[C320-list] How Often to Repaint Hull

[Jack Brennan]

Hi all:

Some of the more veteran 320 owners can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Catalina applied a vinylester bottom  to all but the earliest 320s.  This is a barrier coat to prevent blisters.

So you don’t want to let some yard go-fer loose on the bottom of your boat with a sand blaster. This is one powerful tool. And devastating in unskilled hands. It was designed to clean steel. The vinylester will disappear and, according to the experts, there’s a good chance your bottom will be permanently damaged.

If you Google sand blasting and boats, you will find Don Casey and a bunch of others say not to do it. The only folks in favor of it, in fact, seem to be the boat yards that own sand blasters and charge you a small fortune to “clean” the bottom and roll on epoxy.

I’ve always found that a scraper and 60-grit sandpaper on a circular sander work fine. You only need to take off the loose stuff. Bottom paint is usually self-leveling, so you don’t have to worry about bumps and divots. And it is really  sticky. Anyone who has painted a boat bottom will testify to that.

If that’s not good enough, use a chemical peel or similar procedure that won’t imperil the bottom.

When I bought my 320, I wasn’t that famiiiar with Tampa Bay boatyards. I made the mistake of taking a great bid from a yard with a sand blaster. Turns out he runs a bait-and-switch operation. He quotes you a $1,400 bottom job. Then, when you’re on the hard, it becomes a $6,000 sand blasting job. To remove peeling paint.

It was a long, nasty and costly battle, but I eventually got my boat out of there without sand blasting. I was going to sue, but my attorney said it would end up costing me more than I would get back. So I did a lot of public complaining.

It turns out this yard, Progressive Marine in St. Petersburg, has a sizeable trail of consumer complaints. One boat owner went in for a $1,400 bottom job and ended up with a $17,000 yard bill! If you don’t pay it, you don’t get your boat back …

Hopefully, your boat yards are better, But beware of sand blasting.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320, no. 528
Tierra Verde, Fl.
Dolphin Cruising Club of Tampa Bay