[PUP] Bottom Paint

[Les Dobbe]

Hello Warm Water Cruisers,
    I am in Costa Rica and will be entering the canal zone in a couple 
of weeks.  Meanwhile my bottom paint applied in Newport Calif in Oct/07 
is doing miserably.  I will probably get the bottom in Panama or 
Cartegena before I leave the area.  I had convinced myself that a hard 
bottom paint was the way to go since I'm having to clean the bottom 
every month.  With the ablative I just see mucho dollars going up in a 
cloud.  I guess the argument could be that if the ablative had enough 
copper/tin additives the scrubbing wouldn't need to take place.  Well we 
aren't on the move all the time so the self polishing lags a bit when we 
are "smelling the roses" for a month or two at a time.
    Curious as to what is the common practice where high content 
biocides are available?  Hard or soft?  I was told by Shelter Bay Marina 
that they have a very hard ablative with all the additives. Is this a 
good compromise.
    The next potential haul out will be in a year, probably stateside.

Thanks,
Les Dobbe
"Voyager"
Cocos, Costa Rica