Marinette Boat Forum

SunbeamIV wrote: The anode is probably 6-7" long. Do you think that it has life left in it?

From the pic, anode looks good. Cleaned up it should be good to go for another season. useful life is said to be when it reaches 50% of its orig size. I would take two half shot anodes and put them together.

OK guys. This sounds like you are very serious about your bottom paint. I have a workboat quality Marinette 32 express cruiser. What is the least expensive way I can bottom paint it, with the least expensive bottom paint?
Thanks,
Bruce

Bruce,
I got my 2 seasons ago and after I hauled it the first time, the bottom needed painted. First I sanded the entire bottom with a palm sander to remove loose and flaking paint. Any bare aluminum spots were quickly wiped with denatured alcohol and spot painted with Primocon underwater primer. I then painted the bottom with "Shelter Island Plus" copper free antifouling bottom paint.
It held up fine last season and probably won't need anything this spring except a few touch ups.
I'm in fresh water, so I didn't see the need or have the time to get too carried away making it perfect.

I've found that I have bare aluminum showing about 18" along the bow keel. This could be from me pulling into a sandy beach area a couple of times last season. If I sand this area and paint it with 3 or 4 coats of Interlux's Interprotect 2000E, will this paint act as a tough barrier or "keel guard" or will this likely occur again? I will top the 2000E with Interlux 33.

You're asking too much of paint. It's not there to protect a very exposed surface (and a pointy one at that) from beachings. Either accept that running the boat onto land will scour the surface or find a product (they are out there) to cover the keel. Bottom paint exists to thwart algae and critters that want to attach to the hull, not as a guard against abrasion. Nor is it designed to ward off galvanic action though it helps a wee bit

I figured the 2000E wasn't super-magic-hardcoat paint. I got a dinghy last year to get back & forth to the islands so that I would scrap the hull. This year we have a sea-doo also. We'll anchor out.
thanx

Somebody makes a plastic keel protector deal that attaches to the keel. (Forget the manufacturer.) Supposed to eliminate that problem.

Jeff

I looked into the "keel guard" products. I was concerned about it bending & wrapping around with our sharp deep keels. All the installations that I saw were on fiberglass like hulls.
thanx

An epoxy coating will hold up much!!! better than anti fouling in a beaching situation. I have a friend who used an epoxy that was sold for water tower interior liners and it was amazing at staying put after all the anti fouling was worn off from beaching. I have 2000E on mine but have not beached my boat enough to advise if it is as effective as what he used but I have hopes is it. I would also guess that muddy mucky Ohio beaches are less abrasive than the nice sand I wish we had...

I finally got some time from work and decent weather to get the first coat of bottom paint done.
It's so late to not be in the water yet...