# Don Casey: Paint Waterline Stripe with Bottom Paint



## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

I remember reading this suggestion and liking it in one of Don Casey's books. My waterline is a bit too low (perhaps 1/4 to 1" above the real waterline. Is this common for Contessa's?) and with the wave action I get at my mooring there is lots of growth and years of cleaning the growth off means the waterline paint job looks terrible and needs some attention.

This seems like a reasonable way to reduce my future maintenance. Obviously it wouldn't look quite as nice as shiny top-side paint but it would stop the growth and dealing with bottom paint is so much easier.

Currently I have Interlux topside paint for the waterline and ablative bottom paint. I assume if I did this I would put a hard anti-fouling paint on for the stripe? Any issue with this that I'm not thinking of? Would there be extra prep going from top-side to anti-fouling? Or other suggestions?


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## padean (Jul 5, 2001)

Are you talking about painting a strip a couple of inches above the current top of your bottom coat?

I have heard of painting the bottom coat a little higher to reflect wave action etc and keep growth off the gelcoat of the sides, but painting a stripe a few inches above the current waterline will still leave those few inches of exposed gelcoat. 

I guess another possibility, which I have seen on several occasions, and used once on a boat I race on, is to stop the bottom coat at the current location, paint white bottom coat pain (such as Vivid) just above this for another inch or two. Then you could paint a stripe above this. Maybe that would help with what you are asking about.


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## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

The boatyard here has started using bottom paint for the boot stripe, and it seems to have worked pretty well on the boats I've seen. Not sure whether they're using ablative or something harder.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

In a moment of new boat owner confusion, the previous owner of a boat I owned painted bottom paint up to the BOOT Stripe. Yup, gritty blue paint all the way to the rubrail.

My Bristol 27 squats down in the back too. Would probably be worth trying to get it to sit on it's lines. Still, I like that idea.


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## mikel1 (Oct 19, 2008)

Did I just read that first part right?


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## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

padean said:


> Are you talking about painting a strip a couple of inches above the current top of your bottom coat?


No, my bottom paint touches the waterline stripe, no gap in between. And as I said, the waterline stripe is at the waterline (or no more than 1" above it) and is topside paint so it's wet all the time and fouls up quick. I thought a quick scrub would remove the growth. I was wrong. That stuff is on there pretty solid. I guess it has to hang on to survive.



SecondWindNC said:


> The boatyard here has started using bottom paint for the boot stripe, and it seems to have worked pretty well on the boats I've seen. Not sure whether they're using ablative or something harder.


Wait is Boot stripe the same as waterline stripe? I may be confused on that point. But this sounds like exactly what I meant.


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Sorry ASDF, but I think you are confusing terms... See here http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/54034-bootstripe-necessary.html

Mine is a different animal (small boat in comparison), but I have anti-foul, then gelcoat, then bootstripe then gelcoat... is this unique?
see below:









Oh this is the day I brought her home, she's much cleaner, has a new bottom, and the trailer looks better now.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

Barquito said:


> In a moment of new boat owner confusion, the previous owner of a boat I owned painted bottom paint up to the *BOOT* Stripe. Yup, gritty blue paint all the way to the rubrail.
> 
> My Bristol 27 squats down in the back too. Would probably be worth trying to get it to sit on it's lines. Still, I like that idea.


I believe you meant *COVE* stripe - the boot stripe is the coloured line above the bottom paint at the waterline.

My preference is to have the boot stripe several inches above the actual, static waterline and to bring the bottom paint up to the underside of it. Colour choice for the bottom paint becomes a bit more significant than if it's kept below the real waterline since it shows more but with careful choice it can look very good.

The actual extra height is dependent on the size of boat of course. I brought it up 2" on my 26' Quarter Tonner but I've seen it approaching 6" on a 42' boat. It also seems to look better if one has a wide or elaborate boot stripe - several stripes, stripes varying thick to thin etc.

It also serves to visually lower very high topsides.

If you have no other choice - gel coat boot top right at the waterline for example, then overpainting it with bottom paint would work but it would look a LOT better to repaint the boot top higher with gloss paint and then do the bottom as I have described. That line is second only to the sheerline in importance to a boats looks.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

I am trying one more time with conventional boot stripe paint but if I get the same degree of algae growth on the boot stripe I will try Petit Vivid next year.


