Antifouling for 3 months afloat

[dave220]

Just joined the forum after 12 months of just reading some very helpful posts. We have a 26ft bayliner which we are planning to put on a swinging mooring for 3 months this summer (if we have one!) in the Menai Straits. The boat is on a trailer and has never been antifouled before so my question is do I really need to antifoul for that period? It seems like a lot of work which will require reapplying every year as my understanding is it will loose its effectiveness if not in the water all the time? Would it not be better to spend a few hours pressure washing the hull on lift out? Sorry if these questions seem daft but I am new to keeping boats in the water, usually just trailer store and launch each time we want to use it but tide times make it difficult and want to get more use this year. Thanks for reading and any advice gladly received Dave

 

[Bandit]

If it will be afloat for three months yes you need to or it wont get on the plane it will have so much weed on it.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

If it was me I'd just plan to lift it out once a month and pressure wash it.

 

[Andy Bav]

If it was me I'd just plan to lift it out once a month and pressure wash it.

+1 just what we did with our Bayliner(s). Local company charged us £50 +Vat per lift out and relaunch.

 

[dave220]

+1 just what we did with our Bayliner(s). Local company charged us £50 +Vat per lift out and relaunch.

Ok thanks for the reply's. Was it an easy job after a month to pressure wash off? It would be easy enough to get it lifted out and if its just an hour on the lift shouldn't be that expensive. I was worried about barnacles attaching themselves and spending hours trying to get them off

 

[Andy Bav]

To be honest I never saw how bad it was, I just paid the bill, but on our second Bayliner we left it 6 weeks once, and I didnt think that 2 weeks would make a difference, but it did, even idling out of the marina we noticed it didnt move so well in the water and the fuel consumption was shocking compared to a couple of weeks earlier. However, the jet wash after that got it all off with no barnacles evident.

I would have thought a regular jetwash and regular use you'll be OK for 3 months, and @£50 per wash it may be cheaper, and less hassle as for a first time anti foul you need to prepare the hull etc first

 

[dave220]

Thats great thanks. Looks like it will be coming out every month or so and getting jet washed. Certainly seems less hassle from what I have read about antifouling for the first time and it looks to me that antifoul only lasts a short time out of the water so will need redoing for next year if we are in the water for a few months again. Thanks for the advice

 

[longjohnsilver]

If it was me I'd just plan to lift it out once a month and pressure wash it.

That's the best solution, or get in the water and scrub it.

 

[dave220]

That's the best solution, or get in the water and scrub it.

Would the growth come off easy enough? I have heard of the empty bottle strapped to a brush to keep it pushing onto the hull and that would be easy enough from a tender. Thanks

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Would the growth come off easy enough? I have heard of the empty bottle strapped to a brush to keep it pushing onto the hull and that would be easy enough from a tender. Thanks

Provided you don't leave it too long, yes. That said, I'm not sure how good a job you'll do trying to scrub the hull from a tender. Getting round the drive and properly under the hull would be tricky I would have thought. Either you need to get to shallow water and scrub it off by hand as LJS says above, or get it lifted and scrubbed, or just drive it on to your trailer and pressure wash it yourself.

 

[STEVEDUNSTABLE]

Hi dave220 .... this is my S24 after just 3 weeks on the Hamble... boat is 13 yrs old and never been antifouled !!!!... when its on its "summer holls" we just pull it out, pressure wash, scrape the baby "barnies" off, then back in !!!! job done 1hr n half tops !!.. every 2nd wknd.. remember its easier to clean a non antifouled hull... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...51302537.80554.100001925350928&type=3&theater

 

[dave220]

Steve that must look worse than it is if it comes off in an hour and a half! Looks like the best option is to scrub if possible from tender or with waders in shallow water and maybe lift or trailer out a couple of times for a proper clean. Glad I asked here first before starting to slap on the antifoul!

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Hi dave220 .... this is my S24 after just 3 weeks on the Hamble... boat is 13 yrs old and never been antifouled !!!!... when its on its "summer holls" we just pull it out, pressure wash, scrape the baby "barnies" off, then back in !!!! job done 1hr n half tops !!.. every 2nd wknd.. remember its easier to clean a non antifouled hull... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...51302537.80554.100001925350928&type=3&theater

Wow. That is amazing growth in three weeks. My first boat was a Searay speedboat, and it was never antifouled; I just scrubbed it in the water every now and then. Even after six weeks (in Brighton) it never looked anything like as bad as that. (It used to live ashore on its trailer in the winter).

 

[longjohnsilver]

Steve that must look worse than it is if it comes off in an hour and a half! Looks like the best option is to scrub if possible from tender or with waders in shallow water and maybe lift or trailer out a couple of times for a proper clean. Glad I asked here first before starting to slap on the antifoul!

Forget the waders, you'll need to reach under the hull to the centre line. Get a wet suit, a hood, a mask and most important of all, some decent gloves, otherwise before you realise it your hands will be shredded.. My favourite tool to clean a hull is a Perspex car windscreen scraper, designed for those frosty mornings and a few scotch brite pads for the weedy/slimey bits.

If you are confident underwater the best way is to dive/snorkel under the boat either drifting out at sea, or on your mooring at around slack water, a bit of tide is useful to carry away the muck, or if that's not for you, find a convenient sandbar or beach and go in around low water and clean her whilst standing or kneeling. Even if the water feels cold to start with, you'll soon warm up!

 

[macboatmaster]

I have kept a boat on a mooring on the Menai for some years.
Although mine is on the mooring for longer than three months.
I would advise you to antifoul her.
Depending on your general use with reference to the speed and whether or not she sits on a drying mooring or a deep water mooring, you may be able to use an eroding antifouling.
I do not know where you are on the Menai, but you will certainly need antifouling, and all the more so if on a drying mooring.
Besides the weed, slime and barnacles and other marine life without antifouling the GRP will be adversely effected.

As to your plan to have her lifted out every few weeks, there are NO sites that I know of that can provide lift out at all states of the tide, except in the doc at Caernarvon and the doc at Port Dinorwic.

If as I suspect you are talking about lift out at Gallows Point, then whether you are using ABC Powermarine or Starida they are both limited to tide.
If at the time you have decided to have her lifted there is more than a moderate breeze and depending on direction - you will NOT get her either in the lift or on the trailer.

So unless you can be there any day any time - antifoul her.

 

[dave220]

It will be on a deep water mooring and top speed is around 27 knots although we often just plod around. I was told antifoul has to be kept wet to work properly and 6 or 7 months on the trailer over winter it would require painting again. I think this would soon lead to an unsightly build up so I am reluctant to antifoul unless absolutely necessary. How would the GRP be affected? I think I will try first without antifoul and possibly dry out on one of the sand banks to give a thorough clean every few weeks or so. If it starts getting to hard I could then pull her out and antifoul then.

 

[macboatmaster]

I would advise you providing you are not going over 20 knts except for the odd occasion to antifoul with a soft eroding antifoul say ONE coat Cruiser Uno although the first application will require two coats and on previously unantifouled surface a Primocon primercoat. Using a soft eroding antifoul will stop the build up that you get with a hard antifoul
Yes it would require cleaning off and reantifouling before launching each year and generally speaking launching time max is 1 to 2 months depending on the product
As I said in my first reply, if you do not antifoul - it is OK planning this clean but unless like me you are in the fortunate position of being able to go any day any time- then the planned clean - be it on a bank or be it on a lift out might not be possible - weather.

Antifoul is there not only to prevent the marine growth and the increased fuel consumption that results from not having a clean bottom, but also to protect the gel coat against the damage caused by that marine growth

However the decision is yours of course.