Bottom Paint 30-Month Update

A 30-month checkup on bottom paints currently being evaluated in the brackish waters of The Chesapeake Bay.

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The Chesapeake Bay is known for brown water and rapid fouling, so any paint that can hang in there for 30 months is doing its job and is a good value. On the other hand, freezing water temperatures and very low salinity knock of a lot of the hard growth off over the winter, so we expect to see fewer barnacles in the spring than in the fall. But by April the days get longer, the bay is up to 50 F in the mainstream and 60 F in the marinas, and soft growth can make a jungle under your boat in no time.

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Drew Frye
Drew Frye, Practical Sailor’s technical editor, has used his background in chemistry and engineering to help guide Practical Sailor toward some of the most important topics covered during the past 10 years. His in-depth reporting on everything from anchors to safety tethers to fuel additives have netted multiple awards from Boating Writers International. With more than three decades of experience as a refinery engineer and a sailor, he has a knack for discovering money-saving “home-brew” products or “hacks” that make boating affordable for almost anyone. He has conducted dozens of tests for Practical Sailor and published over 200 articles on sailing equipment. His rigorous testing has prompted the improvement and introduction of several marine products that might not exist without his input. His book “Rigging Modern Anchors” has won wide praise for introducing the use of modern materials and novel techniques to solve an array of anchoring challenges. 

1 COMMENT

  1. Great article, but I’m unable to see the column headings on the comparison chart in both Chrome and Safari browsers on a Mac. I’ll miss the paper version of PS in the near future if online tables and charts are not formatted so that we can read all elements with the same ease and clarity provided by the old paper versions of PS.