Carver Owners Forum

I plan to strip the paint this fall and paint the bottom next spring. What is the best process to prep the bottom after the blasting and what is a economical paint and base coat to use . In the past I have used West Marine CPP but I have never stripped all the paint off. And before adding a base coat what needs to be done if there are minor abrasions air bubbles after the blasting process

I’m looking for options that will not break the bank as I may sell the boat next year.

The following is My opinion considering what you said about selling. My opinion here is if you are on clear clean fresh water.......grab an orbital sander and 60 grit, sand it smooth to rough up, clean the surface and put the ablative paint of choice on there. Some folk don't even put anything on their boats on georgian bay, no real need, cleans up real nice with the pressure washer end of season.
Now if you are in a dirty bay or river harbour then a slightly different plan is at hand.

You blast it then it opens up all sorts of barrier coats etc etc......Do you have peeling multiple layers on there now ??

Yes it is pealing and needs blasting, there are so many choices especially barker coat I don’t know what is the best solution, and from past history more expensive is not always the best option.

In this case more expensive IS the best way to go. I'm talking about a barrier coat whether you're in clean or dirty water. The barrier coat isn't about that however it is very expensive. A gallon of product is pricey and will do one coat but several coats are needed. It's an epoxy based product with several advantages over fiberglass. Your hull will be better than new with it. If you're blasting the hull clean, that's the best thing you can do for the bottom and will add value as a desirable feature that will minimize future bottom maintenance.

What you end up using as a top coat will depend on conditions. In my neck of the woods, I prefer ablative paint for several reasons. There are a few threads here on the topic that are worth searching for.

If you're selling and want to minimize expense, is there a reason why you feel the need to paint the bottom at this time?

You mentioned "air bubbles" do you mean blisters?

Yes, minor blisters that disappear within a few hours of pulling the boat, the main problem is pealing paint that coming off in pieces of chips, to many coats of hard base
paint when it was first painted years ago.

That's the problem with those types of paints. If you're using antifouling paint to keep marine growth off the hull, you also have to consider that some of those cheaper paints become absolutely useless as an antifoulant once they come out of the water for winter layup, they might look great the following season but that's it. That's not the case with some more expensive hard shelled paints and ablatives, they reactivate once they hit the water again.