Rollers for Antifoul

Stemar

Stemar

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My last boat was Coppercoated, so it's been a few years since I've had to antifoul. but it's the next job for Jazzcat.

I've vague memories of some rollers being unsuitable - foam disintegrating, or fur coming off. What should I use to avoid this fate, please?
 
Buy fluffy 4" from brewers or a decent brand from a builders merchants rather than cheap and nasty from diy stores as their roller and tray kits tend to have rubbish rollers that malt
I find 9" very hard work as they get very heavy loaded with paint and once they go flat you have to roll over bit same bit multiple times.
The fluffy ones hold far much more paint than short pile so less dips in the tray and more thicker coverage .
I saw a 6" masonary roller in B&Q ?. Was cheap so gave it a go. Brilliant !!! It held a lot of paint and the coverage from one pass was amazing.
It massively reduced the time it took to antifoul the boat with a nice thick coat.
Would guess that I've antifouled at least 500 times and tried most things. I also like a short roller pole
 
Tradewinds said:
These work well
SML Marine Paints - SML Blue Stripe Roller
Click to expand...
I hate to say this, as I am great pals with SML (and after our 9 coat epoxy barrier, plus primer, A/F etc. have been a big customer recently) - but they are the same as these:
Rota Solvent Resistant Roller Sleeves 4'' | Toolstation

We did the entire afotrementioned epoxy job with the Rota rollers. My main reason for preferring them is solely the ability to pick them up from a local trade counter when you run short. SML's aren't that much more expensive and obviously very convenient if you are putting in an order anyway (I highly recommend their CuPro antifoul - for all of the 2 months the boat has been back in the water!).
 
I use the cheapest Screwfix/B&Q/Toolstation 9" general purpose rollers with Teamac D antifoul and they work fine. No noticeable shedding of fibres and easy to use.
 
I use rough-surface rollers from wherever I can get them, because they carry more paint than the smooth ones. I am content to use 9" rollers which I mostly apply with an extension rod which cost me about £4.99. By using two hands I don't find the weight a problem and can do a coat on my 34 in a little over an hour without having to do much bending.
 
I also use cheap rollers from Toolstation/Screwfix and they are fine - short hair type NOT the foam ones - 9" and 4" with an extension pole. This year mine came from Seamark Nunn who give you a pack if your spend is over £100 on antifouling. My extension pole is an old broomstick with a tapered end to suit the handle.
 
We do a 38ft boat using 4" short pile rollers... I think antifouling is quite a pleasant job so no rush to use larger/heavier rollers.

One thing I do though is to use a standard size paint tray but I put it into a carrier bag first. The antifoul then sits on plastic carrier bag.

Once finished it's easy to pull the roller off (using the bag to keep hands clean), turn the bag inside out (containing the roller, antifouling dregs and used masking tape) and then I can put away an already clean and dry paint tray.
 
Not that it matters a jot - but our local yard use 4” rollers in 9” trays for all their a/f.

Only difference to me is they can make a roller last all day!
 
We use 9" rollers cheapest we can find. Fluffy not foam. You should not need a pole and will be able to reach 'everywhere' without an extension. Get a decent tray - the cheap ones are too floppy and you need 2 hands to carry them. Be generous with application - longevity (for the AF) is determined by coating thickness. We would normally apply 2 coats of top of the range, Jotun, International, or Hempel. We have tried all the cheap paints and they are not worth it. AF takes time and organising - its worth doing it once - correctly. When we finish a days work we put the roller and frame in a poly bag and its then ready to use the next day. We use 2 tins on a 38' cat. We use Trilux, 1l tin, on the saildrive and boot top, small roller or paint brush. We get about 2 years life but do beach and wipe down 'occasionally' - its the prop and its anodes that determines the frequency. Josephine tapes up and cleans the props, I do the manual work. She might do the junction at the tape with a small fluffy roller, 3". and usually does the props and fiddly bits round the top of the rudders, You need a good battery drill for the paint stirrer. If at the end of the exercise we have AF left over we use it with an extra coat on water line and leading edges, bows, keels, rudder - its not worth keeping a little in a big tin - it dries out over 2 years. We use cheap masking tape and take it off at the end of a day and retape the next day.

A problem you, we, have is that a lot of the hull is really low down, depends on how you are slipped, but its a good workout.

I quite enjoy the task - when its completed its satisfying to see the transformation.

It needs no skill, except for choosing the AF itself and choosing the days, re weather, to do it.

Jonathan
 
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I prefer the finish I get when using 4" foam rollers, but admit they do not last long and can be annoying. I did find a rather better one but cannot now find what it has. Any suggestionns?
 
