Ablative is what I used. The first time I painted the bottom I put on 7 coats of Epoxy Barrier paint followed by 2 coats of black Micron Extra. That was three years ago. I pulled SeaFrog out for the hurrican season last year and painted it again although it probably could have gone another season. All I did was give it a good pressure washing and then went over it with a green scrubby. Nasty job. But it got everything off without taking a lot of the old paint with it. I then painted it with green Micron Extra. I alternate the color so I can see when it gets through the most recent coat and not all the way thru all coats. I keep SeaFrog in the water for anywhere from 5 to 9 months. If the bottom gets any build up, it's pretty easy to anchor it in waist deep and give a once over with a brush. I'm sure using the ablative has performance issues that wouldn't be found with a clean waxed bottom but I don't trailer every time I use the boat. I have a cheap slip in a close knit marina. Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Davies To: M BoatsForum Sent: Friday, March 23, 2012 9:21 AM Subject: M_Boats: Bottom paint My boat has ablative copper bottom paint that is over five years old, and beginning to wear off. One boatyard has suggested removing it with a pressure washer that uses very hot water rather than sanding. Does anyone have any experience with this, or comments as to whether it's a good idea or not? Any possibility of damage to the surface? Would it still have to be sanded before painting? Thanks, Rick M17 #633 Lynne L