Bottom Painting Idea

[Salty19]

Well, the time will be soon for the dreaded bottom paint maintenance.

For whatever reason, maybe it's the mess of paint all over,  the fumes or the jacking up the boat off the trailer precariously swinging on 2x4's, I really loathe this job.  I would rather break up concrete ballast with a sledgehammer and concrete breaker than paint the bottom.

My search for a hull levitation and painting genie has come up empty handed, and the Admiral ain't doing it;  this really puts my in a pickle.

So being a friend that he is, Bob23 will waive his usual and customary $5,000 new member fee and instead, the next new member who agrees to the fee waiver, as well as demonstrating proficiency in bottom paint, shall get to work immediately on Island Time's derriere.  Thanks for being so generous Bob. And you too new member, whoever you are.

Don't worry new member, whoever you are, the epoxy barrier coat is fine..only paint is needed. Three coats please. I already have the brushes and paint, but you'll need a mask and coverall, and of course a couple of cases of beer for me to drink while watching the work being done. Good beer, not the mass produced swill.  

Seems like a REALLY good deal for you..whoever you are..you'll save thousands!

[kickingbug1]

   buddy if you lived close by i would do the job for you. cost ---bottle of jacks tennessee honey

[Bob23]

Salty:
  I only hope that new members will realize what a deal they're getting. They should be lining up at your door by the hundreds. I'm glad to help...just doing my part to make the sailing world a better place.
Bob23

[brackish]

Great (or in this case, according to the Admiral, weak) minds think alike.  I was pondering with dread this project, scheduled for next month and considering ways to avoid it.  It did occur to me that Bob had offered to waive the new member charge for certain skilled labor exploits.  So I get the next new member after Salty's job is done. I also have the paint, rollers, brushes, jacks, and other accessories.   I'm not picky about the beer, Victory Golden Monkey would do fine.

[Salty19]

Brackish,

I realize this is posting on an older thread, but there have been an awful lot of new members lately that have yet to pay their $5000 site membership fee to Bob23.  
He seems to be slacking off, what with 1265 members that's close to $6.3M right there.  Probably basking in the Cayman sun sipping pain killers as we speak, not worrying too much about the fees or the promises, well, assurances anyway that he would waive fees for new members to do work on seasoned guys boats.   Interests and dividends alone more than cover his imported beer (PBR of course),  Pussers Rum and Cabana Girl fees I suspect so he simply doesn't care about us anymore.

Clearly you are impacted too being next in line for assistance. Frankly, you should demand satisfaction!  I emailed Bob about it already suggesting he has bailed on the promise, but couldn't understand his reply. It sorta read like a cross of dialects between Jack Sparrow, W.C. Fields and the gangster in Bugs Bunny (you see??), as well as a hint of Juan Valdez from Folgers coffee, so I really couldn't tell if he agreed or not. Probably drunk on rum again.

Bob23, if you are out there...we are on to you, bro.  Better get these new members over to Brackishs' place immediately!

The only other decision to be made is calls dibbs after Brackish?  

[Bob23]

What? I can't hear you...the music is so loud here on the beach. "Carmalitta- another Dark and Stormy for all my friends- on the house!"
I'm sorry, what were you saying again? Don't think for a minute that I've forgotten my friends. Just like the IRS, I may seem to have forgotten, but I'll always show up to collect!
Brack: Just had my first Golden Monkey last week. Yummm. I'll bring 'em out to CLR for those non PBR guys. Do you mean that the new members have not shown up yet? That's the last straw. I hope I don't need to send out my uncles Danny, Vito and Guido to, ahem, straighten things out a bit.
And Salty, just for your information, I'm not basking in the Caymans: I bought 'em with the proceeds from the initiation fees. Feel  free to fly on down and just check into any hotel you like- tell 'em to put it on my tab. Have a great time on me! Just trying to spread the wealth around.
Bob23

[brackish]

Despite responding to an old post it is quite timely.  You see, I dread the project so much I postponed.  Arion sits in the water with three year old bottom paint and an ever growing length of scuz on the bottom.  And not one new member has shown up to correct the situation. 

Bob, I think it is the picture of the Wise Guys in the Walker Bay.  I think the jig is up.  What we need now is not a vacation in the tropics but a complete image makeover to put the fear back into the initiates.

[Salty19]

Somehow I knew this was the right time to bring this topic back up! Timely, indeed.

So I just approved a new member named:  "Big Dreams". I feel it's only appropriate to insist on a Big Dream Trip to Mississippi, don't you think?
I mean, he's going to be saving quite a few bucks in the deal, so...

Bob, thank you for your generosity to the new member and Brackish for the fee-labor swap. Really nice of you, and you are making the world a better place, one paint job at a time. And wow, really we can come down anytime and just act like we own the place because we're such good buddies!?!?!  The Admiral and I can't thank you enough.

Do you own the stingrays too?  

This is the last known photo of the Walker Bay, yet no Wise Guys. Hmmm..

