Does antifoul work ????

What should have been used?

That's a good question. For cruising boats, I prefer eroding antifouling, because it's less likely to cause long-term paint build-up on the hull. I'm on the East Coast, and I've had good results with International Micron. I put at least 3 thick coats on, using a brush, and it keeps the hull fairly clean for 2 years. I only take the boat out of the water once every 2 years, for a week in the summer, to polish and antifoul. When the boat was lifted for this last month, the hull just had a light coating of green slime. The boat is marina-based, I wonder whether Micron would last as long on a swinging mooring.
 
My boat was antifouled with a single coat of TeaMac erodible 18 months ago. I have weed and slime but no barnacles

Its about 2/3 price of international Micron as well!
 
Well, the answer is a definite 'No'. Not just in your case. A/F simply makes it easier to get the fouling off. Yes, some a/f are more effective at limiting (not stopping) the fouling than others, but there is nothing legal available to actually stop.

Having had fouling on the topsides, for complex reasons, I rapidly found the difference between a/f surface and raw gelcoat. The fouling was incredibly difficult to get off the r.g., but normally comes off the a/f surface with little effort. Slime comes off immediately, but barnacles are more resilient.

In your particular case, I am surprised at the amount of barnacles. I have only seen that in mud moorings before.
 
Re: What should have been used?

[ QUOTE ]
For cruising boats, I prefer eroding antifouling,

[/ QUOTE ]

Presumably, eroding antifouling only erodes if we go sailing, (or motoring), as a result of the action of water flowing over the hull.

If this is the case, many boats which are only used for a few weekends during the year/season, will suffer, and perhaps this could be the reason for the differing experiences.

In pauls case, perhaps restrictions on the content of a/f have reached the point where a non eroding a/f cant repel many organisms?
 
Re: What should have been used?

Eroding antifouling will work on a mooring. Although it is better to go sailing than leave it, you will still get much less fouling using the right one.

It is usually worth asking others around you what they use - somebody like me saying Micron works well where I am may not be the best one for where you are.

Don't be disheartened - just find the right one to put on.
 
Re: What should have been used?

Having left Pwllhelli in April with a garden growing around the waterline, after 2 weeks in the freshwater of Glasson Dock it had all gone.

When we were lifted out in June, there was only a slight slime and a few barnacles on the hull.

There may be a lot to be said for spending a bit of time up a freshwater river every now and then?
 
IMHO fitting the brand of a/f to the location needs some research (or expensive experience!) so ask around in your location. I've always used a hard product on racing boats, and now for the MoBo on a drying berth. Have never applied 2 coats, only one, and a scrub-off mid-season, more frequently around the waterline, doesn't seem too high a price to pay.

An interesting strategy is to regularly berth facing the other way, particularly in the Spring, tho' it doesn't reduce fouling, just evens it up.

Never pay someone else to do it, you just aren't in control of the important parameters, only the final bill!
 
At the risk of beginning to sound like an advert (I've mentioned it before here), Micron Optima is IMHO brilliant stuff. Expensive, but works consistently, in different locations, no need to scrub off, no build up of anti-foul.

Disadvantage (IMHO a relatively minor one) is it needs 24hrs to dry off before immersion, and can't be applied in rain.
 
My Parker 21 looks exactly the same! Why do the barnacles only grow on the bits that are in the mud half the time? I've got "Copperclad" which is magic (after 15 years!) on the parts that don't get in the mud but the bottom flat bit grows barnacles - how do they breathe?
 
[ QUOTE ]
you know fly the FLAG...

Tom /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I also "fly" the FLAG (white /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif) in a tidal estaury, and it seems to work very well - the odd barnacle on the bottoms of the keels, which get a wipe with the paintbrush as the boat is lifted in. No weed. Lack of fouling has previously drawn comment from the guys on the crane at the marina when lifting out.

(Don't tell everyone, or the price will go up /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif)

I use TRILUX for boot-topping and on the outboard leg (permanently immersed). I get some "grass" weed on the boot-top, but nothing worth bothering about, however, the leg gets absolutely covered in barnacles in about 2 months. Furthermore, they seem to get a very good hold onto the trilux /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif They're harder to get off the trilux than the normal paint on the leg, and just as profuse.

A trip in the tender with plastic scraper & scrubbing brush sorts mine out, but this looks like a bigger job!.

Andy
 
This year I helped a friend do the bottom of his 30ft boat, that had been moored at Chapel Hill for 2 to 3 years. Done with proper antifoul it had 5 large bucketfulls of shellfish on the bottom.

I've just helped do the same on his boat he sold a couple of years ago. The last time this was out was 4 years ago. Antifouled with black bitumin it has been moored only a few yards from his present one. It has however been used and moored at Bardney for 6 months and in the Brayford for a while. However this only had less than 2 bucketfulls on.

OK not totally conclusive but it seems the expensive antifoul was only 20% as effective as cheap bitumin, which is easier to clean of, and reapply.

Also my boat was done with bitumin just before I got it. In the water for 2 years at Bardney it had hardly any. I has had regular use though, which others haven't.
 
Cor you guys in UK get it easy. I reckon if I can get 6 weeks before I need to scrub then 3 months until it is almost gone. Maybe I am too fussy. it all depends on the environment I reckon. Warm water and sunshine equals lots of fouling. I wouldn't dream of racing without giving it an in water wipe over within 2 days of the race. Yes A/F is better thna nothing. olewill
 
The purpose of antifoul is to transfer money from your pocket to that of the manufacturer plus some VAT. The VAT goes to the taxman. The EU taxman (think food chains here) wants money, therefore has caused all antifouling that works for more than a week or so to be made illegal. Therefore you must buy more on a more frequent basis and pay more VAT.

I can think of no other reason why A/F that works should have been banned. The fundamental purpose of A/F is to stop marine life forms living on your hull. marine life forms are designed to live in slippery locations washed by water, ergo only nasty poison even slows them down!
 
Yes it does work, I know because the propellor, prop shaft and log (left unpainted) foul even faster than the hull! I need to scrub every two or three months to have a working propellor, so can do the hull at the same time.
May have been worse this year since the boat had two or three months with no usage (due to injury to skipper).
Ye who still have a cleanish hull after a year or two - how is this possible? Most other boats near me (in Portsmouth Harbour) foul just as fast as mine. (And how do you check the anodes?)
And a final mystery - the dinghy lies afloat and get an annual coat with the dregs of the antifoul tin. Hardly any fouling on it after a summer in the water. Can anyone explain?
 
"And a final mystery - the dinghy lies afloat and get an annual coat with the dregs of the antifoul tin. Hardly any fouling on it after a summer in the water. Can anyone explain? "

Yep....you didnt stir the tin!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Tom
 
Every third antifouling thread flushes me out with my standard response!

I have never used a/f on my Sabre 27 in the ten years I have had her. Once every summer I dry out on my bilge keels and spend as long as half an hour scraping off wiith the back of a broom and every winter haul out I pressure wash the hull. So I have saved a fortune, avoided many days of really boring work and not created any pollution. Unless you are racing what's the point?
 
Yes it does, last year I was suprised to see how fouled up the prop and prop shaft were when she was taken out, so I primoconed and antifouled both before this years launch, using the antifouling sold by the boatyard where she is laid up. Today on lift out I was very impressed with the results, no barnacles or weed just green slime which was very easy to wash off. I will definately use the same antifouling next year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

T
Notices to Mariners - Week 50
Replies
2
Views
781
tillergirl
T

Share this page

Top