best antifoul

[snooks]

We antifouled in May....2012.

Been in the water ever since, not a lot of use this year, but the bigger bits of slime come off when sailing

Performance has finally got too slugging, so she's getting washed off this week: racing scrub £160, every 16 months is looking to be very good value

A coppercoat convert

 

[trapezeartist]

Suggest Jotun Seaqueen. Seems at least as effective as the best from the big boys and half the price. Probably worth putting on their primer as a barrier coat, but even with that still cheaper and should get at least 2 years.

I'm just about to put on Jotun Seaqueen. In the past I've used Cruiser Uno, partly because I like the "uno" bit, and partly because it comes in 3 litre tins, and I can do the whole boat with that (2.5 litres doesn't quite make it). In previous years Cruiser Uno has been fine but this year I spent a month in and around Plymouth and I appear to have got an infestation of tube worm. Hopefully Sea Queen will give me at least 2 years and maybe 3 before I need to cover myself in woad again.

 

[ukmctc]

Can You please advise on the best antifoul on the market this year.

40ft sailing boat. intend to travel to the med and sail there for a couple of years.

Possibly a yearly liftout for a jetwash.

ta

Seaqueen, lasts up to five years.

 

[krissteyn]

Has nobody tried the electronic pulse units - I heard from 1 chap (not sure how biased he was) that its working very well...
Seems like we are traditionalists and dont expect it to work - but I suspect it could at least delay the problem.

Kris

 

[snooks]

I likened ultrasonic kit to a turbo on an engine. Not a lot of use on it's own, but used with antifoul and I felt it improved the antifoul's performance. Biggest problem is that it needs power, constantly.

Our season without antifoul, but with ultrasonic, also coincided with the boat being in Largs, where gales whisk away Scottish power lines, causing my circuit breakers to trip when the power was restored. Consequently the results weren't great. If the power remains on all the time, the performance is better. But if the power goes off and the weed gets hold, yer stuffed

 

[geem]

Micron 77 - expensive but very good (designed for superyachts that don't get hauled regularly).

My last lot was put on in August 2010 and it's still working now (other than a bit of weed growth at the waterline which scrubs off easily).

Works well in warmer water (was put on in the Caribbean. They reckon it's the only stuff that works over there).

It's about £250 for a 5 litre pot though, so with primers, you'll be £1,000 to do it.

Cost wise that's getting into Coppercoat territory.

If you can get the bottom blasted for about £450 you will buy Coppercoat for circa £1k. Do it yourself and bingo

 

[Daydream believer]

I have copper coat & it performs significantly worse than 2 coats annually applied blakes ocean performer
However, my boat comes out every year so gets jet washed
If i slip & jet wash mid season ( it really is necessary) that is slightly more than the blakes material cost
The main thing is that there is less maintenance each year. I just pay the yard for a mid season scrub
But if you do not want to do that copper coat is not much use
I also have a squib keelboat which my daughter races. I keep this on a mooring near a fleet of squibs
My squib was coated in copper tec by myself & crew. This performs significantly better than professionally applied copper coat
Needless to say we all get our boats out & have to scrub at least 4 times in the racing season
It just means we save mid winter hassle of re antifouling