It takes me about 1 1/2 gallons for one coat using a roller. Depending on how many coats you plan on putting on, you can go from there.

I did VC17 last year and got 1 complete coat and another 1ft around the water line out of just under 6 qts.
PS - not happy with the VC17 so will be changing next year.:(

About 1 1/2 gallons for my MKI.

I used a full 2 gallons of bottom paint (Pettit Unepoxy Plus), getting two coats everywhere and an extra coat on the rudder.

Harold,

Why don't you like VC 17. Compared to other alternatives, it is so easy to apply with no sanding each year. I put a thin coat (less than 3 quarts) on every October while it is still warm and am ready to go in the Spring. In the Fall when the boat is pulled, it only has a thin layer of green slim. Some sailors, primarily racers, have their hulls cleaned by divers mid summer. Over all I think it is a great product for cold fresh water.

Sorry I am late to this party and it looks as though you have some good answers to the amount of paint to use.

As to your question about the square footage of the wetted area on our boats, I do not have an diffinitive answer either, though I can state that when cleaning the bottom using a snorkle, fins and brush it appears to be about two acres, more in cold water.

You always find a way to crack me up, Steve. Thanks.

Speaking of bottom work, I braved the 69F water in my canal to replace the prop shaft zinc on Sunday. I elected to be lazy (and stupid) and not don a wet suit or drag out my air tank, hose and regulator. After I got my body slowly acclimated to the (freezing for us Floridians) water, I only had to take three breath holds to get the zinc on. I was surprised considering I don't really do well holding my breath.

I did take a half hour in the spa right afterward, though, and that felt good.

and I'm just getting heat installed in my boat :mad: May Chesapeake sea nettles (stinging jellyfish) infest your canal...:D

I've been using Interlux Fiberglass Bottomcoat ACT for quite a few years. I like the ablative as it doesn't build up as much; I've yet to need to have to bottom stripped after 13 seasons.

I've used as much as 2 gallons (too much) and as little as 1, last season. I used a thin nap roller last year and only 1 gallon did the trick (actually my wife painted, to be absolutely truthful). I had a quick 'haul and wash' done in August and there where quite a few barnacles, but the marina operator said it was the worst season he'd ever seen for barnacles, and my boat was actually pretty good compared to a lot of the others.

So I'm going to go the thin nap roller route again this year, since applying a thick film (2 gallons) doesn't really seem to make any difference, cost me twice as much and builds up more paint.

As an aside, I had more barnacles on my prop and shaft than I've ever seen, despite using a 2 part epoxy antifouling paint.

No, Gary, all our sea nettles were eaten by the alligators a long time ago. :D

I would like the ablative, too, but I am going with the long term experience of MANY boaters in our locale and using the hard paint. I get 2.5 years between bottom jobs with very few barnacles. When I dive the bottom, I am mostly scrubbing off light slime.

It may be that one coat would suffice, but I am not willing to take the chance of having to haul after just a year or so. The sanding takes a little time before each repainting, but the extra coat takes very little time and the cost (even at $200 a gallon) is cheaper than hauling sooner.

Hello
Who told you, you needed 3 gallons to paint your bottom??, I do it with Micron CSC and use 1 gallon and a quart including hiting the waterline twice.

Hope that helps

PS I am in the Northeast Buzzards Bay, MA

DONT USE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is JUNK. My buddy has a Caltalina 38 He launched a month after me and by July he had a forest growing on His bottom. Enough growth that it took my 2 full dive tanks with 3700 lbs of air in each tank to clean it and I had to use a 8' wide putty knife. I should have taken picturse of it .

I can cover the bottom with one gallon of either CSC or Petit ablative. I prefer the Petit but not a whole lot of difference. I find an additional quart is needed to do a good job around the edges, at which point it sort of makes sense to just buy 2 gallons and keep painting until it is all gone.

Hello
I have used both paints Pettit is great I mean great. I had the bottom, soda blasted last year and by the time the season was over the Pettit ULTRA was gone in a a lot of spots, it was down to the Barrier coat. But I also clean it every two weeks because I race. Great paint, as long as you don't clean it that often. The CSC was AWESOME I did clean it the same amount and had much more left.

This is what I use 1 gallon of CSC, 1 quart CSC and a pint of interlux thinner.(per interlux specs) I mix it all together, in a 3 gallon bucket , keep a lid on it so it doesn't start to set. I use the best roller West marine carries really smooth (buy 2). I do the standsand rudder first and let dry, then I do the whole bottom and the water line and the waterline and rudder again.

I will tell you I have always used Pettit ULTRA but after using Interlux CSC I think I will keep using it, and one other plus I really like the dark blue it looks awesome on.
If you ever cruising this way shoot me an email, I'm in New Bedford Harbor, it is where the East Coast CATAINA Regatta is this year

Hope that Helps

Matthew,
Do you know what type/brand of paint is on there currently? Many paints are not compatible with others. I'd check with the manufacturer of the paint that you want to put on and get their recommendation. They might say they are compatible, or they might say that you have to strip off the old paint before you put on a different brand. Putting on a few epoxy barrier coats and then a few coats of new bottom paint is not that bad. The really awful part of the job is stripping off the old stuff. I paid to have it done a few years ago on Julandra. Best money I ever spent. My buddy stripped his own bottom last winter, and said he would NEVER do it again. Huge number of hours. I'm not so quick to condemn Petit Hydrocoat. I have it currently on Juniper (that's what it came with, and the memory of my buddy scraping is still too fresh in my mind!!), and it works OK in the eastern end of LI Sound. Not as good as Micron 66 which I had on Julandra, but it is OK. Heavy slime at the end of the season, but no hard growth. I suppose it really makes a difference as to where you keep your boat. Ask around your marina. Practical Sailor has done many tests thru the years on bottom paints. One that performs well in one area is awful in another. Go figure.

Catalina East Coast Rendezvous 2011
Date: July 29, 2011 - July 31, 2011
Location: New Bedford, MA.
Contact: [email]sharon@catalinayachts.com[/email]
Inforamtion and registeration will begin May 1, 2011
Sponsor's Links:
[url]www.catalinayachts.com[/url]

If you come feel free to shoot me a email if you come, you can raft off my mooring NO PROBLEM:cool:

Jeff,
Your mooring can handle three-four dozen Catalinas, can't it? :)

Well at least that many. Lol.
I wonder how many Catalinas are coming. I am on the board at the Yacht club. They would like to do something, while Catalina is here. That would be cool, :cool:

Catalina ok