From ELEPHANTS CHILD

And yes the boot stripe is/was bright red. 8 weeks in Clarks Court Bay Grenada did that.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

I have always raised my waterline to level that handles the splashing as a stripe of bottom paint that gets a bit wet is IMHP not going to look that nice


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

> I believe you meant COVE stripe - the boot stripe is the coloured line above the bottom paint at the waterline.


Thats right. See, a little confusion and I would be painting the deck with bottom paint.:laugher

I think it would look good to have bottom paint up to the regular line, then another color of bottom paint from there up another few inches (depending on boat size.


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

Don Casey says: "Don't locate the bootstripe at the true water line. It should be *at least* an inch above the water to prevent the stripe from fouling as a result of wave action, or of the boat being slightly out of trim". This is how my bootstripe was applied, and I don't have any fouling issues. I can't imagine that bottom paint would look nearly as good as Bootstripe paint, and is still going to foul if the stripe is too low. Casey explains how to determine the proper water line on page 360 of his book "Sailboat Maintenance".


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## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

L124C said:


> Don Casey says: "Don't locate the bootstripe at the true water line. It should be *at least* an inch above the water to prevent the stripe from fouling as a result of wave action, or of the boat being slightly out of trim". This is how my bootstripe was applied, and I don't have any fouling issues. I can't imagine that bottom paint would look nearly as good as Bootstripe paint, and is still going to foul if the stripe is too low. Casey explains how to determine the proper water line on page 360 of his book "Sailboat Maintenance".


For reference I'll try to find the quote I'm referring to tonight but I believe Don Casey said that it looks fine and when the boat is in the water it's usually wet and shiny anyway and hard to tell the difference.

Part of my fouling problem is that I'm out of trim, I know that (anchors stored in the cockpit lockers right now tilting me aft) but the fouling continues up half the boat so it's more than that. Also with reasonably long overhangs in the stern there is sort of a leverage effect where when the boat rocks backward it sends the stern and especially the rudder (transom hung) pretty deep into the water. On the rudder the fouling now covers nearly my entire stripe.

For those with an inch of clearance and no fouling are you sure it's only an inch? And how sheltered is the water you're in?


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

You need a good 2" above the waterline and i still have to do some minor wiping


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## L124C (Oct 4, 2007)

asdf38 said:


> For reference I'll try to find the quote I'm referring to tonight but I believe Don Casey said that it looks fine and when the boat is in the water it's usually wet and shiny anyway and hard to tell the difference.
> Part of my fouling problem is that I'm out of trim, I know that (anchors stored in the cockpit lockers right now tilting me aft) but the fouling continues up half the boat so it's more than that. Also with reasonably long overhangs in the stern there is sort of a leverage effect where when the boat rocks backward it sends the stern and especially the rudder (transom hung) pretty deep into the water. On the rudder the fouling now covers nearly my entire stripe.For those with an inch of clearance and no fouling are you sure it's only an inch? And how sheltered is the water you're in?


Good point! Just measured, and the top of my bottom paint (blue) is three and a half inches ATWL, with a half inch section of gel coat above it, putting the bottom of the Bootstripe (red) four inches ATWL. I use ablative bottom paint. Both the bottom and Bootstripe paints are tired, but I still think the Bootstripe paint looks much better. I'm in a sheltered marina, but if I had fouling half way up my hull, I'd be wondering what was in the water. Is BP your neighbor?


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## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

Ok I'm digging this up because I'm about to do it (paint my waterline stripe with bottom paint). However I'm now aware of a new concern: bottom paint exposure to sunlight. I have Petit Unepoxy and noticed it said that the boat should be put in the water within 60 days of painting. Am I going to have a problem with this? 

I spent some time when I was shopping for paint trying to identify ones that could take sunlight but had a hard time figuring it out and now I question what I ended up with.


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## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

ASDF,

Leaving hard bottom paint exposed to air too long causes it to work, but it becomes less effective the longer it is allowed to dry out. If it isn't wet, it won't foul anyway, so no harm done. If it is wet then the paint will last just like the stuff on your keel.

