It looks like my Skerry will need bottom paint (as discussed here).
My Skerry is off-white (Toplac Plus Off White). I would really like to keep the existing color, or something close to it, but the bottom paints I’m looking at are “shark white” (light grey) at best.
I’m wondering about my options. If I don’t use bottom paint, am I going to destroy the boat, or just have yearly maintenance? (The boat will be in a lake that is clean, but will have some algae, in July and August next year.)
Topac is a topsides paint so it will fail if left in the water continuously. It will be fine for a long weekend but longer than that you may start having issues. If you overcoat with a bottom paint that is also a barrier coat, you should be fine. It has been years since I had to use bottom paint, but back then very few were also barrier coats. If you are dead set on keeping the boat in the water, you would be best to first remove the Topac. I used Wetlander on my GIS over the epoxy. It is a very durable bottom paint but does not have any anti-fouling additives. Regarding color, the normal thing is to choose a dark color for bottom paint. Looks good and you can see when it starts to wear off. As someone who kept a cruising sailboat in the water for years, I would strongly advise against that approach for a small Open boat like the skerry. I can’t tell you how many times I arrived at the marina to see another small boat sunk at its mooring. Automatic bilge pumps with a robust electrical system are a must unless you can monitor the boat daily. My suggestion would be to get a trailer to store the boat on. When you need it, launch for the weekend then back on the trailer afterwards.
i don’t think you will destroy the boat! Worst case (I would think) is the paint flakes off, but the epoxy should hold up fine unless it gets prolonged sun. Evidently water does absorb some UV.
Another option, though it will not be white, is Coppercoat. It’s basically copper dust mixed into a special epoxy. You apply it then sand lightly to expose the copper. Ends up with a dull copper finish, which I think looks good. I have it on my Pocketship, but it’s usually on a trailer, so I can’t attest to its effectiveness. There are a lot of great reviews though. And if you need anti-fouling it’s probably the most effective, environmentally friendly, and longest lasting solution. And for a small boat, not crazy expensive .
