# Lifting for Bottom Coat



## Jaterac (Jul 30, 2020)

I got a Custome Gheenoe LT25. I’ve decided to apply a bottom coat. I’ve done a ton of research on products to use. I wish I could get hands on to decide... I’m trying to keep it cheap as in I plan on doing it myself. 

The issue I have is I live in a condo and my garage is just big enough for my trailer with a swing tongue. I don’t have much of a workspace. I also can’t flip the boat. It’s a center console with a poling platform. I also don’t want to remove the motor. 

I’ve considered two methods of lifting the boat. 

1) jack the trailer and boat up a foot higher, block the boat, drop the trailer. Coat the boat with a roll-on product. Jack the trailer back up, remove the blocks, then coat the area where the blocks were on a second phase of applying the coating. 

2) Anchor eyebolts to the ceiling of the garage and lift the boat up by the two eyebolts for the transom tie-downs and single U bolt on the keel. Skeptical about this method but it’s how the Line-x people said they’d do it and I confirmed with the folks at Gheenoe I could do this as well. Just need to fashion a hoist system. All I need is 6 inches to sand and get a roller. I guess I could use heavy duty ratchet straps at worst case. Not sure how heavy the boat is, but I’ll have to keep the trailer under it regardless. 

Any opinions would be great. 

What I need in a bottom coat: protection without adding a ton of weight and don’t want it to effect my speed. Protection is priority. I also want to be able to easily touch it up. 

I see a lot of people talk about epoxy and graphite. Would I be able to roll that on without flipping the boat and have good results? I’ve worked with epoxies before but never on a large scale. 4:1 ratio export/graphite powder. 

From my research, Steelflex is out of the question. A big Con is its hard to touch up and is a single cost, goes on thick, product. I read requires flipping the boat. 

Gator Glide seems like a popular product. Easy to apply and easy to touch up. But it’s more for being slick, not so much for taking on oyster beds. 

Wetlander seems to be ultra durable, but it’s a slick product, not a protection product. 

Line-x seems to be great protection but some say slows you down. 

Frog Spit is less talked about and since I can’t examine these products, figured I’d just leave this one out. 


Any recommendation and some insight on bottom coats would be great too. I know there are lots of topics about it. I’ve read 3 or 4 dozen threads talking about bottom coats and it’s just bias. No one really talks in detail about how they applied it. I’d also like to know what is best protect the hull from oysters. I’d also like impact protection.


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## State fish rob (Jan 25, 2017)

I’ve bottom painted several hulls while sitting on trailer , slide back and block up ,to get areas you can’t reach due to bunks. Tedious but not too bad. Hell of a lot easier than using local haul outs ( all but gone) I use a hot dog roller and a trim brush. Good luck !
w / drips on trailer , I can remember every paint job I’ve used it for. Too funny. 40 + years worth. ’73 float - on


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## MMc (Sep 27, 2018)

I would not recommend lifting from your garage ceiling - especially since you are in a condo with presumably another tenant above. Most joists/trusses are not designed for significant concentrated loads on the under side. I know gheenoes don't have a ton of weight to them, but its not worth the risk/liability.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

what are you trying to protect from that the millions of other boat owners who trailer aren't worried about? including guys like us that are running very skinny? most bottom coats are for boats that sit in water. just askin.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Jaterac said:


> I got a Custome Gheenoe LT25. I’ve decided to apply a bottom coat. I’ve done a ton of research on products to use. I wish I could get hands on to decide... I’m trying to keep it cheap as in I plan on doing it myself.
> 
> The issue I have is I live in a condo and my garage is just big enough for my trailer with a swing tongue. I don’t have much of a workspace. I also can’t flip the boat. It’s a center console with a poling platform. I also don’t want to remove the motor.
> 
> ...


Of all these products there is only one I would consider useful against oysters and that is LineX.

All the rest are pretty much for use on airboats to slide across vegetation.

Epoxy is tough stuff in its own right. You can make a very good mixture of epoxy and aluminum powder and this would fend off some rash. However, should you slam into them you risk puncturing your hull.

Pick up the phone and call West Syatems and ask them as they are the leaders in epoxy.


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

It’s a Gheenoe, pull the motor, battery, and gas tank, slide it back off the trailer on to some blocks and have at it! I do it regularly with much much bigger off shore boats!

Edit: used to do it, no more bottom jobs for me!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

DuckNut said:


> Of all these products there is only one I would consider useful against oysters and that is LineX.
> 
> All the rest are pretty much for use on airboats to slide across vegetation.
> 
> ...


my son did a bedliner bottom coat and it really seemed to slow down top speed a lot.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

Agreed with the above on not sure why you would bottom coat it.

my idea for getting access to the bottom:
Put trailer jack all the way down
Put blocks under stern
Raise trailer jack all the way
Put block under bow
Lower trailer jack

boat is now sitting fully on blocks


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## trekker (Sep 19, 2015)

What others said is the way to do it. Pretty easy to raise that boat off the trailer.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

devrep said:


> my son did a bedliner bottom coat and it really seemed to slow down top speed a lot.


I don't doubt that at all. The properties of it do not lend itself to have an efficient surface and on a gheenoe it probably adds 75 lbs.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

As others have said, bottom coat is for boats that sit in the water. There is no bottom coat that will protect your Gheenoe from oysters and definitely nothing that will give impact protection. Further, bottom coat on a Gheenoe will probably reduce resale value. If you want to prevent "oyster rash" and impact damage go slowly until you learn safe routes.


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## Dadvocate (Jun 26, 2011)

Since I've done what your thinking about I'll give you a true perspective. I refurbished a 16' Johnsen skiff and had to apply some type of bottom coat after hull repairs. I used the graphite epoxy mix rolled on with Epoxy rated 4" foam rollers. I lifted the front of boat till the bow eye was above the trailer bow roller and ran the winch strap over top of the roller and tightened. Next I carpeted a 4x4 on one side and jacked up back of boat and placed 4X4 across the bunks near the rear to support boat. This gives just enough room to paint above bunks. Slide rear support between coats once tack free to hit missed area. Blue taped a line all the way around boat and worked with Slow hardener 2 part Marine Epoxy. 2-Disposable tarps covering each side of trailer for minimal drips. Piece of cardboard on garage floor to protect it. Working in 12 oz batches was easily able to coat the bottom. I would suggest two coat minimum. I usually Island camp for 2- 3 weeks a year and have to 1 coat touch up every other year from beaching it. This coating is not oyster proof but is gloss black and boat does not have to be flipped.


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

Maybe rent an engine hoist from the auto parts store?


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## Jaterac (Jul 30, 2020)

I can’t flip the gheenoe as it’s a center console with poling platform. 

I get that I won’t be getting impact protection. The primary point of a slick coat will be to help protect the bottom by slipping over stuff. 99% of the places to beach a boat in the arena I boat in isn’t nice smooth sand. It’s jagged crushed shell and chunks of sand stone. Like Exhange Island. I beached there one time scratched the heck out of my hull. 

Thanks for the positive feedback. I’m going to get it coated next year. I’m going to take it in and have a pro do it.


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## Rollbar (Oct 20, 2016)

Wetlander is the key and might help w/the oyster bars.
Check this video out and focus on the product and what they do to it.









Home - Wetlander Slick Bottom for Boats


Wetlander is a very slick and durable boat bottom coating for shallow water boats, skiffs, and all flat bottom jon boats. And, it has great adhesion to both aluminum and fiberglass. Wetlander is for serious outdoor sportsmen. Whether you’re hunting ducks...




wetlander.com


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