Med Antifoul

[lurob]

I'm sure this topic has come up a dozens of times before, so my apologies in advance....

We're planning ahead for spring and are wondering what type/brand of antifoul to use for onward Med cruising.

What views/advice do you good people have?

 

[rivonia]

anti foul for the med

It is expensive but worth every penny.... Copperbottem/coppercoat. We have it and all we seem to get is a brown slime which comes off when we sail.

Peter

 

[grafozz]

copper is the way

It is expensive but worth every penny.... Copperbottem/coppercoat. We have it and all we seem to get is a brown slime which comes off when we sail.

Peter

I will second that , clean all summer in the Ionian with copper !

 

[Ken_Irby]

AF for Med

We used two coats of International Micron in April. The hull is still totally free of any growth whatsoever despite the limited movement of only nine weeks this year. It is said to be possible to get away with a second year. Wer'e going to give it a try.
Chas, on Kentrina's login

 

[westernman]

Jotrun seems to work well.

I have Jotrun on mine which was redone in April 2008. The boat was lifted and cleaned in Cowes in November 2008 and has been in the med since January this year and has not been cleaned since.

The bottom is still clean apart from a small line of green slime around the water line.

Thinking of putting the same stuff back on in february.

 

[Spookyfella]

... compared with the cost of coppercoat every 10 years ... ?

 

[Cariadco]

Med Antifoul - Corfu

All the current rage is to use dark AF. Apparently there's very little growth, for a whole season.
Not talking from my own expereance, but I will be using a dark blue, when mine goes back in the water.

Maybe it's a local thing???

 

[lurob]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Jotrun seems to work well.

I have Jotrun on mine which was redone in April 2008. The boat was lifted and cleaned in Cowes in November 2008 and has been in the med since January this year and has not been cleaned since.

The bottom is still clean apart from a small line of green slime around the water line.

Thinking of putting the same stuff back on in february.

Is the Jotrun that you used hard or self-eroding?

 

[Squeaky]

Good everning:

Many years ago I was involved with in a discussion about anti-fouling when someone decided to ask the professional skipper who had a reputation as the one to ask about all problems that we as newbees suffered.

His reply was something along the line "If you use the local brand you will get six months protection however if you use the super duper expensive brand X you will get six months and two weeks.

You pay your money and takes your chances is my view. What works for one might not work for the next.

Cheers

Squeaky

 

[westernman]

Thanks for all the replies so far.



Is the Jotrun that you used hard or self-eroding?

I am pretty sure it is self-eroding - If I give it a good scrub it comes off!

 

[richardwatson]

med antifoul

I tried International and Seajet in the Med, but found the best for me was Ameron ABC+. Its an ablative and they use it on big ships.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Antifoul.

His reply was something along the line "If you use the local brand you will get six months protection however if you use the super duper expensive brand X you will get six months and two weeks.

Squeaky

Speaking with the experience of running several charter fleets in the med over the years, I completely agree. You left one thing out though . . . super duper expensive brand is usually more than twice as expensive as local goo. Additionally, the local goo will vary area by area. So locals moored in muddy Gouvia, Levkas, Nidri/Vliho or Messalonghi will use a different brew from those moored in the Cyclades, Dodecanese or S Peloponese.

I have no experience of copperbot, tho' it had very mixed reports when it first came into use. Lots of excuses flying around about 'bad application techniques'.

 

[Chris_Robb]

I tried International and Seajet in the Med, but found the best for me was Ameron ABC+. Its an ablative and they use it on big ships.

Richard, I used - and have used for years Seajet Shogun in the UK and its been good - untill now. This year I hade to slip at the end of June (april launch) I complained to Seajet. As we are moving to the eastern Med next year, they suggested I used their Platimun product - which they gave me at 50% discount in recompense for this year. I took their offer - so hope it is OK!!
This is their web site blurb

SEAJET 039 Platinium offers the equivalent performance to the old TBT anti-fouling and can last up to 3seasons or more. It is based on new resin technology from Japan and offers the ulimate performance.

It is like nothing else available on the market because we have managed to perfect the control of the self-polishing mechanism

 

[Nig]

We have not antifouled for the last three seasons in the Ionian. The boat was in the water for four months per year and ashore for the rest of the time. There was still plenty of old antifouling on the hull. We avoided pressure washing and just wiped the hull down with a sponge. No problems and very economical.