A couple of years ago I invested in a car mechanics ‘creeper’, the folding Hilka one so it fits in the car, this has made the antifouling under and between the bilge keels a lot easier, I also use a polycarbonate face shield when doing this area, it keeps all the drips and spatter off your face and glasses if you wear them.
I would second SML blue stripe rollers.
 
johnphilip said:
I prefer the finish I get when using 4" foam rollers, but admit they do not last long and can be annoying. I did find a rather better one but cannot now find what it has. Any suggestionns?
Click to expand...
Rota/SML solvent resistant foam rollers last as long as you wish (in terms of not falling to bits, that is). I would say they’re more for topcoat/gloss than antifoul - but if it gets the paint on…?!?
 
Neeves said:
We use 9" rollers cheapest we can find. Fluffy not foam. You should not need a pole and will be able to reach 'everywhere' without an extension. Get a decent tray - the cheap ones are too floppy and you need 2 hands to carry them. Be generous with application - longevity (for the AF) is determined by coating thickness. We would normally apply 2 coats of top of the range, Jotun, International, or Hempel. We have tried all the cheap paints and they are not worth it. AF takes time and organising - its worth doing it once - correctly. When we finish a days work we put the roller and frame in a poly bag and its then ready to use the next day. We use 2 tins on a 38' cat. We use Trilux, 1l tin, on the saildrive and boot top, small roller or paint brush. We get about 2 years life but do beach and wipe down 'occasionally' - its the prop and its anodes that determines the frequency. Josephine tapes up and cleans the props, I do the manual work. She might do the junction at the tape with a small fluffy roller, 3". and usually does the props and fiddly bits round the top of the rudders, You need a good battery drill for the paint stirrer. If at the end of the exercise we have AF left over we use it with an extra coat on water line and leading edges, bows, keels, rudder - its not worth keeping a little in a big tin - it dries out over 2 years. We use cheap masking tape and take it off at the end of a day and retape the next day.

A problem you, we, have is that a lot of the hull is really low down, depends on how you are slipped, but its a good workout.

I quite enjoy the task - when its completed its satisfying to see the transformation.

It needs no skill, except for choosing the AF itself and choosing the days, re weather, to do it.

Jonathan
Click to expand...
I don’t know why you should think that I don’t need a pole. I have already been in hospital twice with lumbar disc problems and I would cripple myself if I had to reach the midline of my boat without an extension. As things are, I can do almost all while standing up and just have to bend a bit for the area between the keel and the saildrive. Traditional hulls such as the Contessa 32 are easier because all areas are slanted but my hull is rounded, though not as wide at the stern as some recent designs.
 
johnalison said:
I don’t know why you should think that I don’t need a pole. I have already been in hospital twice with lumbar disc problems and I would cripple myself if I had to reach the midline of my boat without an extension. As things are, I can do almost all while standing up and just have to bend a bit for the area between the keel and the saildrive. Traditional hulls such as the Contessa 32 are easier because all areas are slanted but my hull is rounded, though not as wide at the stern as some recent designs.
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Sincere apologies. My mistake. It sounds as if a Pole would be very useful for you :)

I was referring to Stemar as the one not needing a pole.

The problem with antifouling cats is that when you atta ck the 'insides' of the hulls you can easily reach the areas to be covered but are constantly hitting your head on the underside of the bridge deck. On ours we have protruding longitudinal braces and caps with a peak are a downright hazard - no wonder multihulls are popular in France and not in the UK. The answer is a knotted handkerchief :) or in modern parlance a bandana? :)

Jonathan
 
As the Keel of my boat is only 2ft 6in, I shall spend a lot of the time sitting on a chair while antifouling this weekend, the rest of it sitting on the trailer, just a short pole required. Should get 3 coats done in a couple of hours... The joys of a little boat..

The short nap rollers were from Amazon, looking exceeding like those from SML / ROTA. Just 4 inch ones for me, VC17 evaporates fast, the least exposed in the tray at any one time the better.. (it'll actually be dispensed from a squeezy bottle)
 
5L tins are a surprisingly comfortable seat for low-clearance rollering, I find (compared to crouching/kneeling at least). A good pair of proper, plastic/padded. kneepads is also a must, for when you invariably take to the floor.

I'm in the 'don't mind doing it' camp, myself. Find it quite meditative and seeing the boat 'finished' below the waterline is a rare moment of satisfying closure in boat ownership!
 
Don't have any 5L tins:D, 750ml should give the boat 2 coats, I did say the boat was little......
It will be satisfying because hopefully the boat will be almost finished after a 5 year (with interruptions) rebuild. Hoping to be launched at the end of the month.
 
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