Please help me choose antifouling

[maximilianus]

New Chaparral speedboat, reaches 50kph
He would sail in the Mediterranean (Croatia, Greece)
Occasionally on rivers. And the most he would stand on a dry connection.
The seller advises Hempel Silc One, however, as the ship would be in dry dock most of the time, I think it is not a good choice.
Did anyone hesitate in between
Internacional Ultra 300 and Nautix A4 Formula+ ?
What is the difference between Nautix A4 Formula+ and A4 T Speed (with Teflon) in practice?
Thanks for your help

 

[Graham376]

If it's stored dry and just launched for short periods, why bother with antifoul?

 

[maximilianus]

@Graham376 Thanks for the reply
Sea cruises would last 3-30 days before being loaded onto a trailer and then dry
and so on a few times a year.
So I guess antifoul is needed
I have read many topics. And I find information that Ultra 300 is good and can be polished.
But I can't find any information about Nautix A4 Formula+ , except that there is a version A4 T.Speed with Teflon, that is used by regattas in racing
All advice and experiences are welcome

 

[Boathook]

I would try without antifoul to start with, and if fouling does build up then use an antifoul. The boat being out of the water for long periods is something antifouls don't like, or never used to.

Would copper coat be a suitable option ?, though expensive to start with.

 

[KevinV]

he boat being out of the water for long periods is something antifouls don't like, or never used to.

Possibly why silic-1 is being recommended? Seems a sensible option to me, especially on such a fast boat

 

[maximilianus]

@Boathook
The salesman convinces me that the 3-4 weeks in seawater I plan on will require intensive acid cleaning and that I should definitely install AF.
Both hard AF (Ultra 300 and Nautix A4) on official website state that they are designed to dry periods.
Coppercoat I don't like the copper color on the brand new black boat . Also, looking at the tests on YT, I don't see that it had better characteristics in terms of cleaning. So I would skip Coppercoat the first time

@KevinV
The Silc One is not mentioned anywhere on the page as liking high speeds. (50mph)
An additional question is how it would behave over long periods on dry ?
The boat would definitely spend a lot more time on dry land than in the water
It would be covered in the garage when it's dry parked

 

[Tranona]

.
Coppercoat I don't like the copper color on the brand new black boat . Also, looking at the tests on YT, I don't see that it had better characteristics in terms of cleaning. So I would skip Coppercoat the first time

Not my experience from the cleaning point of view. That is one of its big selling points - very easy to clean the slime off even for a boat left stationary in the water for weeks. for your short periods afloat and speed potential would guess the slime buildup will be small and easily washed off. Can't do anything about the colour, but the fish don't see to object.

 

[maximilianus]

@Tranona Thank you for your experience
I didn't completely eliminate Coppercoat ....
With this topic, I am trying to gather information for a decision
Hempel Silic One - sounds very good that it will last 2 years and after 2 years just apply 1 coat and continue for another 2 years but I am interested in my case, a fast boat (50 mph) and a lot of time on dry in the garage
or International Ultra 300 or Nautix A4 (Formula+ version or possibly TSpeed with Teflon) - hard AF that are advertised for this purpose, I guess we will find forum members with experience.

 

[Neeves]

Silic One is a silicone based coating and the theory is the surface is such that fouling cannot stick, cannot get a grip. Moreover if its a high speed craft then any fouling that has got a grip 'wash off'.

The problem is that if for some reason the coating does not reach expectation then it is difficult to prepare the hull such that a conventional coating will stick (to the silicone held in the microporosity of the gelcoat). You can source preparations that will remove silicones - but I suspect they may not be very friendly.

I think you may find more or better information on the MoBo section of YBW - our craft tend to be slower than your vessel and those who have tried Silicone have little good to mention.

I'd solicit views from the motor boat section but I'd also talk to Hempel regarding your intent to store for longish periods out of the water. For props there is a similar product Prop Speed.

Some of these products are carcinogenic and if you have to remove you need good protective clothing, masks, gloves etc and the boatyard may demand you remove all dust. Application and removal is thus arduous or expensive. Similar coatings have been applied to large commercial vessels, container ships, and in some case they have returned to 'conventional' AF. If you see vid of silicone application on large vessels the operators all don equipment that look s best suited (apologise for the pun) for astronauts.

If you go conventional you will need a hard AF. Hempel make a good conventional AF, Globic Jotun make Seaquantum which comes in (at least) 4 formulations - designated by vessel speed.

I used Seaquantum Ultra with great success and can recommend it - for a vessel whose speed is typically 10-20mph, or 5-10 knots. However it is only to be applied by a commercial operator.

Jonathan

 

[maximilianus]

@Neeves
First of all, thank you for your help.
Silic One Sam found more information that he does not like long periods in the dry
So I also put it at the bottom of the list
The preparation you mention, OceanMax Prop Speed, I find is only for metal surfaces
Seaquantum Ultra is self-polishing.
I'm still of the opinion that for dry periods and high speeds, hard AF was purpose built

I chose two from the hard AF that it would be good to hear the opinions and experiences of members :

International Ultra 300, withstands dry periods, withstands high speeds and can be polished

Nautix A4 Formula+, withstands dry periods, withstands high speeds. I don't know if it can be polished.
I can't find any information for him on the internet.
(There is also a Nautix A4 T Speed version with Teflon that is developed for competitive races)

 

[Neeves]

@Neeves
First of all, thank you for your help.
Silic One Sam found more information that he does not like long periods in the dry
So I also put it at the bottom of the list
The preparation you mention, OceanMax Prop Speed, I find is only for metal surfaces
Seaquantum Ultra is self-polishing.
I'm still of the opinion that for dry periods and high speeds, hard AF was purpose built

I chose two from the hard AF that it would be good to hear the opinions and experiences of members :

International Ultra 300, withstands dry periods, withstands high speeds and can be polished

Nautix A4 Formula+, withstands dry periods, withstands high speeds. I don't know if it can be polished.
I can't find any information for him on the internet.
(There is also a Nautix A4 T Speed version with Teflon that is developed for competitive races)

It depends on the costs but I would see how fouling developed, or not, without any AF (of any sort). To apply AF on a new hull means abrading the gel coat to allow the AF to key. This may have been already completed.

If you only use the vessel occasionally then the fouling will not have time to adhere securely and you might find that simply wiping the underwater surfaces with a kitchen scouring pad without much aggression is more than sufficient to keep the hull clean and glossy. You could also consider polishing the hull with one of these 'nano' polishes and see if that suffices. The manufacturers of same make great promises - the polishes are not expensive (compared to AF) - its just your labour (and you can cut back on the effort with a battery powered polisher.

I've never tried it but there are many ways to skin a rabbit

You are looking for experience from others - most here keep their vessels in the water 24/7 - it is unlikely anyone has the usage you describe and AF performance varies dependent on the different conditions of the water - even in the same marina.

Jonathan