Alternatives to Anti-foul Paint

[Elan450]

I have been considering moving away from Anti foul paints and am looking for alternatives.

The only really sensible alternatives i have found (that i like the sound of) are Foul Release Coatings, has anyone had any experience with these?

Apologies if there is already a thread on this that i have missed or this is in the wrong place.. I have just joined.

Regards

 

[VicS]

An ultrasonic system is the way forward.

There have been numerous posts on here in the past about this. An advanced Google search of YBW.com will find what has been posted previously including building one from a Jaycar kit.

 

[pessimist]

As VicS says. We just had our first haul out after using the Jaycar system for a full year (it's combined with ten year old Coppercoat). Very pleased with the result. Virtually no shell fouling (the yard usually use a garden hoe to remove the mussels and barnacles). Weed fouling also much reduced.

 

[NormanS]

Presumably the use of an ultrasonic system requires an electric supply, so not much use to those of us on swinging moorings.

 

[[70521]]

Presumably the use of an ultrasonic system requires an electric supply, so not much use to those of us on swinging moorings.

I had a long chat with the people who make the ultrasonic system at London Boat Show, it was so quiet I chatted for 45 mins without another soul being seen, and as I am also on a swing mooring discussed the power consumption at length. I don't see it being a problem, but I am in the tropics of the south English coast. Planning to stick a big flexible solar panel to onboard supply its power needs.

 

[Elan450]

Thank you guys. Really useful stuff, although i have honestly been looking more and more at Foul Release coatings. I'm aware that with the "threat" that anti fouls and copper are going to be banned at some point significant improvements have been made in Silicone. Any thoughts?

Regards

 

[ex-Gladys]

A neighbour in the yard this winter has installed an Ultrasonic system on his Fisher 34... I'm dying to see the results. It's one of those technologies I would love to work, but want to see decent proof before diving in.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I think that the problem with Fouling Release coatings for leisure boats is that they are meant to be used on a vessel that is almost constantly moving at a speed over some minimum; 8 knots seems to be the minimum. No problem with the speed on a leisure motor boat (big problem for sailing boats!), but the constant movement is a problem for almost all leisure craft. I understand that the stuff is ineffective on a stationary boat, as it relies on the larval stages of fouling organisms being unable to attach to the hull as they are constantly dislodged by the passage through the water. Once fouling organisms are attached, it does nothing to hinder their growth thereafter. So it will be ineffective on a leisure boat that spends long periods stationary, either in a marina or on a swinging mooring (the latter presuming that your mooring isn't subject to 8 knot currents!).

I also understand that applying them is not easy either.

 

[vyv_cox]

The tests I have read found that although weed and shell fouling were reduced or eliminated, ultrasonic devices do not prevent growth of Sea Squirts. In one test these covered the hull, some with a length of four inches or more. Hence the requirement to antifoul in addition to using the device.

Apparently a moderately sized solar panel will cope with the electrical requirements as it does not need to be operated constantly.

 

[Quandary]

One of the boats here uses the super smooth coating, it does not move enough to stay clean, as stated above but when it does come out the thick growth of mussels is very easy to remove.

 

[Elan450]

A neighbour in the yard this winter has installed an Ultrasonic system on his Fisher 34... I'm dying to see the results. It's one of those technologies I would love to work, but want to see decent proof before diving in.

I have actually looked into Ultrasound, however, from my understanding it still needs to be used along side another protective coating. I see that Coppercoat is often recommended to pair with Ultrasound but I am hesitant to start using it when places are starting to ban it (I feel like it will end up being banned like TBT).
If im going to to put a coating on anyway i may as well use one that does the job well and has no risk of being banned, which is why i have been looking at Foul Release coatings. I might even use Ultrasound anyway but along side something else.

What does your neighbour have as a coating?

Kind regards

 

[duncan99210]

Generally speaking, when a paint or ingredient is banned the ban applies to new paints and coatings only, so if you've already got, say, Coppercoat on the boat you won't have to remove it. Rather, you won't be able to buy it if a ban were to be introduced. However, I see no signs of such a ban in any of the press in UK. There was something of a scare last year about banning the sale of antifoul paints to non professionals but that has now receded after a survey and some clever footwork by the paint makers.

In addition, the absence of any effective alternatives to the current biocides in antifoul paints makes the likelihood of any sort of ban remote. There is no evidence that biocide leaching into the water is causing any significant problems, as was the case with TBT, so there is no drive to bring in a ban.

The only place where copper based anti fouls are banned that I know of is the Netherlands, where I understand the driver is their inland waters. The accumulation of leached biocides will, of course, be more of a problem in these waters where water flows are much smaller than tidal waters, hence the ban.

 

[macd]

The only place where copper based anti fouls are banned that I know of is the Netherland

And even there it seems to be a fairly relaxed ban. It's not uncommon for Dutch boats to wander next door to Belgium to apply copper-based antifoul, Coppercoat included.

 

[vyv_cox]

The only place where copper based anti fouls are banned that I know of is the Netherlands, where I understand the driver is their inland waters. The accumulation of leached biocides will, of course, be more of a problem in these waters where water flows are much smaller than tidal waters, hence the ban.

We lived in Holland when the ban was introduced. Apparently the whole affair was based upon a number of poisoned fish that were initially believed to have been exposed to copper. Later it transpired that the cause was something else entirely but the ban seems to have remained. In typical Dutch style it is legal for shops to sell copper based A/F and it is legal for the boat to have a coating of copper based A/F. The only illegal act is to apply it but many yards turn a blind eye and many owners go elsewhere (Belgium, Germany) to apply it.

 

[Tranona]

I have actually looked into Ultrasound, however, from my understanding it still needs to be used along side another protective coating. I see that Coppercoat is often recommended to pair with Ultrasound but I am hesitant to start using it when places are starting to ban it (I feel like it will end up being banned like TBT).
If im going to to put a coating on anyway i may as well use one that does the job well and has no risk of being banned, which is why i have been looking at Foul Release coatings. I might even use Ultrasound anyway but along side something else.

What does your neighbour have as a coating?

Kind regards

Somewhat surprised you are still thinking of foul release coatings when all the reports both here and your other threads say it is not suitable for use on leisure craft unless they are regularly used at the speeds that are necessary to keep the fouling from forming. None of the manufacturers have suggested they are suitable, nor are they promoting them to leisure markets. What developments there are focus on extending the life of existing coatings, but even then the market is limited by high cost of both materials and application. Therefore the market has been limited to large superyachts where the cost of frequent haulouts can be reduced.

The only effective development has been Coppercoat (and similar products) because they are economic and relatively easy to apply. Moreover they are effective for leisure boats that spend most of their time stationary.

As others have said there seems to be little pressure to ban copper. The pressure has been on the application process, particularly on the hazards to people and the problem of disposing of waste, resulting in restrictions on the sale of the more toxic (and effective) formulations to the general public.