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Descant · 05-31-2021, 10:20 AM

The bottom paint isn't just to prevent marine growth. If your boat is in the water all the time the hull absorbs moisture. On a former boat, I used to wax it every spring. At the time, waxing cost $200 and bottom paint, good for about three years, was about $600, a cost trade-off, so I stayed with wax. Some years later, a surveyor noted high moisture content after sitting in the water all summer and recommended winter drying, then a sealer and then bottom paint. We did that. Some years later, when I went to sell the boat, no moisture issues. In the interim, maintenance was cheaper than waxing, just a pressure wash and occasional touch up paint.
It sounds like the OP's bottom paint was DIY by the previous owner. In that case, it may come off more easily than a factory job.

05-31-2021, 10:20 AM	#11
Descant Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Merrimack and Welch Island Posts: 4,038 Thanks: 1,212 Thanked 1,518 Times in 985 Posts	Moisture content The bottom paint isn't just to prevent marine growth. If your boat is in the water all the time the hull absorbs moisture. On a former boat, I used to wax it every spring. At the time, waxing cost $200 and bottom paint, good for about three years, was about $600, a cost trade-off, so I stayed with wax. Some years later, a surveyor noted high moisture content after sitting in the water all summer and recommended winter drying, then a sealer and then bottom paint. We did that. Some years later, when I went to sell the boat, no moisture issues. In the interim, maintenance was cheaper than waxing, just a pressure wash and occasional touch up paint. It sounds like the OP's bottom paint was DIY by the previous owner. In that case, it may come off more easily than a factory job.