Has anyone used Jotun SeaQuantum Ultra S on their boat? 90 months antifoul?

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mattp

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I’m thinking why not...description states the following

“Specially designed as a premium solution for vessels with low activity and slow steaming. Recommended solution for areas with high fouling exposure, such as sea chest, to minimise risk of invasive species. This product provides optimum hull protection in fouling intensive waters or in trades with long lay-ups. The product is designed for long service periods and can be used up to 90 months as a part of a complete coating system.”

90 MONTHS...designed for slow moving and long layups...sounds like our yachts. But 90 months that’s over 7 years...even if you got 5 years it would be good.

anyone tried it?
 
One retailer says "Please note that for Health & Safety reasons we can only supply this product to commercial operators & shipyards for use by trained/professional applicators on commercial/working vessels."

So it's unlikely that many leisure users might have tried it.
 
It contains the rare element Unobtainium ;) which makes it very expensive. If you know someone in the shipyard industry it can be got hold of, probably in 20 ltr drums, and if you know a boater or two who might share the costs its possibly well worth it------?
 
Maybe low activity and speed for a ship is still a lot higher than an often used yacht?
Not heard good things about it. A guy on here in the past few weeks mentioned a commercial jotun on his boat and didn't think it any better than the usual stuff
OK if it's cheap.
 
My Jotun Seaqueen 60 - all gone now, got a 20 litre drum before they stopped me buying it - works really well.

A wash every year and a quick touch up around the bootline, forefoot and rudder edge is all that is needed.

You can buy Jotun ship products in Ireland, the IOM and Holland no trouble.

I have just arranged for another 20 litre drum - should see me out ?
 
Excellent product. Here they re-pack into smaller containers and seem more relaxed about use by professionals. Of the good brands it is the best, but 90 months is a big ask. We get 24 months. They do a range of AF under SeaQuantum, vessels laid up, slow moving vessels (tugs and the like) more common speeded vessels, container ships and then high speed vessel (I assume the latter is more like a hard AF). SQ is used by Maersk - but I don't know which of the range.

20l drums would be difficult to lift :(

Hempel's Globic and top of the range International are as good, almost as good. I tested them all (and others) and SQ U came out on top.

Your problem is sourcing it.

Jonathan

I should add

Applying AF is hardly difficult and commonly many of us need to slip to apply the paint. Applying AF is thus not simply painting but paying a quite large amount for slipping. If you need to slip to apply and replace anodes then having a 90 month paint will not save you any money as you will need to slip to apply the anodes and possibly ream out the hull fittings, water intakes on sail drives etc.

We are happy with a 2 year life for our AF as this accords with the timing we need for our anodes (and clean the sail drive inlets). We have 3 bladed folding props and need to remove them to replace the anodes - its not the sort of thing you can do without slipping - there are simply too many small parts.

AF works on the effectiveness of the chemistry and the coating thickness you apply. I'm suspicious of 90 months and because of the restrictions placed by anode renewal think the data is suspect (and possibly needs multiple coatings).

Most commercial vessels are constantly moving or they are losing money - our yachts never constantly move, they are either in a marina, swing mooring or at anchor - for extended periods - but then move. Its difficult to design a paint for our usage. Expect compromises.
 
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rotrax said:
Quite correct, I antifoul/anodes every two years.

Other brands last only one in our area, Jotun does two years.
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First antifoul we did was with Jotun SQ; back then they obviously still sold it to the unwashed (UK). It lasted us four years with boat kept in FW over winter and salt during the summer. At the end, when we finally hauled in NL, there was hardly any paint left on the boat, but not a speck of growth.

Whatever they sell you as AF in Holland these days is barely better than house paint - after tree months in the salt chuck we used the grid at St. Malo and repainted with what the local fishing boats use.
 