[Bob23]

You guys are killing me! What better way to start the day than laughing out loud? That is indeed a rare photo- I've never seen it before. Did you obtain this from the NSA? thought so. This is very pre Blackburn Challenge.
Notice the stunning physique and the incision on my left shoulder where the doc went in and made a bad rotator cuff right! Thank you Dr. Pepe!
Whatever happened to "What happens on the CPYOA stays on the CPYOA"?
Bob23

[Tim Gardner]

That's Bob, always dippin' his painter in the water!   
TG

[HeaveToo]

When you guys do your bottom, could you take photographs of how you jack the boat up on the trailer?  I need to see how to do this because I will do mine this spring. 

How do you get the bottom of the keel?

I wish I had a few jackstands to help me.  It would be nice to put the jackstands on the side and then drop the bunk.  Then do the same for the other side.  Problem is that it still doesn't give me access to the bottom of the keel.

There is always the thought of having it hauled but that is expensive.  Maybe a short haul to paint the bunks and the bottom of the keel and then set her back down on the trailer when the paint is pretty much dry.

[Salty19]

Well, too late for pics me, I painted in the spring.

The operation isn't that hard really but takes a little foresight.

I use two scissor jacks with a scrap piece of ply under them for stability and two pieces of 2x4's on top-as long as the hull is wide- between jack and hull.  I used a router to remove some of the 2x4 so the bottom piece "sits" in the metal area on top of the jack to stabilize them. Two boards seem to work for me to give the right height as the scissor jacks only raise so far.  You could use a floor jack, and I have used one before, but it's super heavy and tough to get positioned--also since it's hydraulic it has a tendency to creep down a little bit if under pressure for a while (which will be the case here).

With the jacks ready to raise--meaning centered under the keel between the rollers and leveled, and the "guide" bunks next the rollers removed (and bow line loosened), I loosely tie a line from side cleat to the trailer on each side.   Then I begin to jack up each one a little at a time...an inch forward, then move aft and raise an inch.  I do this until the boat has raised up 5 or so inches...enough for the paint roller.  I use a portable drill to speed it up...the rod that is used to crank the jack fits into the chuck.  I just operate the drill the operate the jack.  Then I tied the lines tight to stabilize the boat once in the air and remove the hull bunk boards, and lower the bunk stanchions. Then slightly tighten the bow line..not too much, don't let it rock off the jacks, just enough to stabilize the boat.  

If the jack is straining to lift the boat, check tightness of your bow and side lines..do not force the jack.  You might hear a little creaking from the fiberglass that is normal.
Also be sure your jack has a rating equal to 100% of your boat weight or more (with two jacks, that gives a nice safety cushion).

Now it's ready to clean, prep and paint.  Go ahead and paint the underside of the entire keel except right under the jacks of course.

You will not be able to paint under the jacks at this point, but that's OK for now.  Once you are done with all surfaces you can paint-all the coats are on and the paint is dry, just lower it back on the rollers, replace the hull bunks, remove lines, tighten bow line and paint of the area where the jacks used to be.  I had pre-cleaned this area before jacking it up so I didn't have to break out the hose to clean it as the paint will still be wet in other areas.  Just wiped it with solvent and a rag, then painted the two under-jack areas.   Then once you are done painting, reinstall the glide bunks next to the rollers.  This extends the project time as you are waiting for paint to dry several times, but works fine.
I left my CP19 up in the air using this method for several days while painting--no problems just keep the lines tight once raised off the rollers.
You could also do it reverse...paint the boat while on the rollers then jack up to paint under the rollers, but I kinda like to raise it up to paint the whole thing.  Less neck and back strain. I can clean it better too.

If you don't have rollers but instead a solid board, these instructions won't work.  There was another thread about it somewhere?

[brackish]

I used a slight variations on the method Salty 19 described above.  I removed my keel guides and prepped and painted everything I could get too, including the bottom of the keel between the rollers.  I then put two jacks under the keel, fore and aft with a 2 x 10 piece cut to fit between the rollers and roller supports and lifted the boat.  I used two trailer leveling scissor jacks of the appropriate capacity lifted it up about four inches and prepped and painted under the bunks and the part of the keel that had been in contact with the rollers.  If you are perfectly level it will go straight up, if not it may rest on one bunk (that was my case, my drive way has a fairly good cross drainage slant) so you guy it to the trailer one side at a time and do it that way.

If Bob23 doesn't send an indentured servant initiate my way, I'll probably do it this Spring, will take pictures.

[Bob23]

Well, I sorta cheat when bottom painting, which should come as no surprise. First off, I use a latex based paint- Interlux Aqua which dries pretty darned quick. Then, when the boat is hanging in the travelift, I'll paint the keel bottom and the areas where the trailer pads touch. Really easy and it only costs me a case of beer.
Bob23

[Subsailor637]

Hey guys (and Admirals), what are you using for bottom paint for trailoring?  My experience has been with large Catalinas (34 & 36') so used VC17.  Would like some recommendations for my Horizon Cat.  I keep it in a slip (fresh/dirty water of Illinois River) but do trailor as well.  Recommendations would be appreciated!