A Built in “Time to Repaint” Indicator for Ablative Bottom Paint

As boat owners, one of the many things we need to remember is when to pull our boats out of the water for a new bottom paint application. If you let bottom maintenance go too long, you’ll be looking at more expense and time off the water than would have been necessary.

One way to ensure you get your ablative bottom paint replaced when it’s needed is by adding a “Time to Repaint Signal Coat” built directly into your bottom paint application. Here’s a simple way to do that. If you are getting multiple coats of ablative bottom paint applied to your hull, make the first coat a different color than the final outer coat. So, if you are going to have the bottom painted black, make the first coat RED so when the black paint starts to wear off you will see the RED “Signal Coat” paint showing through. Time to repaint.

 Be sure to discuss this “Signal Coat” strategy with your boatyard when your boat gets its next ablative bottom paint application.

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