Time to repaint the bottom

[K2MSmith]

I can't believe I've owned my Ericson 33 for over two years already. Time goes by.

The diving service that cleans my boat every 8 weeks has told me that it's time to repaint the bottom and I trust Dave's because he's a knowledable sailer himself and knows about the bottom of boats ! I know it was painted a few months before I bought the boat, so the paint has lasted perhaps up to 2 1/2 years. (I'm in SF bay area).

I received an estimate from Spaulding Marine for about $2700 to paint the bottom (33' boat) and that included haulout, prep and 2 coats of Petit Trinidad HD anti-foul paint. Does that price seem about right for California ? (everything here is more expensive because of overhead costs).

Separate from this cost, I am going to have them change engine oils and filter (because it's easier to dispose of from their yard) and also check thru-hull valves. Is there anything else that would be wise to do that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg ? This is the first time I've hauled ot the boat aside from when the survey was done.

 

[bigd14]

Wow, that’s about twice what we would pay here in Portland. Rates around here are about $30-35/foot, not including paint. Add two gallons of paint for about $400 ($600 retail) which should be just enough for two coats (I just did this for my 30+ and had about 1.5 quarts left over). So that’s about $1500. I don’t doubt it would be much more expensive in CA, but I would probably want to shop around a bit more.

I would also do the following:

-Change the prop zincs
-Check the cutless bearing and replace if needed.
-Check the strut for play or corrosion
-Check the prop shaft seal to see if it needs replacing or the packing renewed (if it’s a PSS or bellows type carefully poke under and around to check for for any cracks or damage- it can be very hard to see).
-Check the rudder for play and damage.

Good luck with the process.

 

[Chschaus]

Trinidad HD is 250.00 a gallon @ defenders most marinas will do a weekend quick haul ( out Fri in Monday ) our marina charges under 500 , plenty of time to prep and apply two coats.

 

[K2MSmith]

Wow, that’s about twice what we would pay here in Portland. Rates around here are about $30-35/foot, not including paint. Add two gallons of paint for about $400 ($600 retail) which should be just enough for two coats (I just did this for my 30+ and had about 1.5 quarts left over). So that’s about $1500. I don’t doubt it would be much more expensive in CA, but I would probably want to shop around a bit more.

I would also do the following:

-Change the prop zincs
-Check the cutless bearing and replace if needed.
-Check the strut for play or corrosion
-Check the prop shaft seal to see if it needs replacing or the packing renewed (if it’s a PSS or bellows type carefully poke under and around to check for for any cracks or damage- it can be very hard to see).
-Check the rudder for play and damage.

Good luck with the process.

Does the 1500 in Portland include the haul out. ? Everything in Sausalito or SF is more expensive than most places due to high overhead ( rent , cost of labor etc ) .

 

[bigd14]

Yes that includes hauling out, pressure wash, blocking on stands and two coats of paint.
Yes it’s cheaper but all we have to sail on without a major trip is a narrow fast moving river!

 

[Stuphoto]

To me it sounds like an apples to oranges type thing.
With no real way to compare.


The boat yard I am still at can and has completely sanded and prepped the bottom of a 26' boat in 90 minutes, and it looked great.
But then again it was in good shape coming out.

Since you have your bottom regularly maintained I would think it's in a similar condition as this boat.

Another similar sized boat was 5 hours and still looked rough.
The same worker, equipment and everything. However it was rough to start with.

Mine was in even worse shape, even needed some glass repairs plus I am being fussy.
So far it has had several days of prep work, and isn't quite ready.

So you can see why there is absolutely no way to compare these jobs.

What often happens here is someone will tell them what they want done.
Then give them their top budget, and the yard will base the amount of prep work based on this.

 

[R22QuietThing]

In my experience, that is a good price for the Bay area, and I'd be tempted to take my 35 to Spaulding next year if the final bill is in that ballpark. My last bottom job was a lot more, partly because it was in such bad shape and needed an entire strip / barrier coat before the bottom paint. My experience with the paint crew at a competing yard was lackluster.

 

[Roger Janeway]

I don't know if this provides any useful perspective, but in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles, I recently did the same on my 26' boat for $1,618 (this doesn't include a haul-out charge). The Trinidad HD Red was 1.5 quarts for $468, and labor was $930. $220 for all the little things.

 

[G Kiba]

KKMI Richmond,CA quoted a friend $3295 for a single coat on his C&C 32. I did mine last year at the same place for $1900 (30 ft boat)

 

[Alan Gomes]

KKMI Richmond,CA quoted a friend $3295 for a single coat on his C&C 32. I did mine last year at the same place for $1900 (30 ft boat)

$3295 seems ridiculous.

