Self polishing or hard

[SteveB_Sigma33]

I'm currently taking my boat back to her gel coat to get rid of the silicon anti foul I had as part of the boat scrubber debarcle!

I'm planning on using Blakes Gel coat protection epoxy as the boat is 20 years old this year and although there is no evidence of the pox I want to keep it that way.

Now the question is after all the blood sweat and tears to get her back to a beautifully smooth bum, what anti foul should I use on top?

I'm happy to jump in the water and swim around like a demented dolphin with a brush giving her a good rub over but I feel if I put self polishing antifoul on I'll wear this away to quickly?

What do the barnacled bummed great unwashed think?

 

[pvb]

The beauty of self-polishing (eroding) antifouling is that there's minimal build-up of paint on the hull.

 

[SteveB_Sigma33]

The only thing I've found in the past is that it didn't really cut it all season long. Maybe I've just used the wrong one.

 

[pvb]

[ QUOTE ]
The only thing I've found in the past is that it didn't really cut it all season long. Maybe I've just used the wrong one.

[/ QUOTE ]More likely you haven't put enough on. Check the International Paint website, they have a good paint calculator.

 

[TradewindSailor]

Next time I do the bottom on my boat I'm going to use CopperCoat / CopperBot. It's a copper rich epoxy coating and I've seen boats in the Caribbean being hauled out with minimal fouling .... and its hard enough to scrape those barnacles off without loosing 50 quids worth of paint when you're using ablative or self polishing.

It may be a good barrier coat as well.

I tend to leave the boat in the water until it needs more antifouling or the struts need work ..... so the longevity of the CopperCoat promises to save a few bob in lifting fees and hard work.

I've spoken to owners down here that have had the coating on for 12 years or so ...... and they're really pleased with it.

This sounds like an advert ....... but I have nothing to do with the company ..... I've just seen the results. I can email some photos after pressure washes have been to work ..... but I have not taken any when they have been freshly pulled out.

Perhaps there're some happy owners out there who can give their views.

 

[simonfraser]

international extra rubs off v easily and keeps the fouling off very well

 

[vyv_cox]

I haven't used Blakes epoxy product but I have used Gelshield 200. International recommend that a coat of hard antifouling be applied to the epoxy before it has cured, as a bond coat. So you may need to buy this anyway.

You are correct about scrubbing off eroding antifoul in the water, it comes off very easily. In the situation that most encounter, that you pick up lots of oily dirt at the waterline in harbours, you might like to consider a combined antifouling approach. I paint the top 12 inches or so in hard antifouling and the rest in eroding. I can swim around the boat and scrub all or most of the unsightly stuff off without losing it into the water. A couple of times per season, in the Med, the eroding stuff becomes a little fouled, dependent upon how much we have moved. I simply wipe this with my hand, which is quite enough to dislodge the fouling without removing too much of the paint.

 

[yoda]

Steve

Having gone back to bare last year I regreted putting an eroding antifoul onto the new primer. I would put hard on for the first year and then move to an eroding one after that. At least then you can avoid rubbing of the primer when you do scrub the bottom.

Yoda