We used Copperpoxy. It was very expensive. The first year the stuff flaked off under powerwashing. I took pictures and sent samples to the company. They said there was some wax on the samples. The boat is 1964 and we sanded it down, wiped it, and painted.
     The company sent me replacement material. We put it on again. The boat is on the Hudson in Haverstraw bay with its brackish water. The bottom is loaded with marine growth. I swear there are schools of fish feeding off the boat. If I was in salt water I would be afraid of sharks. Do people usually scrub the bottoms during the year? If not, does your boat's bottom (I figured I should clarify whose bottom we are talking about) have much growth, and if not, what are you using?

     As a hull diver, I have strong opinions about bottom paint. For almost all applications, I recommend Petit Trinidad. It's an epoxy-based paint, quite hard, high copper content, resists fouling well and stands up to cleaning and other forms of abuse, besides being fast. Ablatives, IMHO, do not offer superior anti-fouling properties for the casual sailor, and are far more fragile than epoxy-based paints.

     I use Petit Trinadad bottom paint exclusively.  I am in St. Petersburg Florida and it take 1.25 gallons to do my Triton with 2 coats and 4 coats on the upper 18 inches.  Typically I will add one vial of Compound-X (Tetricyclene) and some cayene pepper.  My bottom job lasts 2.5 to 3 years.  I go under the boat to clean my prop, but typically do not have to scrub the hull at all (until just prior to the next job).

     Last spring I wrote with my questions about refinishing my bottom.  I got lots of good advice from you folks.  I thought I'd tell you the end of the story just in case anyone can find it useful.  Remember Egret is in cold, fresh water.
    My bottom paint was cracked in long lines the corresponded to cracks in the gel coat.  The hull had to be absorbing water.  When I had it metered, they found lots of water at the far aft end of the keel, and two spots on the very bottom of the keel.  After the info from Everett Pearson, I drilled two holes in the bottom of the farthest aft keel section and water dripped out for a few weeks.  I sanded all the bottom paint off, then sanded the gel coat off with a random/orbital sander.  I used Interprotect 1000, then 5 coats of Interprotect 2000, then VC17 bottom paint.  I also reglassed the rudder, and used the 2000 on it.  And, I had to patch the bilge as that was at least part of the source of water infiltration.  I decided to ignore the high water readings on the bottom of the keel because there were some pretty cracked up areas below and they were never wet, unlike the aft portion by the rudder.
    The boat was hauled on Friday, the good news is that I have no blisters, as a matter of fact the bottom looks pretty good.  The rudder did absorb water through those long screws, so I will drill the bottom and drain it before freeze up.  The bad news is I will probably have to start on an entirely new project....the decks....in the spring.  Thanks to all of you for your advice.

     We used Petit Trinidad on our last boat ('74 Pearson 26) and it lasted 5 years before it needed to be redone.  Granted, we had lots of paint, so we put on probably 5 - 6 coats, just kept slapping it on till we ran out.  Our bottom was cleaned about every 3-4 months, and everytime there was always
plenty of paint left on the bottom.
     We'll haul out again this summer and completely redo the bottom, going all the way down to the gelcoat, and we'll use an epoxy barrier coat and Petit Trinidad again.

     Make sure that the paint you get is compatable with the paint that's already on there. By that I mean, when I first got Dogstar I bought some random bottom paint. Don't recall what. When I hauled a couple of years later the paint was peeling off because it was a "different type". Unfortunately, I don't recall what the different types are, but I got the wrong one. Nowdays I put on the same stuff on every time.
     How do you find out if the paint is compatable? Ask the guys who haul your boat. In fact, they may give you a good enough price that you won't mind letting them paint it. Especially if you only want a cruiser finish.
     BTW, I'm kind of happy with Bay Ship and Yacht in Richmond. Steve Taft seems to know his business.
(The West Marine catalog has a "Bottom Paint Compatibility Chart" which is a primer on anti fouling paint.  If the boat is in the water, take a stiff brush and give the bottom a good swipe. If a cloud of color similar to the paint comes off, it's an ablative. Be sure that what you are looking at is not the slime you just knocked off, which will be a orange/brown color. An epoxy-based paint will not shed paint when wiped. If the boat is on the hard, you can rub your fingers across the hull. An ablative will leave a residue, epoxy will not. As far as identifying brand, good luck. I can recognize most of the popular ones on sight, but I look at 35 or 40 boats a week. But brand is probably less important than type, when deciding what to repaint with. Matt Peterson- "Opu Nui," Triton #329)

     For the past three haul-outs I've used Petit Trinidad and have gone 2 years between paint jobs (one time 3 years).  During the second year I have had a diver clean the bottom a few times and it has always held up well.

     If you can't get that nasty (TBT) commercial stuff, the Petit Trinidad is the paint to use.

     Tampa Bay can be some of the most fouled water around -- short of having Zebra mussels -- ( too much nutrients flowing  -- phosphate mines, major port, etc.) which contributes to growth and fouled bottoms.  I have gotten as much as 4 1/2 years out of two coats, with three coats at the waterline.
     Actually, I used to sell the stuff twenty years ago (I worked for a distributor), after I put my Marine Biology Studies (Univ. of Tampa) on hold and it was the "Right Stuff" back then too. I also spend a good portion of my life scrubbing hulls and I find that I do not have to work as hard on a
properly prepared hull with a good coat of Trinidad. Of course, don't tell my buddies customers that, They will want a reduction on their monthly bill.