Canis Minor has returned to the hard after another season. We saw great improvement this year; finished solidly in the summer Wednesday night series and even took home 2nd and 3rd place cups in a couple Saturday regattas. However, far from being satisfied, I'm already hunting for the edge for next season.
This year I went with the Seahawk Cukote with the slime guard on the bottom as it was supposed to be quasi burnish-able and stand up the the marine growth here in Maine. The first claim was true, the second not so much.
Seeing as I was in the drink scrubbing her down every two weeks anyway, I'm thinking the way to go next year is to wet blast the bottom all the way down, do a new barrier coat and get the advantage of one of those mirror perfect hard bottoms. (I mean hey, if I'm diving on her anyway, why not get the advantage right?) I am hoping that between that, new(er) sails, a few tuning tweaks and a consistent crew, we should see ourselves on the podium much more often.
What do you use on your bottom for racing season? Recommendations? I was going to go with the VC Offshore but the local racers around here have had less than stellar things to say...
I've been using Pettit Vivid for the last several years and have been happy with the results. I dry sand it to 400 grit after two full coats, and it comes out smooth and lasts the season. I have the boat cleaned weekly though so my findings may be a bit skewed.
I've used Baltoplate for years its a smooth hard paint But you have to clean weekly I think the long and short of it is since they got rid of TriBT if you want it fast clean weekly
I've used pettit ablative for 20 years. Upgraded as they improved and changed product names. Their latest is setting a new indurance record for me in salt water. Make a bottom wiper with pvc pipe and old socks or towels. wipe bottom before each race. I wet sand the bottom after repaints , but the boat gets faster as the paint starts to ablate. There is very little old paint left when time comes to repaint. Add extra coats on high abrasion areas like the rudder and keel. It helps when the Pettit rep is an old friend.
Thanks for the advice guys. For the hard paints, what do you do with them at seasons end? Have they eroded away or are they ready for next year with a new coat/sanding?
I was in Seattle. We raced year round. Now I'm retired in Hawaii and the antifouling is still good after 6 years. I put it on thick when I was preparing to move. By the way, it was 18 days from Newport Oregon to Kona by way of South Point.
I always spray the Balto use about 3/4 gallon each spring as prep do a quick random orbit sand with 220 grit If the spray job is good the first couple of cleanings get it well burnished If not wet sand with 600 grit
I usually put on a very, very thin coat of VC Offshore every year. Generally it is thin enough that I can't wetsand or burnish without going all the way through. We have been fast, but the thin coats mean the antifouling properties don't last long. I don't have growth except for slime where I am, so lucky that way.
Never have used anything like that... it seems like it is a long term solution for cruisers who don't frequently pull their boats. It would seem that if you are pulling your boat seasonally and want the best antifouling and aren't racing than there are better ablatives or if you want a smooth hull you can go hard bottom but both options require regular maintenance.
