??? On a used boat

[project94]

Hey everyone, i'm looking to buy a used fishing boat, i'm choosing between a 22' seaswirl striper or a 25' Pro line. The Pro line is being sold at a used boat dealer. I'm leaning more toward the Pro line. The only thing that is holding me up is it has been bottom painted, i'm not real familiar with this as i've only owned trailered boats, the pro line is on a trailer but you can see where there was some marine growth around the stern drive and swim deck that this company attempted to clean. the company selling the pro line also applied the bottom paint. They said it was an interlux paint and they put it on all of the boats they sell. Is it supposed to be the texture of undercoating? Is this a bad buy? The rest of the boat is in great shape and like i said the bottom paint is the only thing i'm unsure of. Any help is greatly appreciated.

-kenny

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: ??? On a used boat

1st off welcome to the forum!
There are a lot of guys on here that really care AND know their stuff.
(Me, I just care..haha)
The bottom paint can be rough in texture, the dealer should have done a better job removing the marine stains. Perhaps it was kept in saltwater and they threw it on a trailer to sell?

Are you going to use this boat in Saltwater? I'd insist they get those stains off there before I signed a check.

Interlux is good paint, but like any paint it will only be as good as the prep work.

I'm sure others will advise better than I...

 

[reelfishin]

Re: ??? On a used boat

Bottom paint won't hurt anything if you don't need it, but it does add some degree of drag due to the rough texture. I doubt you would be able to tell the difference though. Bottom paint is generally a sacrificial type coating, it will wear as time goes on, if you don't leave your boat in the water, then simply don't recoat when the time comes. If the bottom of the boat wasn't sanded, there's a good chance it will wear away mostly on it's own. It can also be soda blasted off as well. Personally, it wouldn't bother me either way. I trailer my boats and if I acquire a boat that has been coated, I normally just let time take its course. I've been able to remove many bottom coats with a good scrub brush and warm soap and water provided what it on the boat is a true ablative type bottom paint. (I've seen many boats just bottom painted with regular paint to hide stains and old damage, which may be a good reason to want to see it removed before purchase).

 

[project94]

Re: ??? On a used boat

thanks for the input guys, the marine growth around the stern drive isn't horrible its just if u feel around a couple of the mounts it flaked off so an indicator to me that it was kept in the water for some period of time. i've tried to do some research on the web and found some things about blistering on the fiberglass and i didn't know if that is something i should be concerned with. As i said the rest of the boat is in excellent condition. Do you think asking the dealer to remove the coating is something they would consider? Does it come off that easily? again thank you

 

[mthieme]

Re: ??? On a used boat

Where are you, what kind of water do you boat in, and are you going to leave it in the water?

Around here, a painted bottom does not help the value because it tells the buyer that it lives in the water as opposed to being trailered or living on a boat lift which is preferable.
But, the Chesapeake is brackish and scoffs at anti-fouling paint!!!

I wonder if a teflon coating would be more effective ? (just a pre-coffee morning thought)

 

[bowman316]

Re: ??? On a used boat

you plan on trailering the boat right?
Because if you plan on leaving it in the water for longer than 2 days at a time, you will want the bottom paint on it.

I once left my non-bottom painted boat in the water for a whole weekend, but even that got me a little worried.

 

[project94]

Re: ??? On a used boat

Thanks for the help guys, the boats are in southern california. i plan on using it here in the sf bay or pacific ocean alltogether. I plan on trailering the boat and putting it in the water probably for a few days at a time. they are both inboard/outboard the seaswirl is a 5.0 engine and the pro line has the 5.7 with dual prop. the seaswirl is a 2006 the proline is a 2002. again thanks for the help