There are slight, or maybe major, differences in formulations for AF of the same or similar names internationally as different jurisdictions have different rules of what they will or not allow. in the formulations. The fact we get 2 years with Jotun's SQ Ultra does not mean you will achieve the same result in, say, South Africa or the US (you might get more or less). The added complication is that the salinity, temperature, amount of sunlight etc etc varies from location to location (even quite close geographically) - so the only way to know is to try it yourself. The other variable is the coating thickness and though more coating will give a longer life - it will cost more. But the cost of the AF and the value of your labour is only part of the cost - there is slipping and then we need to impose a different schedule for slipping for anodes and prop treatment.

There is no one correct answer - the best you can do is read the results on posts like this and use the good, bad and ugly to determine what you will try next - until you start to get a result that suits you. Expecting the right answer first off is a dream - except that you are getting quality answers on YBW - so you are in luck to be a member :)

We would not differentiate but choose Hempel's, called Globic here (and used by fishing boats), Jotun's SQ Ultra (used by Maersk) or the top of the range International (I don't recall its name). I am aware that International produce a 'professional only' coating and my guess is - its also good (but one should not guess).

Be warned professional use only comes in a commercial sized drum and I really struggled to lift it. If you have a car with a high sill, get someone to help you. Commercial drums take some mixing - you need a decent drill, stirrer and batteries (plural) - because it settles out as you paint. I do all the painting but my wife tapes up, stirs and paints the 'edges'. I remove the props, my wife abrades them and then coats them - and I replace, attaching the anodes as I go. - this keeps us both fully occupied (its not a great task alone!). We can comfortably complete our 2 hulls, 38' long but more narrow than an AWB in 2 days. I only use one roller cover and store it overnight in a polythene bag and discard at the end. We , usually my wife, apply an extra coat on the leading edges and the waterline

I don't know why some formulations are 'professional use only' - I suspect its due to H&S which implies there are some nasties in there - so be careful.

Good paint costs money - do it properly.

We do not find that Velox lasts as well as the Jotun SQ and the anodes and we find we are scraping the props 'early', maybe at 18 months. We have tried Prop Speed and find it no better.

We keep our cat in the, salt, water 365 and have accepted the 2 year regime (and have no indication we can improve on it, yet - I'm an optimist). I don't know what sea temps are like now, feels decidedly chilly (so growth has been slowed) but in the summer we would expect 26 deg C.

Jonathan
 
mattp said:
I’m thinking why not...description states the following

“Specially designed as a premium solution for vessels with low activity and slow steaming. Recommended solution for areas with high fouling exposure, such as sea chest, to minimise risk of invasive species. This product provides optimum hull protection in fouling intensive waters or in trades with long lay-ups. The product is designed for long service periods and can be used up to 90 months as a part of a complete coating system.”

90 MONTHS...designed for slow moving and long layups...sounds like our yachts. But 90 months that’s over 7 years...even if you got 5 years it would be good.

anyone tried it?
Click to expand...

If you follow though on this it would educational to learn how easy, and how, you source the product. I don't think buying the product is impossible - many distributors are focussed on sales - and without bragging about sourcing, maybe PMs might be sensible.

Jonathan
 
rotrax said:
Quite correct, I antifoul/anodes every two years.

Other brands last only one in our area, Jotun does two years.
Click to expand...

Me too, International Micron lasts two full years in the water. I lift in the summer, when marinas have cheap deals, and when the weather's much nicer for polishing and antifouling.
 
Biggles Wader said:
It contains the rare element Unobtainium ;) which makes it very expensive. If you know someone in the shipyard industry it can be got hold of, probably in 20 ltr drums, and if you know a boater or two who might share the costs its possibly well worth it------?
Click to expand...

Actually, it isn't that expensive. About £1000 for 20 litres, not significantly more than top consumer brands.
 
pvb said:
Actually, it isn't that expensive. About £1000 for 20 litres, not significantly more than top consumer brands.
Click to expand...

