Undercoat for freshwater slip??

[Bman215]

new member in the philly area. I have a 2018 yamaha ar240. Looking to get a freahwater slip for the season to avoid trailoring. Is it necessary to paint the bottom of the boat? Any other advice/tips for keeping the in water would be great...thanks!

 

[swatski]

Absolutely, positively, 100% - no.
It would dramatically decrease the re-sale value and give few benefits, on balance.
Just pull her out every now and then and use Startbrite Hull Cleaner - or anything else where oxalic acid is the key ingredient - and then a good coat of wax or cleaner wax.

If the boat is new, I would always give it a quality cleaner wax treatment BEFORE first launch. These gelcoat finishes these days are a bit dirty and very thirsty- from factory. You will cut the future maintenance work significantly by doing a good coat right away, before any growth occurs.

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[Bman215]

Thanks for the help! Glad i asked as i was told to paint.

 

[renrab]

Yah 100% don't paint it. Wet slipped last year, pulled it out end of year and used a Hull cleaner, came up good as new. Good suggestions @swatski

 

[zipper]

As said by @swatski , use Starbright Hull Cleaner or similar product. The crap on the hull appears to "melt" right off even after 5mos. in the water and left on for 7 months of winter.



I recommend using the larger screw cap non crappy spray bottle that leaked a lot onto the ground. Ended up pouring contents into a bucket with a little water and applied with a car washing brush connected to a hose. Easy to rinse by a turn of the valve. Be sure to rinse thoroughly from carpeted bunks and galvanized trailers. It helps to saturate the carpet before you apply the cleaner.

 

[Mike Dumigan]

Welcome - where in the Philly area and where will you be boating?

 

[Bman215]

@Mike Dumigan i just got a slip at Neshaminy State Park Marina in Croyden. I’ll take it to sea isle city for some of the summer too. Love goin in the back bay down there

 

[Julian]

Wet slipping down south where the water gets warm results in dramatic algae growth and decreased performance. My old boat would drop from 50mph to 37/38mph when she was sitting for the whole summer. But as others have said, even with that kind of growth, it all cleaned off easily....here is before and after hull cleaner. I'd never bottom paint mine! That said, my boat is now on a floating lift as I don't like a dirty bottom!

 

[Bman215]

I wont slip it in salt water. When i head to s. jersey i will keep it on a rack at the marina, which i’ve been told is better than a slip anyways. Last year i trailored and im not goin thru all that work again!