New antifouling – too good to be true?

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Hugo_Andreae

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Have you read this story about a new form of long life antifouling that claims to last for five years?

It sounds almost too good to be true but the makers are so confident that they are giving away free samples pots for people to test on their own boats.

I'm going to try some on my boat, probably on the trim tabs as it's safe to use on metal, as well as a patch on the hull but it would be good to get some feedback from other forumites. It would be particularly useful to find out how effective it is (or isn't) in the Med and elsewhere in the UK so that we can report back the combined findings of the test group in MBY. If it works for you, the manufacturer will also offer a 33% discount on the cost of the full treatment.

You can download the full story here or go direct to the company offering the free samples here. Make sure you check out the terms and conditions though as they also want photos of the test patch before and after. And while it can be applied easily enough, it takes a bit of removing.
 
read about it over the weekend... as you say, sounds too good to be true, but the article made a good case for it. the concern is (from what I recall from reading the article) is once painted on, you cannot paint over with anything else but itself. Also its clear, which I guess is a strange one. If applied onto a boat from new then fine, you will always have a white bum... if on previous antifoul you will have whatever colour you had last year, but they say it may last 5 years... I would be a bit concerned to apply to an area of hull at the moment, I would have a think about applying to trim tabs as you are considering. Would like to know more... i.e. in a year or two to see if claims are indeed fact..
 
Sounds remarkably like some German gunk that was around about 8 or 9 years ago. When it worked, it was fabulous, but it was so slippery that they had trouble getting it to adhere to the boats, and it fell off in huge swathes. The company eventually went bust due to the cost of lifting and reapplying to customers' boats (it wasn't a DIY job, for some reason). I remember SteveE of this parish had it applied and swore by it.
 
Can't comment on the product of course, but the offer is hardly attractive is it? They send you enough free to do one square metre, whoopee, and in return for all the hassle of applying it and sending them before and after photos, and the risk of having to remove it if it doesn't work, they kindly allow you to buy more at a discount level you'll probably get in the shops anyway!

I'm interested to hear if it works, and may use the product if it does, but they can stick their trial where the barnacles don't grow.
 
Nick_H said:
Can't comment on the product of course, but the offer is hardly attractive is it? They send you enough free to do one square metre, whoopee, and in return for all the hassle of applying it and sending them before and after photos, and the risk of having to remove it if it doesn't work, they kindly allow you to buy more at a discount level you'll probably get in the shops anyway!

I'm interested to hear if it works, and may use the product if it does, but they can stick their trial where the barnacles don't grow.
Click to expand...

Would you be kind enough to send me your free sample please nick, Ive already applied in my name, wifes name and my Dad's name, I figure if I can get hold of enough free samples I'll have enough to do the whole boat :cool:
 
Nick_H said:
Can't comment on the product of course, but the offer is hardly attractive is it? They send you enough free to do one square metre, whoopee, and in return for all the hassle of applying it and sending them before and after photos, and the risk of having to remove it if it doesn't work, they kindly allow you to buy more at a discount level you'll probably get in the shops anyway!

I'm interested to hear if it works, and may use the product if it does, but they can stick their trial where the barnacles don't grow.
Click to expand...

Fair enough but at least they're not asking you to shell out several grand for a full treatment with no guarantee of how well it works. If your boat's already out of the water, it's no great hardship to slap on a small square and take before and after pics. And if it doesn't work at least you've only got a small square to scrape off rather than an entire hull!

I just thought it sounded like an interesting new product which the developers are taking the trouble to test properly before releasing on the open market. Certainly sounds a more sensible approach than claiming it's another miracle cure and letting the customers discover its limitations at their own expense.
 
What a terrible offer. Instead, they should be offering a smaller number of boats a FULL cover of anti-foul for free. Afterall, you are the guinea pig.

Not for me anyhow, but i'm sure they'll have no shortage of people offering
 
Hugo_Andreae said:
Fair enough but at least they're not asking you to shell out several grand for a full treatment with no guarantee of how well it works. If your boat's already out of the water, it's no great hardship to slap on a small square and take before and after pics. And if it doesn't work at least you've only got a small square to scrape off rather than an entire hull!

I just thought it sounded like an interesting new product which the developers are taking the trouble to test properly before releasing on the open market. Certainly sounds a more sensible approach than claiming it's another miracle cure and letting the customers discover its limitations at their own expense.
Click to expand...

Well I agree with all that, but that doesn't alter the fact that they're extracting the michael a bit with the terms of the trial. They could at least give the 100 participants a free tin of the stuff. Allowing them to buy at 33% discount sounds more like a marketing campaign than a trial.
 
I was going to try it as keen to find some 'magic' that stops growth esp on trim tabs and more importantly on props where the growth actually costs speed and money

My pot arrived yesterday - then I get an e mail saying there is a fault in the manufacture and bin the stuff.

Good start :-( (but brilliant marketing and product launch)
 
mjf said:
I was going to try it as keen to find some 'magic' that stops growth esp on trim tabs and more importantly on props where the growth actually costs speed and money

My pot arrived yesterday - then I get an e mail saying there is a fault in the manufacture and bin the stuff.

Good start :-( (but brilliant marketing and product launch)
Click to expand...

I spoke to the Clearcoat team yesterday and it appears that the company responsible for manufacturing the sample batch may have made an error. They will send out a fresh batch as soon as it is ready.

It is a clever way of both marketing and testing a new product like this but I don't see that's a reason to hold it against them. They get good feedback from loads of different boat owners, you get a free sample pot to see if it's any good. Sounds like a fair deal to me. Even the tiny tin of Trilux I bought to put on my trim tabs this weekend cost me £23!
 
Hugo, I couldn't understand if the sample would be enough for one prop.
I'll be stripping both my props to bare metal in a week or so, and I could consider trying it on one, in parallel with another a/f on the other.
I suppose that would be a fair test, but can't be bothered to try if the quantity wouldn't be enough for one prop.
Besides, does it need its own primer?
 
No, Hugo, it's potentially a disaster. So I slap on a square metre or so, and the product turns out to be a pile of pooh. I then have to find some way to remove it and re-antifoul the whole boat.

At least the German lot (I think they were German, anyway) a few years back did a limited number of heavily discounted 'whole boat' applications to prove the product. If these people wanted test patches, there are plenty of ways to do that. To me, this says that a) they don't know if their own product works, b) they don't have the backing to do a proper marketing launch.
 
mjf said:
My instructions says no primer but to use a numbered grade of paper to prepare the surface then to use the supplied cleaner to ensure surface ready and then bush or pad on the one pack stuff. Job Done
Click to expand...
Sounds easy. Quantity-wise, wadduthink, would it be enough for one 4 blade prop with a 22" or so diameter?
 
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