Black stuff or White stuff? What would they use to careen in the Indie

[Zaknesbitt]

What would rovers in the West Indies have used when careening their vessels. After they had cleaned her hull of weed and other growth, what was the most typical substance they used to 'grave' it? Are there any specific direct references?

Benerson Little in Buccaneer's Realm says they covered their hulls with different combinations of pitch, tar, lime and tallow.

Brain Lavery in his extensively researched book "the arming and fitting of english ships of war 1660-1815" explains that vessels of the period used 'black stuff' which was a mixture of tar and pitch, which is consistent with what Little says, however he specifies that vessels going on foreign service favoured 'white stuff' a mixture of train oil, rosin, brimstone or sulphur, because it was believed to prevent the shipworm from eating through hulls. Conversely he says that by the turn of the 18th century white stuff had all but fallen into disuse simply due to it costing twice to three times as much as black stuff, and that tripling still when supplies for rosin were cut off from the Baltic by war.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=djwmMDm48uwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=brian+lavery+arming+and+fitting+of+english+ships+of+war&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UV_OVJLSA8LHsQTAj4HgBA&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=white%20stuff&f=false

HOWEVER, the two period references I have found to what sloops bottoms were coated with, the first being the description of Bellamy's sloop Marieanne in late 1717 and the second a visual reference, the painting of the sloop Devonshire from 1720, both depict each vessel as having white underbellies, with Bellamy's sloop specifically being defined as being coated with "White lead".

SO my question is - do we have any specific references as to what was the preferred material for coating vessel's hulls during careening by West Indian privateers/pirates/sea-rovers during the Golden Age? White stuff? Black stuff? Tallowing, or a different combination of materials?

Edited February 11, 2015 by Zaknesbitt

[RoyalJames]

This is no answer to your question, but some curiosa on the same subject. According to Brian Lavery copper was introduced as means of hull protection on the frigate Alarm in 1761. This was so successful (and still is) that almost all ships used this by 1778.