With a lot of help from those on this list, particularly Stan Sussman (hope I spelled that right), a year and a half ago I removed the bottom paint on my Montgomery 15. What a miserable process. But I like the bottom now. I wholeheartedly agree about avoiding bottom paint if you can!
David GrahBishop CaliforniaMontgomery 15 - Sky
Message: 31
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2016 17:48:49 +0000 (UTC)
From: swwheatley(a)comcast.net
To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats
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Subject: Re: M_Boats: What to do if you want to put an M-boat in Salt
water fora time..
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I keep my boat moored in salt water all summer long and agree with Dave's advice. If you can, avoid bottom paint. If you can't, use copolymer (a/k/a self-polishing) paint.
Someone else mentioned a barrier coat. If your gelcoat is in good condition you DO NOT need that. The usual practice is to use hard paint the first season and then let that act as a guide coat under self-polishing paint of a different color in subsequent seasons. When the hard paint starts to show through the self-polishing paint, it is time to recoat. Also, when you first paint gelcoat, you must thoroughly clean AND dewax it, no matter how old the boat is.
