From how's your fouling to What to do?

[nimrod1230]

It's mid August and slime and weed are slowing us down. Not drastically but taking the edge off performance. A lift and scrub is expensive considering the time left this season and we are too extreme to dry out safely. So, should I just clean/scrub the worst bits I can get too? This will inevitably thin the paint coating in what has already proved to be the most vulnerable areas and may lead to accelerated further growth. Or is it better to accept the reduced performance and leave well alone?

 

[nimrod1230]

Quite a lot of interest in the original thread " how's your fouling ". No advice or opinions on what to do next? Lots of folks must face the same situation and have tried various solutions.
In the past I have paid for summer scrubs, brushed as far as I could taking too much paint off the waterline and speeded up the growth process. The paint on the waterline is much thicker this time but it is very difficult to control even a soft brush when trying to remove the fouling.
Any other thoughts?

 

[johnalison]

At one time we used to use a strip of carpet for a mid-season scrub. Cut a strip of carpet 6-8ft long and attach a cord to each end. With a crew member on each deck and one end of the system being held by each you can scrub most of the hull, angling the carpet to access the hull near the keel. Each side pulls in turn and you soon get a rhythm going.

 

[dje67]

I bought an extending window pole with a furry window cleaning head. £8.90. It was one of those with an elbow on the pole about 2' from the end. No buoyancy, so tied a block of wood onto the pole so that it just floated. Cleaned most of the hull (couple of bits I couldn't reach, such as the keel). Gained almost 3/4 knot boat speed on my 36' er that hasn't been out since a year ago in March. Not very thorough job, but certainly made a difference for next-to-no cost and a couple of hours effort.

 

[nimrod1230]

Well either folks are having more success with their bottom paint than I am or they don't worry about a bit of fouling and performance loss if the replies are anything to go by.

 

[pvb]

What type of antifouling do you use, how often do you apply, and what volume of paint do you apply?

 

[RichardS]

Well either folks are having more success with their bottom paint than I am or they don't worry about a bit of fouling and performance loss if the replies are anything to go by.

One of the reasons I decided to go for Coppercoat last year is because I am quite happy to get in the water with a mask and scrub the entire hull with a deck brush but with the old antifouling it caused a huge blue cloud which was my expensive antifoul going up in smoke!

Richard

 

[typhoonNige]

I finally found a use for last years RYA membership card. I wear it on elastic around my wrist and snorkel under the boat using it as a scraper. It works well for removing weed and the smaller barnacles and removes a lot less paint than a brush. Its particularly useful around the waterline. The water is comfortably warm where we are though, making it a pleasant task not a chore. 37 footer takes a couple of hours.

 

[nimrod1230]

What type of antifouling do you use, how often do you apply, and what volume of paint do you apply?

Hemel Tiger Extra. 3 coats on waterline, leading edges. 2 coats elsewhere. All with medium pile roller after wet rubdown and fresh water wash off. Applied yearly. 10 litres total application over 3-4 days. Veloxe primer and antifoul on prop, shaft, p bracket and bow thruster props. Pretty fussy about prep and application. First time in a locked marina and having asked before application and finding no particular recommendations I continued as I had previously in fairly strong tides in the Hamble. So far I thing something stronger is going to be needed next time round.

 

[pvb]

Hemel Tiger Extra. 3 coats on waterline, leading edges. 2 coats elsewhere. All with medium pile roller after wet rubdown and fresh water wash off. Applied yearly. 10 litres total application over 3-4 days. Veloxe primer and antifoul on prop, shaft, p bracket and bow thruster props. Pretty fussy about prep and application. First time in a locked marina and having asked before application and finding no particular recommendations I continued as I had previously in fairly strong tides in the Hamble. So far I thing something stronger is going to be needed next time round.

Sounds like you're putting enough of the stuff on, failure to do this is the reason many people are unhappy with antifoul. I've always had good results with Micron, might be worth trying that?