Anybody else noticed a extraordinary amount of fouling this year.

[oldgit]

As many are aware at RCC we have around 100 boats on our pontoons.We have a set of drying blocks which are in regular use. Virtually every boat going on the blocks has a unusual amount of fouling, considerably worse than can be remembered for some time.
The usual stuff, barnycules,fine coral, weed, really odd puppy tail sponges and large qualities of a very fine hair like weed.
The fine weed is most prolific on unprotected metal ie. prop shafts and sterngear.Some of of this fine weed 300mm or longer.
As you can imagine everybody has their own idea of the best A/F so just about everything from hard to soft and cheap to eyewatering is in use, including a couple of coppercoat.
Nobody is jumping up and down shouting just how good their choice of anti-foul was.
Worst case was a Trader 47, which had spent 4 winter months ashore elsewhere and returned to club only 3 months ago. On blocks last week and absolutely covered in weed,slime, a decent crop of small barnies and props and shaft covered in weed.
Is it just us down here ???

Ps. the weed caused problems a month or two ago on a cruise up East Coast, several boats commented on a fine weed partially blocking raw water filters.

 

[BruceK]

mmm. You've probably picked up on my war on stern gear barnacles and my contempt of a particular AF most commonly used here to protect them.
White grease.
I had nothing to lose so on top of the useless AF I painted white grease above the cavitation plates.

Surprise. It has stayed on
Surprise. Not a single barnacle. Not one. A lot of diatom in it's place. Diatom is microscopic and has zero impact. WIN

 

[jon and michie]

Definitely on the river crouch.
I am at North fambridge and had a new drive and props fitted in May and already caked up in fine weed until last week when we took her out for a blast even then there was still some fouling which hadn't washed off
The hull is/wad the same.
Jon

 

[oldgit]

Must be just an East Coast thing.Few skippers here are moving over to Aluminium anodes from Zinc.
Will wait to see just how sucessful that turns out to be .
Need to persuade somebody to attach both types and see which corrodes the most.

 

[BruceK]

Must be just an East Coast thing.Few skippers here are moving over to Aluminium anodes from Zinc.
Will wait to see just how sucessful that turns out to be .
Need to persuade somebody to attach both types and see which corrodes the most.

You cant run both types simultaneously. It has to be one or the other or the zincs will will take the brunt of it.

 

[Hoblands]

Same on the Solent. 3 weeks left without use and we struggled to hit 20 knots last week traveling from Gosport to Yarmouth (design speed of 32 knots that it was doing easily a few weeks ago). As I clumsily managed to drop a davit in to Yarmouth harbour, I was able to justify employing a dive team who scrubbed the hull and props at the same time. They said they've also seen some extraordinary growth this season (and last)!

 

[nortada]

I blame Brexit. :encouragement:

 

[petem]

Indeed, we don't get fouling in Med (apart from in Sant Carles) !

 

[oldgit]

New prop shaft fitted in late May, hull jet washed and anti-fouled. 22. knots.
Cruise to Titchmarsh in late June, a knot or two down. 20 knots.
Cruise to Thames and St Kats last week ........real struggle to get 12 knots
Soot everywhere.
Boat put on drying blocks on Tuesday.
Hull smothered in large barnycules not a spare bit of space anywhere.
Might try a nice shade of "Biscuit" B&Q emulsion next time and save money.

 

[Momac]

Or perhaps the white grease suggested by BruceK ?

 

[oldgit]

Or perhaps the white grease suggested by BruceK ?

another peculiar thing ....have never ever in past had crustations on the props !
suspect something to do with water temperatures and salinity ?

 

[Medway Mudlark]

Across the way, pulled out in late May, so have been in for just over 12 months since last lift. Not fouling to be seen on the hull anywhere, apart from 'slime'. But the critters loved the trim tabs, easily cleaned with a wallpaper scraper. Last 2 seasons have used Seajet coastal A/F and, so far, pleased with the result...…..Now to actually get it on the plane. Will be trialling over the weekend.

 

[oldgit]

Across the way, pulled out in late May, so have been in for just over 12 months since last lift. Not fouling to be seen on the hull anywhere, apart from 'slime'. But the critters loved the trim tabs, easily cleaned with a wallpaper scraper. Last 2 seasons have used Seajet coastal A/F and, so far, pleased with the result...…..Now to actually get it on the plane. Will be trialling over the weekend.

Fouling ......Must be something to do with being on "our side" of the river
Nice to see you at Lady Lyndsies a week or two ago.
Thames was unusually quiet for mid summer, mind you, lack of staff at one or two locks might be putting off some folks from moving around.
Downside is the numbers of narrowboats now on the Thames occupying the EA moorings.As most of them are long term visitors, they tend not to move as often as other visiting and local craft.

 

[dancrane]

[September 7th]

Nobody added any photos to their posts here. I saw such horrific fouling under a boat on a Solent drying mooring, that I had to photograph it and show it here. To be honest it makes me feel genuinely nauseous, looking at it.

A broad spread of weed or barnacles looks natural enough, but those huge bulbous clusters are ghastly! Anybody know what it is?

 

[Hoblands]

This was the state of my out drives / props after just 3 weeks of non use (they were cleaned prior to this!!) Now that premier marinas will dry stack boats up to 11.5 meters I'm on the waiting list for next year...

 

[DavidJ]

In fact this year I thought the fouling was less. We are in north Costa Brava.

 

[Ian h]

View attachment 80273 This was the state of my out drives / props after just 3 weeks of non use (they were cleaned prior to this!!) Now that premier marinas will dry stack boats up to 11.5 meters I'm on the waiting list for next year...

MDL Saxon wharf have from the start dry stacked boats up to 43 feet, So does trafalgar Wharf as well