Propspeed - pictures with/without

[Hurricane]

Maybe we should take a step back and look at the root cause.
It seems to me that we are all experiencing different levels of growth.
As far as Sant Carles is concerned, I can immediatly think of a couple of causes.

SC is a little unlike most marinas - its a large surface area shallow basin tucked in behind a sheltered lagoon. As a result the sun can warm the water to higher than usual temperatures - last August the water temperature in the marina reached 29 degrees - several degrees warmer than swimming pools in the area.

SC is also located on the delta to the River Ebro. The water is, undoubtedly, more fertile than other areas even though it has its other attractions.

I suspect that these local conditions contribute to different rates of growth.

Maybe we should consider local conditions when trying to asses the performance of the various treatments.

What do others think causes their fouling in their marinas?

As I said recently on our marina forum, I believe that we are now begining to learn how to tackle our growth. Virtually all of us at SC are new to the Med so this type of fouling has been a bit of a surprise. Last year was our first proper season and Jennywren started at SC without any prop treatment at all - not even any A/F on the trim tabs an thrusters either so its been a steep learning curve for us - but I think we are begining to find the answers.

The marina has been very supportave as well - we have a first class boat yard on site - very cheap lift and scrub prices are offered to the regular berth holders - making the whole thing much less of a problem. JW is just over 20m and I can have her lifted scrubbed and relaunched for around 90 euros - cheaper than using a diver.

Virtually all manufacturers antifoul works - on the hull - in fact if you can get it to stay on, antifoul paint is the answer.

As Deleted User says - its the underwater metalwork thats the problem.

My thoughts at the moment is in line with others at SC - proper AF for the hull, tabs and thrusters. Then something simple that will make it easy to remove the barnacles from the props, shafts and rudders when we do our cheap lifts. I can have JW lifted washed and relaunched in a couple of hours. That way I have an absolutely clean boat when I use her - much nicer when swimming around etc.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I don't think 29deg is all that unusual. Typical late summer water temps in the Balearics are around 28deg. I do think from seeing your pics that fouling in SC is worse than anywhere else I've been in the Med and I think that is more to do with the geographical location of SC rather than water temp. Could it be, for example, that agricultural fertilizer gets washed into the lagoon by the river or it's simply the lack of water movement?
What I do know is that the fouling I have experienced in Majorca is similar to what I experienced in SoF and Denia and that is light hull fouling and heavy sterngear fouling. Interesting to see what it's like in Sardinia but I'm not expecting any major difference.
What I would like to know is whether Med type fouling happens in other similarly temperate boating areas. What is fouling like in Florida or W Indies, for example?

 

[Frontier]

Micron Extra

I did a bit of research into International antifoulings last night and found another product which is very well priced at the moment.
Micron Extra
On the face of it it looks to be very similar to Micron 66 so I thought I'd ask International.

Just spoken to a really helpful guy who said that there is very little difference between the two products.
But when I said that I wanted it for a 20m boat, he definately recommended the Micron 66 product and confirmed jfm's research that this was the stuff that is used on super yachts.

I havent been 100% happy with Blakes, particularly at the end of the season, but we did put a lot of miles on during the early season so it may not be very fair to be too critical.

So, I think I'll be having a go at Micron 66 this season - just got find the best price for it now.

I can confirm good results with international Micron Extra. it was expensive but lasted well in the Solent. Sealift 2 even gave me a discount on the lift and scrub a year later as they really only had to clean the props.

I think I had it on for at least two years. Col might remember how it looked before he covered it with something cheaper.

I originally put it on to get two years and save a lift, potentially it would work out cheaper than the extra cost of the A/F. But I had technical problems so had to lift anyway. So this time decided to go for the cheapest job and just accepting I will lift her every year anyway.

D

 

[Hurricane]

Thanks for that D

I did think I'd save a few pennies and use the Micron Extra but it isnt that much more for the Micron 66 anyway.

 

[Frontier]

Thanks for that D

I did think I'd save a few pennies and use the Micron Extra but it isnt that much more for the Micron 66 anyway.

Absolutely , I was just confirming good experience with Micron Extra. 66 should be even better!

 

[jparham]

I'm on Micron Extra here in Brixham. Very pleased. Just slime at wash-off time annually.
Will use it again this year.
Tried Lanolin on the props and sterndrives last year. Didn't work... Then you have to hot power wash it off before you can re-antifoul.....

My biggest problem in the past 10 years has been incompatibility of different antifouls....
Year 2 I put on International hard antifoul on top of Blakes on the original (new) boat. Wasn't happy. Then tried Jotun stuff. Saw fairies for days afterwards due to the fumes........so switched back to International and been using Micron Extra ever since
5 years later. year 2 A/F was blistering off year 1......
So the hull needed slurry blasting and re-sealing/priming/antifouling.

I'm sticking with eroding

And make sure you get the compatibility question answered before you change...

 

[MYAG]

Micron 66 has certainly worked for me.

I do all of my boating in the Aegean and Eastern Med and had always had premature fouling issues. My boat had International Trilux (hard) applied from the factory as standard, this was hopeless out there unless you used the boat almost everyday and ran 28Kts plus frequently. I contacted the factory and they had a techie from International call me back. He asked a few questions: How warm was the water? (32-25 in summer) What speeds did I regularly run or cruise at? (25-27Kts) What typical distances did I cover? (500 miles/month): Once answered, he came back with, "You will need Micron 66". He pointed out that it would need a minimum coating of 150 micron (2 coats with a medium roller) and up to a further 3 coats around the hull pressure points. I calculated I needed around 42 litres for my 50 footer, which came out about right. The cost was around 1500 Euros in Turkey but it might be cheaper in the UK.

Since applying the Micron 66, I have never seen growth on the hull. The fouling lasts for 2-3 years with a quick lift and non abrasive jet wash every season to keep it active. If you keep the boat out of the water for more than a month, you will need to give her a light sanding to reactivate the coating before launching.

I have found it rare to experience a product that works as well as a manufacturer states in their blurb..... but this one did for me.