Bottom Paint

[BamaRican]

Hi All!

I’m the proud owner of a 1973 Cargile Cutter. Only a few left in the world. Mine is getting some fiberglass work done on the keel and I decided to have the bottom paint done at the same time. The boat is on a trailer and stored under hard cover. I’ll be taking it out as much as I can but it’ll be mostly sitting on a trailer. I’ll be using it in fresh water in Lake Lanier, Ga. Later on I plan on taking it on the ICW in GA/FL. That’s just background information.

My question is about color. I like to have the bottom painted the same color as the upper trim. Sea foam blue. My wife loves that color but the fiberglass man is telling me to paint it black. He says it looks cleaner over time and doesn’t fade as much. He said I would hate the blue color in the long run.

So im asking for the wisdom of the forum here. Know I’ll be asking many questions along the way.

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[ofer]

i like black

 

[BamaRican]

i like black

I guess my question is does black last longer in better shape or does a lighter color look dirtier or discolored faster. I would be hosing off the bottom regularly so I’m not sure if it matters.

 

[Gdavid]

I don't think blue fades any worse than black. Sometimes you do get a bit of variation between the bottom paint that stays dry and the paint that is below the actual water line but it is no big deal. I would stick with blue to match the rest of the trim on your boat.

How much time will the boat live on the trailer versus in the water? Some paints do much better than others when pulled out frequently. Some become pretty ineffective while other do just fine. I would ask people in your area who keep their boat on a lift what paint they are using. The performance of bottom paint seems to vary widely between locations.

 

[rslifkin]

With the blue cove stripe on the forward part of the hull I'd keep the blue bottom paint. It looks appropriate in the pictures.

 

[Comodave]

The problem with the light blue is that it will get stained and show the stains from dirty water. Black doesn’t show it as much.

 

[ofer]

on my 30' trailered planning boat i have no bottom paint at all. its fine for 30 days or less in the water.

 

[ofer]

The problem with the light blue is that it will get stained and show the stains from dirty water. Black doesn’t show it as much.

a very valid point! in so cal i get what looks like oil lines even after 2 days.

 

[alormaria]

Its your boat...

 

[BamaRican]

Thank you so much for your input. I’ll follow up with the finish product. Can’t wait to get her back in the water where she belongs.