When I first used SeaQuantum Ultra it came in a big drum, I don't recall that it was 20l but it was big (and as I mentioned heavy - and rather than test my back I had some help in getting it into the car). I have a chain winch at home, an overhead hook secured in reinforced concrete and trolley - so once home its easy to manage I did not use it all first time round because I was only painting 1m wide panels on our catamaran, 4 of them, water line to keel. I had no idea how it would perform. I sealed the tin and others that were part of the trial. Once I'd completed the trial 2 years later I used some of the contents and finished the contents after a further 2 years, so 4 years in total. There was no indication of deteriorating of performance. Since then Jotun pack the paint in 10l drums for the Australian market. (I think Jotun import in bulk and simply re-pack locally).

So....if you can source, pay the upfront cost and trust the performance as stated - you could have a 4-8 year supply - depends on the size of your yacht. The alternative is to find a couple of like minded owners and club together.

When I wrote up the article for Practical Sailor I was looking for a European view of distribution I spoke to the Spanish arm of Jotun and they were appalled I had access and he demanded to know where I was located and how I had gained access. I quickly terminated the conversation as I was not going to kill the goose of golden egg fame. This maybe conflicts with what Graham376 says in Post No 13. There seems to be some sensitivity - which I find interesting....We were abrading props, preparatory to re-coating, and the yard manager keep over at speed to tell us to stop cleaning with a stainless brush on an angle grinder as PropSpeed is carcinogenic. We were not abrading PropSpeed but Velox, so all was well. I then checked the H&S sheets for PropSpeed to identify that it contained a 'possible' compound that 'might' be carcinogenic. I'm all for H&S - but this was all the first I had heard of it (maybe I should be more inquisitive) - so PropSpeed seems to slip under the radar but some parts of Jotun are very sensitive.

If you buy SQ U - make sure you get the formulation that matches your yacht speed.

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
When I wrote up the article for Practical Sailor I was looking for a European view of distribution I spoke to the Spanish arm of Jotun and they were appalled I had access and he demanded to know where I was located and how I had gained access. I quickly terminated the conversation as I was not going to kill the goose of golden egg fame. This maybe conflicts with what Graham376 says in Post No 13.
Jonathan
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I've been buying direct from Jotun's Portuguese warehouse for over a decade and they keep trying to get me to stock it on Algarve which I'm not interested in, it's just a small sideline. The account is in my trading name which may make a difference but a few years ago having heard about the UK restrictions, I asked if it would be the same there. Reply was they knew nothing about it, no memos from head office. Not sure what product @pvb quotes at £1,000 but I last sold Seaforce 30M for <€400 for a 20L drum.
 
Graham376 said:
I've been buying direct from Jotun's Portuguese warehouse for over a decade and they keep trying to get me to stock it on Algarve which I'm not interested in, it's just a small sideline. The account is in my trading name which may make a difference but a few years ago having heard about the UK restrictions, I asked if it would be the same there. Reply was they knew nothing about it, no memos from head office. Not sure what product @pvb quotes at £1,000 but I last sold Seaforce 30M for <€400 for a 20L drum.
Click to expand...

I'm obviously interested in AF for reasons in addition to being a user - so disregard this if it may cause difficult questions being raised.

Contact Jotun and tell them you have heard good things about SeaQuantum Ultra and you would like to buy some - and see what sort of response you get. If they tell you it is for professional use only (and might also be restricted to commercial vessels) tell them you fully understand - but why is it restricted. If all of these are answered leaving you feeling some optimism - ask about prices.

I think SeaForce is an entirely different animal to SeaQuantum and is priced differently. SQ is expensive in Oz - cheaper than Stg1,000 - but not by much.

There is a market for decent AF as the better of International's range attest.

Jonathan
 
jwilson said:
Is it a TBT based AF - if so that could be why it works so well.....
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If you check what happened to Directors and Owners of SeaHawk (I think that is the name) when it was found they had quietly been adding TBT - you would know - no-one would take the risk - I understand prison is not a very nice place.

Jonathan

Sea Hawk Paints Maker Indicted Over TBT Use
 
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