Bottom Painting

Expert Bottom Painting Is Our Specialty

We have 31 years experience painting the bottom of boats. We have a large inventory of "state of the art" bottom paints, including Pettit, Interlux, Pro-line, and Z-spar.

Our expertise includes barrier coating, blister repair, flaking paint repair and the application of bottom paint. We stock and apply both ablative bottom paint, modified epoxy bottom paint, and a relatively new type of paint called Pettit Vivid.

Before Pictures After Pictures

What does an AMS bottom paint job include?

All AMS bottom jobs begin with a bottom inspection. After we complete the bottom inspection, we report back to you with any items needing attention.

The questions we ask and the things we look for during the inspection are:

Is there any extra prep needed on items like the running gear, keel, rudder, waterline, or other areas on the boat bottom?
Is there any damage on the boot stripe or on the hullsides?
Are there any cracks or damage to the hull bottom?
Is there at least 1" of paint above the waterline?
Is there pitting, damage, or indications of electrolysis on the prop(s), shaft(s), strut(s), rudder(s), thruhulls, or other parts?
Are any of the paddle wheels broken or missing?
Are the trim tabs and screws in good condition?
Do the zincs need replacing on the shaft(s), strut(s), rudder(s), trimtabs, or elsewhere?
Are the shaft zincs at least 2 " forward or aft of the strut bearing(s)?
Are all external sea strainers and thruhulls clean and in good condition?
Is the keel and keel seam in good condition?
Are there blisters on the bottom and, if so, how many are there, what is their size and location, and what is the cost to repair?
Is there an excessive build up of paint?
Is there any condition listed above that would call for the need to remove all of the paint back to gelcoat?

The Epoxy Barrier Coat, aka "A New Bottom"

Boats for use in salt water generally require the application of an epoxy barrier coat (5 coats or more) or an epoxy primer/tack coat (at least 2 coats) before marine bottom paint can be applied.

New boats, and older boats that have never been painted before, must first be dewaxed (chemically cleaned), sanded with a fine grit sand paper to roughen the surface, then dewaxed (chemically cleaned) again before the first coat of epoxy barrier paint is applied.

Older boats sometimes require that all the previous bottom paint be removed and the bottom be sanded back to gelcoat. This can happen because of the need for blister repair, the removal of excessive paint buildup, changing from ablative to modified epoxy bottom paint, or other problems. These boats must also be chemically cleaned after sanding before the first coat of epoxy barrier paint is applied.

All of the epoxy barrier coats should be allowed to dry thoroughly between applications except for the last (tack) coat. The tack coat should be allowed to dry only to the point where it is sticky to the touch and at that time the first coat of antifouling bottom paint should be applied.

The Bottom Paint Job

After the proper prep (which can range from only a light wet sanding all the way up to a "new bottom" as described above) the first coat of bottom paint is applied. The first coat is allowed to dry then the second coat is applied. After the second coat has properly dried, a third coat is applied around the waterline and on the leading edges where the most protection is needed.

The next step is to move the stands and repeat steps 1 and 2 above to paint under the pads. Once the paint is allowed the proper dry time, the boat is washed and the hoist is prepared to launch the boat by covering the straps with a special wax paper.

What Type of Bottom Paint Should You Use?

Paint choice is mostly based on personal preference. However, there are some guidelines for choosing the best paint for your boat and circumstances.

The first thing to be considered is what kind of paint is already on your boat? For the sake of compatibility, it is suggested that you use the same type of paint that was used previously. You may also want to use the same brand if you happen to know what it is. If you do not know what kind paint is already on your boat, you need to let the boatyard help you determine (as best as possible) whether the paint is ablative (soft) or modified epoxy (hard) bottom paint. You can apply ablative paint over both ablative and modified epoxy paints, but you can only apply modified epoxy over modified epoxy, not over ablative. If you want to change from ablative to modified epoxy, you must first remove all of the existing ablative paint so the modified epoxy paint will properly bond to the boat.

The Best Possible Boat Bottom Repair and Painting

We provide the best possible boat bottom repair and painting in the least amount of time. Give us a call to get a free estimate and schedule a time to have the bottom of your vessel painted. All of our bottom paint jobs include a free bottom inspection before we begin the paint work and a free boat wash before your boat leaves the yard.

Call (805) 985 1818 with any questions.