The Skipper's Blog

Matt Blase asked:

I’m buying a new 26 ft Chaparral. It has never been bottom painted. I do not want to sand and traditionally bottom paint my new boat. My boat will be in salt water for most of the summer at my shore home.

Will the VS721 Bottom Coat protect my boat in salt water conditions.. It would be incredible if your VS721 Bottom Coat would protect the bottom. Please let me know.

Answer:
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Hi Matt,

VS721 Bottom Coat will give you about the same anti-fouling properties as the racing bottom paints, like VC17. Depending on where you are and how frequently you use you boat will determine how VS721 Bottom Coat performs. Regular use of your boat will keep all growth and slime off, except for the transom where you do not get water turbulence to wash the slime off.

In high growth areas, such as Florida or southern CA, boaters wipe the slime off the bottom with a sponge, either by hauling the boat or diving under it, about once per month. Keeping the slime off prevents higher life forms from attaching. In these areas it is necessary to clean the slime or growth off painted boats as well, the difference is that air operated scrubbing machines are necessary to remove the growth from the painted boats. In Northern areas it’s mostly slime that attaches, both in fresh and salt water.

Even if you get some growth it is very easy to remove. A deck brush will remove algae and you can remove barnacles with your finger nail, if you get at them in time. The trick is to keep the slime at bay by wiping with a sponge from time to time if necessary. Other advantages of VS721 Bottom Coat is that it will seal the bottom against osmosis blisters, give you better performance and speed and reduce fuel consumption.Unlike toxic bottom paints, VS721 Bottom Coat is inert and environment friendly. It was recently approved for use in Sweden, where toxic bottom paints have already been banned. Toxic paints have now been banned in 5 European countries and it is only a matter of time before it happens here.

There is no perfect anti-fouling solution for boats, except to keep them out of the water. We have seen a recent 450% increase in sales so it’s obvious that a lot of boat owners are happy with our VS721 Bottom Coat and continue to use it. They must also be telling their friends, judging from the steep increased demand.

It’s worth a try. If it does not work to your satisfaction, you can always go to sanding your boat and painting with epoxy sealant and bottom paint next year. If you go to paint, it is very hard to reverse because stripping and refinishing your boat is expensive and time consuming.

Thanks for your question,

Captain Aurora