 

[Christian Williams]

In Los Angeles, 2021: (probably the same yard as Roger, above)

Haul out and launch, $411.
Labor, clean, fill and apply2 coats bottom paint, $1,275.
Paint cost @ $312. gallon, $936

Total about $2600

 

[Alan Gomes]

King Harbor Marine Center, June 7, 2021--Haul and launch, light sanding, 2 coats bottom paint = $1560 total.

Granted, this is only for a 26' boat. But this was the complete cost, including the haul out.

I'm hoping to sail down to Ensenada next year and have Baja Naval do the work. It's a great yard I've used in the past on a previous boat. In addition to the bottom I have a few other items I want them to do. I've been wanting to do the trip down there in the E26 for the past several years but something has always conspired against it--family and work obligations. We'll see if it actually happens next year.

 

[Phoenix]

I don't know if this provides any useful perspective, but in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles, I recently did the same on my 26' boat for $1,618 (this doesn't include a haul-out charge). The Trinidad HD Red was 1.5 quarts for $468, and labor was $930. $220 for all the little things.

Hi Roger!
I am a new owner of an 1975 Ericson 32 in Marina del Rey. She is in great shape but like most older boats she needs some love. I will be hauling her out (after the sailing season) to have the haul re-painted. Who did you use to repaint your haul? Are you happy with their work? I am also looking for a solid mechanic that can help me. (transmission is stuck in reverse) Any helpful information would be great.
~Chris

 

[Loren Beach]

I will be hauling her out (after the sailing season) to have the haul re-painted.

It sounds like you are talking about painting your hull, and not just applying new bottom paint.
No "local knowledge" to share - from up here in Portland... but I would suggest casting your net widely and trying to find someone with a climate-controlled shop to do the work. IMHO, the cost to transport the boat to n from was minor compared to the cost of a good paint job. The guy that painted our boat is about ten miles or so from the yard with the travelift. Starting with this blog entry and going back you will see the facility where our work was done. It's almost impossible to get near this quality of work in a yard with a portable shelter over a hull.

O34 - Launch Day

After a delay due to a record-setting February ice storm, and another lost week in April when the trucking company changed their schedule, we were ready to move out and launch on April 14. It was a Sunny day, literally and figuratively. :) The...

ericsonyachts.org

And, every yard seems to quote about the same ($ per foot) for the cost of a repaint; the mediocre guys charge 5% less than the best, and often charge just as much.

Do post up pix of the work when you get to that point. At about 30+ years many of these classic boats are in need of a repaint... especially the deck and cabin. UV and gel coat do not play well together over time.

 

[Roger Janeway]

Hi Roger!
I am a new owner of an 1975 Ericson 32 in Marina del Rey. She is in great shape but like most older boats she needs some love. I will be hauling her out (after the sailing season) to have the haul re-painted. Who did you use to repaint your haul? Are you happy with their work? I am also looking for a solid mechanic that can help me. (transmission is stuck in reverse) Any helpful information would be great.
~Chris

Welcome, Chris! I am a slip tenant at the boatyard in Basin H of the Marina, which is called "The BoatYard." It's at the end near the public launch ramp. Because I rent a slip from them, they don't charge me for an annual haul-out when I hire them for repairs or maintenance. I didn't check whether the neighboring boatyard (also in Basin H), Windward Yacht Center, would offer a better deal. I'm only aware of those two yards in the Marina. I thought The BoatYard did a fine job, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to second-guess their paint work.

As for the engine, as Christian observed in Post #6 here:

Looking for new boatyard for spring work

Hi everyone, The boatyard where I am keeping my boat this winter is severely understaffed and I only recently found out that my prop strut is loose (I discovered this myself after taking a road trip to visit the boat). They won't be able to start fixing it until late July at the earliest after...

ericsonyachts.org

owning these 40-50 year-old boats with ancient diesels almost requires you to become your own mechanic. I say "almost" because there is an alternative, which is to spend a lot of money on a mechanic. When I first got my boat 4.5 years ago, I tried to find a diesel mechanic other than C.C. Marine (because they're expensive and you often have to wait a long time for them to get to your boat), and was given a couple of names and phone numbers but they seemed to have moved away. So I think of C.C. Marine as our local monopoly diesel repair company. (But I may be wrong and have not tried hard enough to find another mechanic.) When the folks at C.C. Marine do get to your boat and do the work, they seem mostly to be extremely competent and do good work. (I say "mostly" because a couple of times I had to point out something wrong that was happening after a repair, and then CC. Marine promptly fixed the problem without further charges.) It's worthwhile to read the Yelp reviews of C.C. Marine to get some sense of the possible positives and negatives that you might experience if you contact them. Christian had a conversation with Carl of C.C. Marine about working on old engines (see his post above) that does not reflect my own experience with them, since they seem to be willing to find parts for and repair my 1985 Westerbeke.

