Marinette Boat Forum

We are getting ready to do a bottom paint job in a few weeks. I have been looking for the best price on Interlux 2000e and Trilux 33 and came across a different paint and 2 part epoxy by Total Boat in the Jamestown Distributor catalog. It has similar properties to interlux and seem to provide the same protection. It is quite a bit cheaper and has free shipping. I wont skimp on the job but if I can save close to a hundred bucks on the job I will. Does anyone have any experience with this paint?
Thanks , Mike

I love total boat products. I use it for everything except the actual trilux33 application. I would if someone would tell me it was OK for the aluminum bottom.

It seems these guys are doing more research than interlux

Call their tech guys and ask. You DON'T want to use it if it isn't safe.

Jeff

Some years ago I did a comparison between Trilux 33 and (I believe) ZO No Foul. One section was trilux, another ZO. ZO had fewer barnacles (and the in the area of the Chesapeake Bay we were in, barnacles were a problem since the water was brackish, somewhat salty). So I switched to all ZO No Foul but still got some critters and slime. A few years later, I repeated the experiment, dunking a piece of metal coated with one product on each side. After a month, hands down, the Trilux side was cleaner so I switched back to Trilux and stuck with it.
It's pricey, in the neighborhood of $235/gal. If you shop, you may be able to find it cheaper. I used one gal to recoat the '32. The gas savings with a clean bottom insure that the paint almost pays for itself.
Formulas change, of course, so today it may not be the best on the market. Do your own test with Brand X vs Trilux - Use your preferred brand on most of the boat, then get just a quart of other stuff (in a different color) and apply it to a large patch. I'm dating myself now : you'll see which twin has the Toni.

Thats a good idea. I did talk to a guy at Jamestown Distributors and he said in comparison Total boat Krypton that uses Econea instead of copper to anti foul would do a better job in "his opinion". Since it is 40 dollars less a gallon than Trilux he definitely wasn't trying to up-sell. So the comparison test may be the best way to find out for myself.

"Econea" isn't a specific chemical - it's a brand name for something. Kinda like saying "our engine oil contains Dynamic Foofram". But Pettit says it works as well as copper, an advertising claim which may be true but you should verify. I'm not knocking the product but as recommended in the other bottom paint thread, check the specs to see whether it's compatible w/aluminum hulls and dig around to see if you can find some user reviews.

The bottom line is, DON'T use copper based AF on an aluminum hull!

Jeff