

[kchunk]

Hi All. I'm getting ready for a quick bottom job before heading to the Keys. My current bottom color is red. Most Com-Pacs seem to have a brownish theme so the red bottom doesn't look that bad. I've also seen blue bottom. In my opinion, blue doesn't look so good with the Com-Pac brown. I'm wondering about black. Anyone have or seen a Com-Pac 23 in traditional Com-Pac brown colors with a black bottom? I think that would look pretty good.

There really isn't much choice when it comes to anti-fouling bottom colors: Blue, black, red and green. So far I think I'm going to just go with red.

--Greg

[Gil Weiss]

On my CP19 I use red bottom paint which goes fine with the red bootstripe and black hull.

On my CP16, now owned by Rick K., I used an offwhite color bottom paint called Shark White by Aquagard. Interlux has an off white bootom paint too. It looked fine with the brown trim.

Gil

[Craig Weis]

Was factory brown. But I found two qt's of Petit Hydrocoat on sale but they were blue. So now she's a blue bottom.


...Oh and remember, skippy here wax's under the water line three times. The last two times I never 'wipe off' just 'wipe on'. I don't think my bottom ever gets wet when sailing. No grass either, but an occasional Zebra Muscle will climb into my speed sensing paddle wheel and gum up the works so then I pop her out of the bottom, wipe away the cling-on and reinstall the wheel. Just heave too for a minute or so to clean it up. skip.

P.S. regards above post from Blond Ambition I lovs women in spandex! who paint there boat in Cub Scout colors.

[ka8uet]

Mine is brown.  Interlux, which is what works best up here on Lake Erie.  Will have to recoat before she goes back in the water, because she's been dry so long. 

[kchunk]

Hmm...brown bottom paint. I must not be looking hard enough. Anyway, seems the boatyard is moving me right along and I think I'll have to haul out tomorrow. No time to order paint now I need opinions: Red or Black? (that's all I've seen here locally)

[Mundaysj]

Hi Greg,
WIth a name like Blond Ambition you have to know her bottom is yellow!  Along with a royal blue boot stripe and yellow top stripe. 
Here's a pic .... (please ignore the fat woman painting the bootstripe). LOL

Petit has some great colors to choose from.



Cheers,
Sherie

[Shawn]

Greg,

My 23 has the traditional brown with a black bottom and I think it looks good. Send me your email and I can send you a few pics while it was still on the hard.

Thanks,

Shawn

[Shawn]

Two pics...

This is after I just pulled the winter cover off, last years paint.



This is while I was painting the bottom...



Shawn

[kchunk]

Sherie, thanks for the bottom shot...both of them! Didn't know they made a yellow anti-fowling paint, certainly works for your boat. It's nice to see the bottom paint matches the top stripe.

Shawn, that's the shot I was looking for. That looks real good! Is that a brown boot stripe just above the black? Looks real nice! That framework contraption for your cover, is that the boat I saw in eBay several months ago? If so, are you the seller or new owner?

Thanks everyone for the replies. As of right now, it's a coin toss between black and red. We'll see tomorrow!

--Greg

[Shawn]

Greg,

"Is that a brown boot stripe just above the black?"

Yes, the name and registration numbers (missing in those shots) are also done in the same brown. It is funny, when I first looked at the boat I loved everything *but* the brown. But it has really grown on me now and I think adds to the classic traditional look.

This probably was the boat you saw on ebay. The seller had her listed a few times last year and I bought her in October. The cover is very nice.

Shawn

[kchunk]

Shawn, that was a great looking boat on eBay. I don't remember the bidding price, but I do remember it being a great deal only if someone would bid.

Have you launched your 23 yet? Where about are you located? (sorry I haven't been keep up on reading the forums lately)
I glanced though a few of your posts just now quickly and FYI, I have over 1200 miles towing with the 9.9 Tohatsu hanging off the back.

