Anyone any experience with SeaSpeed V10 X silicone antifoul

Silicone hull coating? Someone in our club tried it, not sure which make, lovely smooth glossy white finish, trouble was his boat did not move often or fast enough. First year it came out with about 6" of heavy growth, it came off with little effort leaving a clean shiny hull. The distributors told him he had not put it on right and sent some guys to recoat it for him, seemed a rough and ready job they did. It has been on about 5-6 years now and he had been puzzling how to get rid of it, though to be fair when the boat comes out it always cleans up well with a brush and a power washer. To solve the problem he has managed to sell the boat with it still in place.
Based on that, it might be good on a fast power boat that is in continuous use or a sailboat kept ashore but before I would consider it I would want to be satisfied that it could be removed if it was necessary.
However, the particular product referred to above might be a massive improvement thouugh the spiel sounds quite similar, sometimes better not to be a pioneer?
 
Quandary said:
..., trouble was his boat did not move often or fast enough.
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He could always have asked the RNLI for a tow. If t'other thread is to be believed that might be fast enough. :)

Seriously though, did you get any idea from him of what speed made the difference? I've toyed with the idea of getting a small tin and trying it on the rudder, but have not gone any further.
 
I think any speed might have made a difference, like most leisure craft 90% of the time she was static. We cruise a lot more than he did, say 8 weeks out of the summer but probably under way less than 8 hours every second day so only on the move for a couple of hundred hours. It might have suited us better, because our boat stays in fresh water when not being used but I would still worry about how to remove all traces if I changed my mind. Silicone products can be notoriously hard to remove completely. An alternative might have been a regular wipe with a brush but she was kept on a mooring. If you are racing Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends perhaps that might be enough?
 
Hi. Yes. We took the plunge and had our S&S34 done with VX 10 last October. The yard didn’t get it quite right and are doing it again this autumn free of charge. I would NOT recommend DIY application. The finish has to be perfect. They will be doing it in the shed this time round. Photos of 9 months static available if you want. We intend persevering but know it will require regular cleaning. Fouling does come off VERY easily with a cloth. We are on the Tamar with very high fouling problems. Copper Coat has failed on other boats and most of the most active anti fouls struggle where we are. I am convinced it is more about the location than any product you might use. The live aboard crowd who self applied it did a great video on You Tube showing test results including other boats. Good luck with your decision. Also worth phoning John at Seacoat in Texas and having a chat with him. He’s very helpful.
 
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I'm thinking of taking the plunge too on our 68' sloop, recognizing that I will need to dive the boat often to clean her. If you're still around @phillcoops, I'd be interested in hearing an update on your experience.
 
Silicone antifoul is not new. It was developed for commercial vessels that stay afloat for long periods and are underway most of the time. Even then it is most effective on vessels that usually maintain 12-15 knots. Fouling will build up fairly quickly if the vessel is stationary. Light fouling will scour away at 15-20 knots and commercial skippers will often order a few hours of running at high speed when leaving dock to "clean" the bottom. For sailing vessels, especially those that sit in marinas for much of their life, fouling will soon build up and will be difficult to remove without damaging the coating. This however is not the main problem. Silicone once applied is very difficult to remove and cant be over coated with anything else. Even grit blasting wont get rid of the damn stuff! Companies keep trying to market it for sailboats but in my view it is a total PITA. Avoid it like the plague!
 
I've had two clients of mine you see speed one on aluminum boat one on a fiberglass both of them sailboats between 35 and 45 ft all I can say good about this product is as most likely designed for former surface vessels I have never seen a man to felling a paint or any water-based object for that matter collect and gather Marine growth faster the first time I had to deal with one of these boats I made the joke that the manufacturer's name was Coral creations I'm not 100% sure if I was joking I promise you if you put this on a boat and sink it in front of a location where you want a reef you will outdo the great barrier reef in less than a month
 
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