Harder antifoul for the rudder??

[pcatterall]

We are experiencing more aggressive fouling now we are resident in the Med.
As well as needing a diver to de mussel the prop he also had to do the rudder and reported that the keel was also home to a crop of mussels.
I guess that those on the keel may result from my poor antifouling under the broad keel as the boat was near the ground when I did it.
The rudder though was well treated but I have been thinking that the rudder antifoul is erroded more due to the water from the prop rather than just passage through the water.
Perhaps my rudder should be done with a high performance anti foul??

 

[lpdsn]

You can't really scrub the hull when you have self-eroding anti-foul. Being used to racers, I made that mistake the first year. The primer that was left had no anti-fouling properties.

You could try hard racing anti-foul, but worth remembering that racers tend to lift out and pressure wash or hire a diver a few times a season. Also beware of build up if you don't have a racing crew to help you sand and prep each year.

Also beware of putting hard anti-foul over the top of self-eroding. Could start flaking off.

 

[J Neeves]

Next time simply put on extra coats on those areas that you find show preferential growth. The water where you are now is warmer than your previous location and I'd suggest your previous experience of fouling is now no longer valid so give it a season or 2. Check what other boats near you use - what works in one location sometimes does not work in another (been there, done that).

But if you have mussel beds growing you need to slip, power wash and AF now - it will not get any better! but it will get worse more quickly.

Jonathan