Boat Speed Marine

Boat Speed Marine is a small, local Seattle company specializing in race boat bottoms."Put the bottom at the top of your list this year. A fast bottom will have less drag, which equals greater speed, acceleration and pointing! The bottom paint rule for serious racers: pay for it to be done right the first time so you are not paying someone else to fix it. Prepare the bottom correctly so the paint sticks the first time. Stick to the basics: You want a faired and smooth bottom with a proper epoxy barrier coat and a very smooth paint job. Shortcuts equals slow. Ask winning skippers what yard they use for their bottom and who does the work. You can’t argue with success. Unless you have a race-prepared bottom that just needs paint, start by taking off the old bottom paint and barrier coat down to the original gelcoat. New boats from the factory generally do not have race-prepared bottoms. The barrier coat is sprayed in several coats and long-board sanded to insure any hull or foil imperfections are faired and corrected. Sanding "orange peel" texture away is especially important. If left on, your race bottom paint will go on an uneven surface and lead to a rough, slow bottom. A barrier coat is the key to a successful bottom. It seals the hull from moisture that can lead to blisters or worse."-Jerry Kaye