How long has Concerto been in the water without a scrub?

[Concerto]

On Tuesday Concerto was lifted out of the water and these photos show her before she was pressure washed. There was some algae above the waterline on the starboard side which was unusual. There were very few barnacles on the hull and the folding propeller. The question is how long do you think Concerto has been in the water without a scrub.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

That would be 3 months on our mooring. Clearly it depends on where you are and what AF you use.

 

[TimfromMersea]

at West Mersea - about 2 weeks…….

 

[Laysula]

2 years

 

[Chiara’s slave]

at West Mersea - about 2 weeks…….

I hope for ypur sake you’re exaggerating for comedy. Otherwise, I’m never going back to Wesr Mersea, I'd be scared of your mutant barnacles

 

[neil_s]

Looks about the same as mine - therefore 3 1/2 months?

 

[NormanS]

By the look of it, too long.

 

[jac]

I'm going to say all season - say 9 months

 

[dunedin]

I guess it depends how dead and polluted the water is? Minimal fouling might be a bad sign.
Switching between fresh and salt water regularly can kill some stuff.

 

[Biggles Wader]

Three years. Possibly longer if you alternate between salt and fresh water and regularly use the boat.

 

[Concerto]

This year Concerto has spent most of her time in Chatham Marina. This is an old basin from Chatham Dockyard and used as a marina for nearly 20 years. The basin was dug by hand and the marina basin was the last of three basins dug and opened in 1883. The 3 basins are large with No 1 Basin (of 28 acres (110,000 m2)), No 2 Basin (20 acres (81,000 m2)) and No 3 Basin (21 acres (85,000 m2)) and are all linked. No 1 Basin is a commercial dock, No 2 Basin used for watersports. When the marina was built a new access via a lock to the River Medway was created.

This interesting information has been added as Concerto has not been into fresh water during the past 10 years. This year I sail down to the Solent and last year I did a Round Britain, the year before trips around the East Coast and exhibited at the Southampton Boat Show, the year before movement was more constrained due to Covid. But when did she last come out of the water?

 

[vyv_cox]

From your description it would seem.that the water may have a fresh content, especially if the basins have incoming streams. This makes a huge difference to fouling. We berthed in Hellevoetsluis for seven years, only wintering ashore a couple of times, and never needed a pressure wash despite locking out to the sea on most weekends and for longer cruises.

 

[thinwater]

The swing from saline to fresh also knocks a lot off. I have seen that in my travels. Not many organisms can stand both.

 

[B27]

..... The question is how long do you think Concerto has been in the water without a scrub.

Too long by the look of it!

 

[Concerto]

The answer is 827 days, or 2 years, 3 months and 6 days. Concerto was launched with 2 coats of International Micron 365 on 31st August 2021 in preparation to be at the Southampton Boat Show. During 2022 she did about 3000 miles, but this year she only sailed to the Solent and back as I had some making up time with SWMBO and I was doing some work on Concerto in the water that took weeks to complete. The last 12 months have been difficult with the deaths on both my parents in law and helping to strip out a secret hoarder's house.

The Chatham Basins have some bonuses that assist in keeping the hull cleaner than elsewhere. The water is pretty static and just over 10 metres deep, which means it remians colder and has no suspended mud in the water. The water is definitely less saline than the river due to rainfall over the decades and there are also 2 fresh water springs that run into the marina basin. There are also some large mullet that eat all of weed in the marina. All of these factors help keep the hull cleaner.

So Laysula was the closest at 2 years.

 

[rotrax]

I antifouled our boat with Jotun 2 years ago, stuff meant for ships and touted as lasting 60 months on a fast moving ship. She has minor weed and slime, reported by a diver recently, and a slight 'fuzz' around the waterline, worse on the sunny side.

Coming out in April, will report then on condition and perhaps post a pic. Will be three years by next April.

Performance seems normal, no 'slowdown' under sail or power.

 

[srm]

Spring 2014 I pressure washed between tides In Stromness, Orkney. Sailed to the Azores. remained afloat, mainly in Marina da Praia, Terceira. Occasionally snorkelled to clear barnacles off prop and fridge cooling plate until late autumn 2019. On lift out a bit more slime than Conceto's pics but no more than one year's growth in Orkney.
Near enough 6 years without a scrub. Much warmer waters but much less growth: not what I would have expected. Antifoul = Coppercoat, DIY in 2009.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We are coppercoat, Western Yar, Yarmouth IOW. Not scrubbed since September due to holiday and wife’s hip operation. Green, 2-3” of grass like weed, the odd tube. Normally scrub once a week.

 

[MikeBz]

The answer is 827 days, or 2 years, 3 months and 6 days.

That is extraordinay. Less growth there than in a summer month in Brightlingsea Creek.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Very good.
Apart from the macaroni on the prop.
Was the antifouling soft or hard ?
As mentioned , because being a locked mariner and some fresh water contributions perhaps reduce the salinity for an East Coast marina.

Not that many lock movements of boats. I seem to remember a year or two back it was calculated that 83% of the marina occupants never left their berths. Or was it just Covid or otherwise ?