The Neptune 212 test boat was launched eight months ago with a bottom painted with two of the best-performing anti-fouling paints in the 2003-04 test: Pettit Trinidad SR and Interlux Micron 66. The hull was crisscrossed. The Pettit was applied to the starboard stern and port bow sections, while the Interlux was applied to the port stern and starboard bow.

Bottom paint—what a boring subject. One of our fishing buddies who is also a PBR subscriber, Jim Gillespie, consistently begs, “Please, no more bottom paint articles!” Yes, bottom paint is not something you want to bring up on a first date, but it is one of the most critical maintenance materials for the recreational boat owner. That’s why we spend all this time testing paints and talking about copper content, hard paints, soft paints, etc.

The results of our annual bottom paint test are due out next month. But we’ve got two separate bottom-paint projects on the side that we’re ready to report on—at least some of the initial findings—right…