--Greg

[Bob23]

   Considering that no one but the fishes see the bottom, I chose blue Hydrocoat. I figured that fish probably like the color. Barnacles, on the other hand, as you all know, are color blind. The previous owner had black hard paint and, switching to ablative, I needed a contrasting color. This year I added a wider, red bootstripe...goes well with the blue.
   I have no sheer stripe...looks better that way to me.
Bob23

[Bob Condon]

My answer on bottom color is from a maintenance issue.

My CP19 is only fresh water and on a trailer so bottom paint is not critical. I have a Cape Dory
which I leave on the mooring in the ocean so bottom paint is more critical; I repaint every year
With Micron Extra which is an ablative paint that dissolves.

When I bought the boat, the copper would ablate but not the base of the paint so I had 14 layers
of paint and some of the layers were failing causing a partial flake of the bottom paint. I stripped it down
with a belt sander and an excellent vacuum to contain all this stuff. GREAT care was necessary not to hit the
gel coat, and the last couple layers were using a liquid remover (The citrus stuff is desperately slow but safe).
The trash can weighed probably 300 pounds when done so I am very pleased with the work.

I use 1 gallon each year now using the roll and tip method. The leading edges (bow, keel) get three coats, about 1/2 a roller
wide because of the extra impact from the water. it works out well.

I like to alternate my paint colors for the simple reason, with ablating paint, when that layer has come off, the old paint
color was showing up. I alternated between a blue and a maroon which worked out very well. I can also see the wear pattern so I can make a mental note to enhance the areas with more wear.

It takes me about 1 hour to do the paint including taping the water line strip. I throw the roller, brush and tray
away and seal the can and store. When we move the boat to splash while on the brownell trailer, I quickly hit where the jackstands are while the fellow straps the boat down.... it dries in the 25 mile ride to the ocean.

That's it!

Bob Condon

[Shawn]

Greg,

Yeah, it was funny how that worked out on ebay. I had seen her on ebay around May and then it was relisted in August and I had forwarded it to a few people to show the auction to. I had been looking to move up from a 19' dinghy. In October I found a Nonsuch 22 for sale at a great price and listed my old boat. My boat sold in about 2 weeks but the Nonsuch was gone. I mentioned to my father something along the lines of if only that Compac I showed you was on ebay again. The next day (literally) it was listed again. I ended up getting what I feel was a good price for her and the PO included an 8' fiberglass dinghy.

I launched her 2 weeks ago, she sails in Narragansett Bay.

Shawn

[nick23]

My 1989 CP 23 had the brownish cove stripe and lots of layers of flaking nasty red bottom paint, with an equally nasty faded vinyl boot stripe.  I stripped the bottom down to gelcoat and did 6 coats of Interlux Interprotect 2000 as a barrier coat.  After that I put on a couple coats of shark white Micron CSC ablative (had it leftover from a previous project) and then a gallon of Fiberglass Bottomkote ACT in dark blue, also ablative.  When you can see white on the bottom, it's time to repaint.  I don't know if the ablative will "antifoul" as well as a hard bottom paint, but hopefully it will be years and years before anyone ever has to scrape paint off the bottom of this boat.

I shined the topsides back with a buffer but painted over the brown cove stripe with flag blue Interlux Brightsides.  It would be nice to also have a blue boot stripe, but that was just too much work for now and I didn't want to use a vinyl stripe again.  Here are some pictures...it starts with the white bottom (bare gelcoat), then some of the grey barrier coat, then some pics of the final blue bottom.
http://picasaweb.google.com/warrenchuk/New?feat=directlink

I raised the waterline so that it is at the bottom of where the factory bootstripe was... in the stern it comes up just to the tip of the transom and in the bow it is just below the bowsprit chainplate.  After splashing the boat, I'm glad I raised it.

FYI, I think there are number of 23 owners on here, including myself, that are contemplating Keys and Bahamas trips in the foreseeable future.  I am in Texas but am looking to trailer to Florida for a long trip next Spring, probably early March.  Keep in touch and post tales of your trips!

-Nick