Mooring my new boat

[Shooter]

So I just picked up a new boat. I am thinking about mooring it for the rest of this year and like 3-4 months each year. My question is do I NEED to have bottom (antifouling) paint on it? I have never moored a boat before only ever launched it every time. It's a fibreglass hull if that matters and has never had bottom paint before.

[donny.brooke]

PM sent your way.

[Pinewood]

Fresh or salt water?

[Shooter]

salt water

[fuzzybiscuit]

Just pull it out and give it a good cleaning every once in a while. Make sure all your zincs are good.

[Pinewood]

If you don't get to it for some reason, crap will grow all over the bottom. I'd personally paint mine if it were sitting for 3-4 months at a time. Lots of good advice if you use Google.

[604ksmith]

I worked at a marina throughout high school and university and I've both cleaned and painted my fair share of hulls.

For 3-4 months of the year, I would definitely bottom paint it. Depending on where your moorage is, and whether you will have to deal with: silt, sitting on bottom during low tide, and salt/brackish water it's always best to have that layer of protectant. Unless you pulled your boat out bi-weekly and pressure washed it, the hull will yellow and growth will form. Even with that once a barnacle starts to form your hull would need sanding and a new gelcoat to restore. It's just unavoidable, and bottom paint is a much easier way to handle things.

As previously mentioned, keep good zincs as well. Maintenance on a boat counts much more than on a vehicle!

[albravo2]

I would definitely paint the bottom. Marine critters grow incredibly fast. Hard to get up on a plane if your underside is coated in barnacles. Ask me how I know.

[lorneparker1]

I moored my old boat for the summer taking it out almost weekly ( didn't have bottom paint) I learned a few things.

1. The hull stated to turn yellow
2. it took half a day to clean it once a week.
3 ITs a huge pain in the ass to take it out once a week. I often wondered why I even bothered mooring it.

My next boat I bottom painted and never looked back. I take it out once a monthish and it takes about 15mins to clean with a pressure washer.

Both my boats wee moored at salmon point.

Lorne

[Shooter]

Thanks for the input guys. Will probably just be launching the boat for the rest of this summer and maybe look at painting the bottom for next year.