 

[Phoenix]

It sounds like you are talking about painting your hull, and not just applying new bottom paint.
No "local knowledge" to share - from up here in Portland... but I would suggest casting your net widely and trying to find someone with a climate-controlled shop to do the work. IMHO, the cost to transport the boat to n from was minor compared to the cost of a good paint job. The guy that painted our boat is about ten miles or so from the yard with the travelift. Starting with this blog entry and going back you will see the facility where our work was done. It's almost impossible to get near this quality of work in a yard with a portable shelter over a hull.

O34 - Launch Day

After a delay due to a record-setting February ice storm, and another lost week in April when the trucking company changed their schedule, we were ready to move out and launch on April 14. It was a Sunny day, literally and figuratively. :) The...

ericsonyachts.org

And, every yard seems to quote about the same ($ per foot) for the cost of a repaint; the mediocre guys charge 5% less than the best, and often charge just as much.

Do post up pix of the work when you get to that point. At about 30+ years many of these classic boats are in need of a repaint... especially the deck and cabin. UV and gel coat do not play well together over time.

Thank you for the info.

 

[Phoenix]

Welcome, Chris! I am a slip tenant at the boatyard in Basin H of the Marina, which is called "The BoatYard." It's at the end near the public launch ramp. Because I rent a slip from them, they don't charge me for an annual haul-out when I hire them for repairs or maintenance. I didn't check whether the neighboring boatyard (also in Basin H), Windward Yacht Center, would offer a better deal. I'm only aware of those two yards in the Marina. I thought The BoatYard did a fine job, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to second-guess their paint work.

As for the engine, as Christian observed in Post #6 here:

Looking for new boatyard for spring work

Hi everyone, The boatyard where I am keeping my boat this winter is severely understaffed and I only recently found out that my prop strut is loose (I discovered this myself after taking a road trip to visit the boat). They won't be able to start fixing it until late July at the earliest after...

ericsonyachts.org

owning these 40-50 year-old boats with ancient diesels almost requires you to become your own mechanic. I say "almost" because there is an alternative, which is to spend a lot of money on a mechanic. When I first got my boat 4.5 years ago, I tried to find a diesel mechanic other than C.C. Marine (because they're expensive and you often have to wait a long time for them to get to your boat), and was given a couple of names and phone numbers but they seemed to have moved away. So I think of C.C. Marine as our local monopoly diesel repair company. (But I may be wrong and have not tried hard enough to find another mechanic.) When the folks at C.C. Marine do get to your boat and do the work, they seem mostly to be extremely competent and do good work. (I say "mostly" because a couple of times I had to point out something wrong that was happening after a repair, and then CC. Marine promptly fixed the problem without further charges.) It's worthwhile to read the Yelp reviews of C.C. Marine to get some sense of the possible positives and negatives that you might experience if you contact them. Christian had a conversation with Carl of C.C. Marine about working on old engines (see his post above) that does not reflect my own experience with them, since they seem to be willing to find parts for and repair my 1985 Westerbeke.

Thank you for the info. I am finding out in a hurry there its not a lot of mechanics who work on these older boats and/or engines. I am fairly handing and I have purchased the full repair manuals but time is definitely a valued commodity that I typical do not have a lot of. My fear was digging into it and going down the rabbit hole and missing the entire summer of sailing. I will use caution in contacting C & C. I am going to hit up some of the local yacht clubs to see if they have any recommendations. Thank you for you input!

 

[Jerry VB]

I am also looking for a solid mechanic that can help me. (transmission is stuck in reverse)

Is the transmission stuck in reverse or is the cable bound up? If you disconnect the shifter cable from the lever on the transmission, can you shift the transmission manually? Odds are pretty good the problem is the cable or possibly the shifter lever in the pedestal. Cables are pretty easy to replace (compared to transmissions, anyway).

 

[Phoenix]

Is the transmission stuck in reverse or is the cable bound up? If you disconnect the shifter cable from the lever on the transmission, can you shift the transmission manually? Odds are pretty good the problem is the cable or possibly the shifter lever in the pedestal. Cables are pretty easy to replace (compared to transmissions, anyway

 

[Phoenix]

Hmmm. I don't know, I will check today!