Hull pitting exposed after blasting - best remedy?

[MoodySabre]

I am planning to avoid winter lift outs which are expensive. I shall find a summer scrub deal with an hour in the slings. I always leave the boat in the water over winter.

 

[J Neeves]

arcbennett - my sincere apologies for hijacking your thread.

I had hoped both questions could run in parallel

Jonathan

 

[graham]

Back to the original question. I have seen pitting occur where a high pressure cleaner has blasted off barnacles that were securely stuck to the hull and took away a tiny piece of gelcoat with each one.

Probably where antifoul had eroded away and barnacles were on the gelcoat.

 

[duncan99210]

All good stuff and thanks to those who quoted costs.

One of the factors quoted by CC, or AMC, is that you save on AF costs but it is still necessary to slip to change anodes, treat the prop(s) (plural in my case) and to check hull fittings for growth and then blockage. It is also necessary to clean the water intakes on the sail drive(s). I appreciate many, or some, in the UK dry store their yachts for the winter (so they are lifted anyway) but there are still lots kept on swing mooring or in marinas and who, if they were using CC, would still need to slip for the inevitable maintenance. Slipping costs are not cheap - and that cost is fixed (whether you use conventional AF or CC) and most, with CC, mention that they need a lift and a power wash anyway.

I am sorely tempted, but not because of the cost as I have the nasty feeling that it might be an illusion - but not having to wield a roller is enticing.

So how do the costs really stack up.

Jonathan

For the past five years, we've lived aboard the boat, which has Coppercoat on the hull but not the keel. We lifted out after two years to a lot of soft growth (after being static for the winter), again the following winter to a mix of soft growth and worms, all removed by jet wash. We abraded the then 12 year old CC with wet and dry, as recommended. The following year, after winter in San Carles, a renowned high fouling marina, the bottom had the usual coat of slime but no worm growth: in comparison, the through hull fittings and Saildrive leg were both covered in mussels to the extent that the head outlets were both blocked.
Our next lift out was eighteen months later in Preveza: again only slime and some soft growth, no hard fouling (barnacles or worm). However, the CC is now 14 years old and has eroded away near to the sink outlets and is noticeably thin in a few other areas, so we will be using 240 grit abrasive to key the old stuff and applying new this year before relaunch.

Direct cost savings for us are not needing to anti foul every year plus removing the labour of preparing the hull and applying the wretched paint, apart from the keel.