Black bottom paint?

[Capt. Rodbone]

We have our recently purchased Grand Banks 42 on the hard having some blister repair done and then will have bottom paint applied. I negotiated upfront with the boatyard owner the ability should I choose to ask for a different bottom paint than the Seahawk brand in his quote and pay the difference. Given that I have plenty of flexibility and since it will be painted in a couple of weeks I need to make my decisions.
The boat is currently on the Tennessee river in Lake Guntersville Alabama, however we plan to head out in the fall and will be in brackish to salt water for quite some time there after. Given that, I’m going to go with a proper bottom paint specified for salt water. He says that it will still work just fine in this freshwater situation. Would you folks agree?
Also he’s suggesting I consider a black bottom paint. The basic colors of our vessel are green as you can see in the pictures attached, and we intended to go back with the green bottom paint like she had before. He suggests black because green fades pretty quickly and we will not be happy. Is that a valid point or more likely attributed to the bottom paint he typically uses? I’m not opposed to a black bottom paint however I don’t recall having ever even seen it used?
Thanks in advance for thoughts and comments.

 

[rslifkin]

I've got black paint on my boat. It's probably the most universal color in terms of looking good on just about any boat. That said, the green looks good on your boat and goes with the rest of the color scheme. So I'd probably stay with green in your case.



As far as paint for fresh vs salt water, as long as you avoid Micron 66 (it will fail if exposed to fresh water), pretty much any paint for salt water will be fine in fresh water. Some may do a better job than others of keeping things from getting a little slimy, but generally fresh water growth is much milder than salt (and outside of Micron 66, I don't know of any paints that will be harmed by fresh water).

 

[psneeld]

Black is common enough. Had it on my last liveaboard.

No better or worse for antifouling that I have experienced.

Also in my experience, all of the ablative paints fade when exposed to air and look dry.

 

[Blissboat]

Also in my experience, all of the ablative paints fade when exposed to air and look dry.

Ditto. I formerly used a Devoe ablative in black. It worked well on steel and fiberglass hulls, but just like other colors, anywhere near and above the waterline, it discolored within months. That was in warm Florida salt water. Devoe is apparently no longer sold under that brand name, BTW.

 

[C lectric]

I will make the same comments about above the waterline. I too have black and have had as far back as I remember.

But if using an ablative get the initial coat laid on with a different colour so as the ablative wears down you will see the other colour show through as a warning of thinning.

 

[Comodave]

We have black on our boat. I think it hides the scum better than a lighter color.

 

[slowgoesit]

I will make the same comments about above the waterline. I too have black and have had as far back as I remember.

But if using an ablative get the initial coat laid on with a different colour so as the ablative wears down you will see the other colour show through as a warning of thinning.

I second this above! We just changed our bottom paint color from red to black, but wish I had remembered to ask that the first coat be a different color from the final coat . . . . Easy to see the thinning when diving under the boat, or even from a gopro on a stick!

 

[koliver]

Why is the colour of the scum line not available? Then I wouldn't need to scrub the waterline as often. With Black, scum shows faster. I have used black for many years. My boat is presently blue, has been red, never green, as my boot stripe is blue, darker colour than the bottom paint. The scum shows badly on blue, red.....

 

[backinblue]

I use black Interlux NT on mine. That's what it had in fresh water when I bought it and I continue to use it in mostly salt water now. It's a "hard" ablative, if you believe the marketing. I think it's the same paint as West Marine Bottomshield. It may be made by Interlux and labeled as West, but I don't know for sure. I don't bother with the 2 different color coats because my boat gets hauled for winter meaning it needs repainting in the spring anyway. If you leave your boat in the water year-round it might be worth the 2 color approach as you may get more than a year from the paint.