42 Commander - Bottom Job
So... In the past I have done complete bottom jobs on my 35 Commander, and our 42. Each time I removed layers of ancient bottom paint, then replaced whatever was there with the stunning Interlux Y999 Racing Bronze Bottom Kote paint. The copper/bronze color, especially in the sunlight after it was just put in, has always been a sight to behold. A number of years ago my parents and I (when they had their 38 Commander, and I had my 35 Commander) ordered 6 gallons of Y999 when we knew it was on the chopping block. Pricey, but it has allowed me (my parents boat was sold many years ago) to keep the killer copper/bronze color going all the way up until last year. I tried to find a suitable replacement with the same brilliance, but even Sandusky Paints no longer carries a gallon version, and the quart (if they have it)? $165... add that up and you are up to $660 a gallon. Yikes! This year we are due for a full bottom job, and so I decided two things: 1) I'm not scraping and sanding the entire bottom of my boat again, and 2) while I do not have enough Y999 to do the whole boat, I am determined to keep the copper color somehow.
To address the first item, I'm having our marina blast the bottom, getting us down to nice smooth fiberglass, then they are going to do the bottom with Sea Hawk products - Tuff Stuff epoxy primer to start, and anti-fouling paint to finish it off. It's a bottom job that the boat has never had, but should help ensure the boat's longevity.
To address the second item... We'll use black as the color for the Sea Hawk bottom paint - up to the waterline. At the waterline, and up to the boot stripe, we'll continue with the Interlux Bottom Kote that we have remaining, and hopefully, even though it's expensive, we'll be able to continue with a brilliant racing bronze from Sandusky.
We had some good weather a week or so ago, and I got the call from the shop... they'd go ahead and get the bottom blasted. Needless to say, I'm happy with the results so far... Let's see how this all works out though. Once he's done with the epoxy and the bottom paint, I'll be out there to do the copper and buff out our black boot stripe. My hope is that with the muddy Mississippi, no one will care about the lack of bronze under the water (and wouldn't really be able to see it anyway), and from there up to the boot stripe, it'll look like it has every other year. Here's some pictures of the before and current. I'll post more pics as we progress...
ABOVE: Wrapped up, but ready to get stripped...
ABOVE: Taped off, ready to be blasted.
ABOVE: A nice clean bottom.
Now we wait... once a place in the workshop is clean, we'll get put inside for the epoxy and paint to be applied. Looking forward to a nice new bottom! Stay tuned for more updates...
C.
Hi Chris,
Great idea to have it blasted.
Are you sure its blasted to the bare gelcoat? So far all the other commanders I've seen blasted have the "commander off white" gel exposed.
While the bare gelcoat is exposed carefully inspect the whole bottom looking for blisters, stress cracks , and signs of water intrusion especially near your shaft logs .
Blisters are sometimes a bit hard to detect as they can hide between the FRP and gelcoat. You can very attentively feel for them but you should also both use percussion testing and a moisture meter as well.
If you're lucky, there will be none or only a few will be found.
Pay very close attention to the area where your shaft logs meet the bottom's running surface .
I have seen several commander hulls (including my own) with debonding and or delamination issues in this area.
Heres an example
Heres the same shaft log after I buzzed it with a grinder for a few seconds .
This area ended up getting completely ground out and reglassed.
Not trying freek you out but definitely worth a carefull inspection before coating your bottom with barrier coat.
I agree that Y999 interlux was fantastic paint and I sure miss it too.
While not cheep, Sandusky Paint's #960 copper bronze and pettit 1959 hard racing bronze are very good looking options that are still available available . Kush also makes one that is very sharp at a lower price point . All three of these paints will produce that new penny look when freshly applied and slowly look more brown as they oxidize but they admittedly don't do as good a job chemically in the antifowling department as the old Y999.
On my 35 I used VC17
Mixing two parts red with one part original. While I still have not yet launched it ,it has gone from the new penny look to a darker bronze color just sitting in the building
Heres what it looked like freshly painted
Here's the same paint 6 years later but not launched yet