 

[mikehibb]

Boat was lifted today.
Last antifouled in May 2007 by previous owners.
She was not too bad concidering over two and half years in the water.
One thing we did notice, well you could see this even when it was in the water, one side had much more growth than the other. This being the sunny side of the boat obvioulsy.

We will be antifouling every two years from now on, delayed it deliberately this year to fit in with other commitments.

Based on what I saw and recommendations from others in our area (Yalikavak, Turkey), definately not worth doing every year.
Shaft annode was Ok too, well OK as still some left, a bit more than I expected, but is being replaced anyway of course.

Even the guys that are doing the antifoul said every two years, now they could have pushed for every year and made more money, but rely on reputation and giving good advice.
Being new to "owning" a boat I appreciate and respect honest advice.

Will be using International self eroding type, I forget the actual name, but wil report back.
They also said as others have posted, there is the super extra special expensive or the normal what most people use.

Think that I will stick with what most people around here use as there must be a very simple reason why, cheap and works.

Keel was showing some minor rust, just a couple of small patches but decided to get it all ground back, re-epoxied etc. Rather than leave it to be a bigger problem next time. Stitch in Time and all that.

Keel bolts all A OK, I knew that anyway.
keel/hull joint seal great.
Cutless bearing, was replaced 2 and half years ago before I bought the boat, but checked and spot on. Marine mechanic said before he checked for play that it would most likely be OK as the alignment was dead centre, any miss alignment obvioulsy is a give away.

Sorry for straying from original antifoul post, but thought I would just report regarding all the other stuff we need to check when lifted out.

Do not ask about the blummin log transducer paddle wheel.

Irrespective of how often I clean it, some little critters find a way of making a new home there. I think that they wait for me to clean it for them, so thet have a nice clean new home.
Normally I whip it out every month or so from inside.
This time I decided to leave it and have a look from below, major eviction order was implimented.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Moodyjim]

Yea, our paddle wheel is the same, going to take it out between visits in the future. We have Coppercoated our old girl and so far so good.

 

[dinwood]

Does the answer to this question depend on whether you spend any time out of the water? This is our 1st season as live-aboards in the Med, and all the posts and advice in the pilots seems to relate to a routine of spending a few months out of the water. How do full-time live aboards manage their antifouling in the Med?

 

[Ariadne]

We last anti-fouled CAPE Easter 2006 in Pwllheli. We have been in the water all year ever since and are nearing the end of our 2nd year in the Med'. We tend to scrub the waterline every 3 weeks or so throughout the summer, and give the whole underside a really good scrub as we need to. About every 6-8 weeks so far, we leave when are alongside overwinter, but then get a friend with diving gear to help us clean back when set off again.

We used SeaJet something or other last time, its lasted well but its well and truly finished now. I'll be looking for some good local stuff when we hauled in the spring - or something better. I'm all ears though.

 

[Chris_Robb]

We last anti-fouled CAPE Easter 2006 in Pwllheli. We have been in the water all year ever since and are nearing the end of our 2nd year in the Med'. We tend to scrub the waterline every 3 weeks or so throughout the summer, and give the whole underside a really good scrub as we need to. About every 6-8 weeks so far, we leave when are alongside overwinter, but then get a friend with diving gear to help us clean back when set off again.

We used SeaJet something or other last time, its lasted well but its well and truly finished now. I'll be looking for some good local stuff when we hauled in the spring - or something better. I'm all ears though.

Was it Seajet Platinum - which is supposed to be their tropical waters stuff.

Your experiance is quite hartening.

By the way, we hope to be in Messonghi by about June next year (2010). How is the Marina coming along and have you sussed out connections to Athens etc?

 

[Leonidas]

I tried International and Seajet in the Med, but found the best for me was Ameron ABC+. Its an ablative and they use it on big ships.

I definitely endorse this statement. I have been using this paint for the last 10 years with excellent results. The boat is kept in Greece.
As Richard says above, this is a commercial vessels self polishing tin free antifouling paint. (Hence the price!) It was originally developed for the US Navy but widely available and used by the commercial fleets. Same company also sells two-pack epoxy systems (similar to Awlgrip) for topside painting.