Jeff: How hard would it be to just pull the dink out and scrub the bottom with a stiff brush. I'd figure, do it every time you clean the prop.
Painting can't hurt. If it comes off then you are no worse off. I doubt it will stick very well. Maybe coat the bottom with some kind of prep/undercoat first but then you have given the marine life something to stick to as well. Mark Tamblyn -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jeffery L. Sheler Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 1:06 PM To: [email protected] Subject: catalina27-talk: dinghy bottom paint In an earlier thread, I pondered whether to build a floating berth for my dinghy -- which must be stored in the water at my Chesapeake Bay marina -- in order to hold down crud growth on the bottom. The best advice and easiest solution seemed to be to slap on some anti-fouling paint. Here's the rub: the hull is made of polyethylene. (The dinghy is a Water Tender 9.4 made by Johnson Outdoors). A salesman at my local West Marine suggested using a bottom paint designed for inflatables (I forget the brand he showed me), which seemed to make sense. Before purchasing, I thought I'd check with the manufacturer. Over the phone, a Johnson customer service rep, sounding rather tentative, said no paint will stick to the polyethylene hull. She probably is right, but since she sounded uncertain, I thought I'd check with the real experts. Anyone out there have any experience in painting a polyethylene hull (or trying)? Thanks, as always, for your insight. Jeff Sheler s/v Windsome C27TR #6594 Hampton, VA
