Anti-fouling - Orwell Mooring

Greg2

Greg2

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We are planning to move our boat from the Broads to Woolverstone at the beginning of the season and I am wondering what the situitaion is with fouling on the hull and sterngear in the Orwell. We have moored in coastal marinas before and always got on okay with Cruiser Uno for the hull and Trilux for the outdrives. Is this combo likely to be okay or are there better options for the hull?

Not sure if the Orwell is all salt or brackish - I suspect the former given the size of the estuary but am I wrong?
 
Anti-fouling choice is fairly subjective.... What sort of mooring, half-tide or permanently afloat? I've always been a fan of Hempel's Cruiser Performance but there's a good East Coast argument that says why anti-foul if the hull will have a thin layer of mud on it? I don't totally subscribe to the idea but it has merit.

Unless you're right up in Ipswich the Orwell is salt. If you're afloat all the time then see how you get on with Hempel. It's fairly easy to remove if you don't like it.
 
Salt. I don't think that any one AF is superior in this area, though everyone has their favourite. I'm round the corner in Titchmarsh and found Optima effective but have had less success with Hempel Tiger, but the current flow through Woolverstone may make it different.
 
Our ship has had Tiger Extra for the last two years prior to that International Micron.

We are based at Shotley and have to say I could not see much difference, both worked reasonably well.
 
I am new to the Orwell and can only say that after one year at Woolverstone the fouling is significantly less than it was on the Deben at Methersgate. I think this may be because there is more sea water and less fresh in the Orwell; I suspect that what Deben people call “concretion” - a very hard, pale, coating over the antifouling paint - is actually lime scale.

Edited to add:

I’ve just been chatting to a friend who also moved to the Orwell from the Deben, but some years ago, and he confirmed what I wrote above.

I like Ocean Performer. The colour doesn’t seem to make much difference.
 
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My go to antifoul is Hempel tiger xtra although I'm led to believe it has changed so may have to reconsider in the next few weeks. Need to move to our other yard in Ipswich to lift out and sort antifoul so will be watching this post for other peoples opinions.
 
I have used Seajet Shogun very successfully for a number of years, both on a mooring and in a Marina at Woolverstone. Previously on a wooden day boat then a sailing cruiser and most recently a motor boat. With the cruisers it may have helped that we usually managed to spend some time each year in fresh water.
 
Greg2 said:
Not sure if the Orwell is all salt or brackish - I suspect the former given the size of the estuary but am I wrong?
Click to expand...

As others have said, it's salt.

It's actually salt all the way into Ipswich, which might be a bit surprising to some. The Haven marina in Ipswich has a large population of Mussels and also has Barnacles in there, neither of those are fond of brackish water. Funnily enough, i've not seen any Mussels in Shotley and not a lot of evidence of Barnacles either, both marinas are behind locks, so it isn't a water movement thing, perhaps Shotley doesn't have them because there is apparently a fresh water spring that leaks into the marina ?
 
Two coats of CU-PRO has worked well for me, and lasted 2 seasons, only noticeable build up is keel bottoms and waterline. First season was in The Wash, and the second shared between both Ipswich and Shotley, I'll be using it again when I re-antifoul in April.
 
There is a fresh water supply into the Wet dock as well so that is also somewhat brackish and has a greater tendency to freeze in cold weather. Presumably there will be a vertical salinity gradient with the fresher water on top?
 
Well Im up at Debbages. I hadn't considered this before but It must be pretty brackish up there, at least half the day anyway during the ebbs, as the Gipping is flowing out straight past my beloved boat. Is this likely to be a good or bad thing re fouling?
 
fredrussell said:
Well Im up at Debbages. I hadn't considered this before but It must be pretty brackish up there, at least half the day anyway during the ebbs, as the Gipping is flowing out straight past my beloved boat. Is this likely to be a good or bad thing re fouling?
Click to expand...

I reckon you will be getting limescale on top of whatever you apply, as per the Deben, so I'd go for a soft one.
 
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