Anti Fouling question

[JayCbee]

Hello we have recently bought a small Microlise 501 Explorer that we will be berthing at Conwy Marina soon. It looks to me as if its been out of the water for a little while - survey is being done ahead of moving it to the marina. I am planning get it anti foul painted as it looks like it needs doing - nothing attached to the boat but the black paint under the hull would suggest its not been done in a while - the boat was pretty exclusively used in the Norfolk Broads so fresh water and launched each time used. Our local small marina (Rhyl) looks like they do the anti-fouling service for a reasonable price or as not anything attached just a clean up should be just do it ourselves? Its only a 16 foot boat - worried about the trailer points so thought it best to get it done by professionals for peace of mind. any help appreciated - what would be a reasonable price range for this kind of service?

 

[JayCbee]

think i have answered my own question with a bit of research we are going to paint ourselves this time as pretty clean just needs repainting. Some guidance online about trailer points so have that covered. then once a year we will get it actually anti-fouled at Season start (assume its a once a year task?) and repaint in about 3 years time. Sorry complete novice about owning a boat so just trying to make sure everything is ok before we berth the boat so its protected -

 

[Solent Sailor]

Paint it yourselves - I quite agree. Won't take you long. Part of the fun of boat ownership. I still do my own, and I'm up to a near 50 footer now! That takes a bit longer.

Antifoul generally is a once-a-year job. Fail to do it one year and you will experience excessive marine growth resulting in slower speed and higher fuel consumption. With a small boat, it isn't hard to lift it out of the water once or twice a season and give it a good hosing down or a light scrub. There are anti-fouls that will last for up to 2 years. I am having good experiences with Micron 350, but it does depend on your area which is the most suitable. Ask others what they use, and/or take a look at the PBO antifoul survey from a few years ago (the second one, it is more detailed).

If you use a self-ablative antifoul (it gradually rubs off, exposing a new active layer) then you will have a reasonably minimal build up of antifouling over the years. If you use hard antifouling (which does not rub off so easily, if at all) then you may need to sand it back after, say 5 years. Your choice of antifoul also needs to be guided by you planned speed. I expect you will be in the under 20kts bracket, so most self-ablatives are fine.

 

[JayCbee]

Great help. Thank you