No Blisters in the Sun

First Coat on the Bottom and fixing 4 blisters, not bad for 5 years

With the quarterly scrubbing of our bottom free of barnacles and growth and plus maintaining zincs on our propeller shaft in the hot Texas salty waters, our bottom looks pretty good.

We used 4 coats of antifouling bottom paint, and fixed 4-5 blisters on the hull.  Choose the right paint for your climate and your planning-to-go area.  Interlux is good and common in our area.

For those DIY-ers who have the time and need to save the money, then there are some great sites to show how to properly prepare your boat.  But we did not have the time, and would not know what to do with the dogs (especially Bud) as we completed the work.

The fall temperature was perfect between 60-80 degrees F and no rain in the forecast.

Ready to go coastal sailing.  Bud is doing much better so maybe some day sails with floating marinas for him. 

Sail Boat maintenance so we can go coastal hopping soon.

Second time to see this view.  Looks good.

From Boating Magazine:

Sealing, Filling and Painting

Step 1. Our Aquasport had a number of laminate voids, plus some userinstalled gouges. Fill imperfections with Watertite Epoxy Filler. Using a spreader or putty knife, swipe the goop across the gouge and then scrape off the excess from several directions. Two applications might be necessary - don't try to fill all in one pass. Overfill slightly, then after two hours, sand it flush with 80-grit paper and a sanding block, followed by 120-grit.

Step 2. Wipe down filled areas with 202, as epoxy "blushes" with a waxy film upon cure that will retard adhesion of bottom paint.

Step 3. Mask off the waterline and any underwater metals, including drive housings, engine-mounting brackets, through-hulls, swim ladders and trim tabs. Mix the paint thoroughly.

Step 4. Apply bottom paint. For best results, use a 3/8-inch nap roller cover, cutting in around fittings, drives and engines, struts, etc., with a chip brush first. Apply a minimum of two coats. We chose an ablative paint instead of a "hard" coating, since these wear away evenly in use, largely eliminating the need to have to strip down to bare 'glass in the future.