Tag Archives: best bottom paint to use

What is the Best Bottom Paint Money Can Buy?

Best Bottom Paint

Best Performing Bottom Paint

The best bottom paint that money can buy may NOT be the most expensive. You should buy the bottom paint that works best in your area. That will depend on the temperature of the water, tide changes, the nutrients in the water that feed unwanted growth, and many other factors.

The best bottom paint for you will be the bottom paint that stops the growth and does not break your wallet. If you buy the best performing bottom for the harshest fouling conditions and the warmest waters you would need Sea Hawk Paints Biocop TF  or another Top Performing Bottom Paint. This provides you the absolute maximum protection against hard and soft growth on the bottom of your boat. This solution is recommended for high growth areas, or if you are trying to goes as long as you possibly can between bottom jobs. If you are in cooler climates or lower fouling conditions you would NOT need to spend the extra money on Sea Hawk Biocop TF. A better choice that is less expensive and will work in these conditions is Sea Hawk AF-33 or the equivalent.

ALUMINUM BOATS: The best bottom paint for an aluminum boat or pontoons is a copper free bottom paint. You cannot put the paints mentioned above (Copper-Based) on aluminum because they contain copper and will react like a battery causing pitting (holes) on aluminum. Therefore, we recommend an Aluminum Safe Bottom Paint. A good choice for aluminum is  Sea Hawk Colorkote, it is copper free triple biocide paint  safe for aluminum. If the aluminum has never been painted the best practice is to prime with high build epoxy primer like Sea Hawk Tuff Stuff to insure good adhesion and protect against corrosion. If you are painting a pontoon boat for the first time – try our Pontoon Bottom Paint Kit.

Premium Outdrive bottom paint kitThe best bottom paint for the outdrives is to brush on Smart Solution. (pint size).  If your outdrive has never been painted before, you can use Barnacle Blocker Primer for priming the area application of bottom paint. A great value for this is the Premium Outdrive Bottom Paint Kit. If there is already a bottom paint on your running gear, just scuff sand and paint! Another option is to try an aerosol spray bottom paint. These are easy to apply.

For outdrives a foul release agent may be the choice for you, see here.

Sea Hawk Ablative Bottom Paint Rankings by Antifouling Performance

Sea Hawk Ablative Bottom Paint Rankings by Antifouling Performance

sea hawk paints

Rank Bottom Paint Name Fresh Water / Salt Water High Growth Area Performance Slime Fighting Warm Water Performance Cost Comments
1 Islands 77 Plus   Both ***** ***** ***** $$$$$ Top Performance for Highest Growth Areas (Non-US)
1 Biocop TF Both ***** ***** ***** $$$$$ Top Performance for Highest Growth Areas (US)
2 Cukote Biocide Plus Both **** *** **** $$$$ Best Value Multi-Seasonal with Slime Fighter
3 Cukote Both *** n/a *** $$$ Best Overall Value Multi-Seasonal
4 Monterey Both *** n/a *** $$ Best Value Water-Based Multi-Seasonal
5 AF-33 Both *** n/a *** $ Lowest Cost Multi-Seasonal Available
6 Smart Solution Salt ** n/a ** $$ Metal Free Best Choice for Aluminum in salt water
7 Mission Bay Fresh ** n/a ** $$$ Best Choice for Aluminum and Pontoons. Safe on Aluminum.
8 Mission Bay CSF Both ** n/a ** $$$ Environmentally friendly water-based and copper free. Best for apply indoors.
9 VMG Racing Finish Fresh * n/a * $ Best used in Fresh Water Only, or as a Smooth Racing Finish

Ranking: By Most Effective Antifouling Performance
* All rankings provided by Bottom Paint Store are based on customer feedback, product testing data, and current market prices.