Pettit Bottom Paint

[ericinga]

Anyone have experience with Pettit bottom paints?

I'm having the bottom done this year. One local guy swears by Pettit products. He wants to paint our 32 with a three step system: Aluma-Protect, Pettit-Protect and Vivid.

My preference is Interlux Interprotect 2000e and Trilux 33.

Eric

[barkleydave]

With Zink Chromate no longer available Pettit has come out with Aluma-Protect. It is a 2 part epoxy which is applied to properly sandblasted rough surface aluminum (rough for tooth needed) . Pettit- Protect is similar to Interlux Interprotect 2000e I believe.

Interlux protocol is only the Interprotect 5 coats (most use only 3-4) and then top coat with Trilux 33.

While I have no experience with the Aluma-Protect... I like the idea of the three part application.

Mine was done last August using Interlux and looks great... my boat stays in the water and is hauled every 3 seasons for bottom paint.

safe boating,
dave

[ericinga]

Dave-

The hull will be blasted to bare AL. Not skimping on the prep.

How well does the Trilux repell growth?

Eric

[barkleydave]

Bottom paints are ablative which means as you run the vessel the coating wears off exposing fresh chemicals. You will always have some slime on the hull in fresh water. Now if your boat sits 95% of the time then there will be more growth since the chemicals leach out of the coating and are not run off by use. Warm water= more growth. Salt water has other challenges such as barnacles. Normally 80% percent of the biocides will leach out within one season. Now again, the more you run her up on plane the more effective the coating will be. Some folks paint a contrasting color as an indicator coat to show when it is time to recoat. Lake Lanier is similar to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lakes so your results will be about the same. I have never had a "grassy" growth on my hull even after three seasons in the water 12 months/. I have always used Trilux 33

[RBrown]

We have been using Pettit Ultima eco bottom paint for four seasons now with very good results. We put on one thin coat every spring and the bottom is just as clean if not slightly cleaner in the fall at haul out than when we used Trilux. One added benefit is that the Ultima eco paint covers more square footage per gallon. We paint the entire bottom of our 39 with 4.5 to 5 quarts.
So far I have been able to find the paint on sale for about $20.00 a gallon less than Trilux.

Rob

[barkleydave]

Looks like good stuff!


safe boating,
dave