It depends on what you painted the bottom with. All the paints and varnishes sold by CLC are technically topside-only and the manufacturers all unanimously  and strenuously deny their suitability for below-the-waterlines use. To get the manufacturer's approval for keeping the boat in the water you would need to use a bottom paint.

Topside paint eventually absorbs water, blisters and peels off. If you did a good job with the epoxy encapsulation, the worst you're probably looking at is having to completely remove the paint and replace it. But if your epoxy has a leak, the boat could start rotting.

That said, I've kept boats in the water for up to 4 days with no problems using just topside paint or varnish (and I know that I'm not the only one) so I'd say that's a good lower limit, especially if you let it dry out for a day or 2 between long soaks.

I've also seen a boat painted with System Three topside paint (comparable to Interlux) that was stored in brackish water for 3 months. The paint was OK as far as integrity was concerned, but the underwater part had a green biological scum that would not wash off.

Finally, do keep in mind that rain and sun are also your boat's enemies and that while the boat is in the water it'll be getting blasted by the sun and filled by the rain. You'll need to do something about that, too.

Good luck,

Laszlo

   Overland,

As usual, Lazlo has the right of it.

I keep my Peeler Skiff on a saltwater mooring in Narragansett Bay from April to November with no problems. Fortunately it is small enough that the seagulls have no interest in fouling it.

When About Time switched from life on a trailer to life on a mooring, we sanded the bottom down to the resin (not too aggressively) and used an antifouling bottom paint, We repaint her every Spring befor relaunching her. Works like a charm with no problems.

Cheers,

Dick

Overland,

Sorry, I left out a very important detail: We already had a battery for starting the outboard so we wired an automatic bilge pump to it and added a small solar panel to keep it charged. You'd be amazed by how much rainwater can accumulate without an automatic pump.

The Interlux Brightside paint on her topsides was a very pleasant surprise and has held up very well under a New England sun. We just repainted the topsides this winter after 10 years of use. I'm not so sure about how well it would haf stood up under the sun below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Cheers,

Dick

I keep my Skerry moored in the bay from April - October/November and have done since I built it in 2014.  

Below the waterline is antifouling paint which is applied to the correct undercoat. Usually 2 coats of undercoat and 3 coats of antifoul (we have a stony beach here in S.W. Turkey) is enough and I usually remove and replace in the spring before she goes back in.

In fact, I'll be striking the waterline tomorrow morning!