Antifoul choices

boatmike

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It is coming up to spring chaps. The time when an old sailors fancy turns to thoughts of antifouling his bottom. Heres the question. Peregrine (Prout Cat) is going to be on a pontoon up the top of Fareham Creek and will take the ground in soft gooey mud at low tide. No problem as such but I have found that Micron or similar does not work too well and is fairly rapidly worn away. I think its the mud wot duz it /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif I have thought of using Trilux and drying out periodically on the slip for a pressure wash, but think I might be scrubbing more than sailing. What does the fulorum think? Am I wasting money buying tins of gold dust just to feed to the wormies? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
For a mud berth I beleive you are best using a hard scrubbable racing antifoul. Hopefully the mud won't take this off the bottom as she settles onto the bottom.
 
I had good results in a mud berth for a couple of years using two thickly applied coats of Teamac Killa Copper antifoul bought from Trago Mills. Didn't seem to get abraded off the boat anywhere near as quickly as the XM3000 I subsequently used. It is nominally self eroding but the rate of erosion is very slow! It's cheap as chips too!
 
My mooring is on the piles in the River Hamble and on my last boat i used micron extra and was pleased with the results. Last year I changed boats and changed to V C Offshore and I have been amazed at how quickly the fouling appears. I ended up scrubbing with a brush at every opportunity, and using the Sealift in Cowes. I do not know if the fact that you dry out will lessen the fouling, but I would be prepared for many a day scrubbing!
If anyone has suggestions for an effective hard antifouling, I am keen to hear them.

Martin
 
Back in the 70's my parents used some black tar stuff when at Hollowshore. Used to buy it fron the chandlery at the top of Oare creek. Suspect the whole area has changed now but started drinking at the Shipwright Arms at a somewhat young and possibly illegal age. I remember them as good days, especially trying to walk across the mud !!
 
VC Offshore is quite the most useless antifoul of all time. Only surpassed by VC17m. More like fertilizer paint than antifouling paint.
 
Just as a matter of interest, I spent last season on a drying mud berth, for the 1st time.

I didnt want to change to hard a/foul as per recommendation as it wouldnt have gone over my existing eroding layers Blakes and more recently Jotun.

Result after last summer with eroding Jotun, was not much weed, but plenty of barnicles and flat coral like stuff about 1/2 a mm thick which I had to sand off as didnt come off with the powerwash.

Glad to be back with a deepwater mooring this year but basically the eroding stuff did work but not as good as I had hoped for.

Nick
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have thought of using Trilux and drying out periodically on the slip for a pressure wash

[/ QUOTE ] Please don't Trilux is even worse the the above mentioned VC Offshore. International gave me 3 litres of the stuff last year after I complained about barnacles in only 2 months. No idea what I am supposed to do with 3 litres, I only use it on the stern drive, garden fence looks a favourite /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I am in Haslar and used to dry out before being dredged, International Ultra was quite good on a planning hull.

Three years ago I switched to VC Offshore with the copper additive. Still fouled, then put XM4000 over the top two years ago. XM4000 didn't stick to the VC, cracked and fell off (so how does a barnalce stick to VC ? /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif. Meant I spent 4 days under the rib last Easter stripping the lot off. Horrible job and not totally successful. Fly By will have International Ultra in a months time with Trilux on the sterndrive with chilli powder added.

Pete

Pete
 
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