Part of the problem is that manufacturers stripe a boat based upon its loaded waterline in salt water. Most boats though are moored in either brackish or mostly fresh water, so your boat actually floats deeper. Basically the fresher the water the deeper your boat sits, and the higher your bottom paint should come. Even a creek emptying into a cove can significantly reduce the local salinity of the water.

In addition if you happen to carry more weight than the designer calculated for the loaded water line, of course you sit deeper. So if the bottom paint stops right at the line... Well you get stuff growing. 

Finally a boat with a little bottom paint showing is an indication she is being kept light (even when not true).


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## Night_Sailor (May 27, 2012)

SecondWindNC said:


> The boatyard here has started using bottom paint for the boot stripe, and it seems to have worked pretty well on the boats I've seen. Not sure whether they're using ablative or something harder.


Same color as the bottom paint? *Or something different to keep the boot stripe look? 
*
I've seen people paint over their boot stripes with the bottom paint they use on the bottom. These are overloaded cruising boats. One of the calculations I did for my big boat was to determine how much lower my boat would sit with an extra ton of weight in it. Answer 1". I can see how having the boot stripe for a guide to raise the waterline makes sense.

I have notices a lot of crud accumulating on my boot stripe. I was on a fore and aft mooring and one side was noticeably dirtier than the other--the wind leaned it over a bit. I would hate to paint over it and loose that little yachting touch of color. I will see what happens this year at a dock. Most likely I'll leave it as is. On a bigger boat I might be tempted to raise the waterline a an inch if needed.


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## canucksailorguy (Mar 2, 2006)

Here's my video on SAIL Magazine's website on how to paint your bootstripe - this way, you avoid the 'squatting' look when you move or widen the stripe - How to Paint a Boot Stripe | Sail Magazine


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## asdf38 (Jul 7, 2010)

Night_Sailor said:


> Same color as the bottom paint? *Or something different to keep the boot stripe look?
> *




In my case, starting at the bottom it's blue bottom paint (ablative), red topside paint for the stripe, and blue topside paint for the sides. On some boats the stripe and the bottom paint don't touch but in my case they do.

I'm replacing only the red stripe at the waterline with red bottom paint.


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## SchockT (May 21, 2012)

I always paint the antifouling up a couple of inches above the static water line. I use ablative paint so it cleans off easily. The boot stripe is not paint, it is decal. I have the remnants of the roll in case it gets damaged.

This photo is a bit exagerated because of waves and a bit of aft trim at the time of the shot.










(My son named the seal "Snokel". He hung around all weekend, and was particularly impressed with my paint job as he spend a lot of time admiring his reflection in it!)


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## Night_Sailor (May 27, 2012)

asdf38 said:


> In my case, starting at the bottom it's blue bottom paint (ablative), red topside paint for the stripe, and blue topside paint for the sides. On some boats the stripe and the bottom paint don't touch but in my case they do.
> 
> I'm replacing only the red stripe at the waterline with red bottom paint.


That sound like a fine idea. Are you using ablative paint? or hard paint?


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## Lantau (Aug 12, 2014)

Can anyone give me advice on how to prepare the surface of my topside boot stripe to be covered with ablative bottom (antifouling) paint? 

The boat's waterline is where it should be (a good 2" above actual waterline with boat loaded), but wave action gets well up onto the bootstripe, creating a perfect environment for gunk to grow. I want to raise the bottom paint up to help with this (the bottom paint I use is quite good at stopping all growth, including plant-like gunk). 

In my ideal world I could simply clean and sand the boot stripe and roll on the bottom paint. But something tells me that I need to do more, specifically use some kind of primer, so that the bottom paint sticks properly. The bottom paint instructions aren't clear about what to use (they say use "suitable existing antifoulings and primers," which is not very specific!). Can anyone suggest what I should do? I am hoping that the reply does not involve any white primer. The bottom paint and boot stripe are both similar colors (dark blue), so white underneath the raised bottom paint would make any scratches very visible indeed. Do 'they' make primer in blue?

I'm sure the answer to this question is somewhere on sailnet, but I could not find it (I'm not too good with searching online).


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

If the existing stripe is gelcoat then no more prep is required than on the boats bottom - sand it, tape it, paint it.


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