Short term anti-fouling

[wsteer]

Hi, I have just bought a 28' sloop with Mahagony planking.
She has been out of the water for 3 years so I am going to put her up a creek to sit on her legs for 6 months before staring work on her properly.
My question is whether I should scrap back and anti-foul her as much of the bottom paint has flaked away. In essence, can any harm come to her by having bare timber exposed to the mud/water for 6 months?

 

[oldharry]

Exposed timber is open to worm attack, such as Gribble. Antifoul it and make sure everything below the waterline is covered.

 

[Peterduck]

It is a commonly held fallacy that antifouling paint is to prevent the growth of weed, barnacles and such forth on the wet part of a boat. That is what you get in addition to its primary purpose of preventing teredo, gribble and other aquatic nasties from eating your boat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. People with boats moulded from frozen snot also paint their boats for this side-effect and for any protection that it may give from the dreaded polyestermite [See Beavis and Sleightholme for futher details]. While the effect of gribble is easily determined, [it looks like rats have chewed it] teredo is a far more sinister customer. Where it enters the plank is a tiny pinhole, and the worm-like shellfish grows inside the planks, chewing along the plank , out of sight and out of mind, until one day it breaks through to the outside by accident and the boat fills up with water. If there are no teredos and gribbles where you are going to leave your boat, you don't need antifouling paint. Weed, etc, can be scrubbed off between tides, but the aforementioned scoundrels can't be removed so easily.
Peter.

 

[wsteer]

thanks for the information.
I forgot to say that the boat will be lying in creek in Southern England. Do gribble or teredo exist in UK waters?

 

[Kukri]

There has been a fine population of gribble in Ramsgate inner harbour for as long as I can remember, and from that I assume they are around in many other places too. They are a small crustacean, rather than a worm, and fine in cool water.

Whilst I have not seen teredo in UK waters, what I have notices since acquiring a log that likes to tell me the sea temperature is water temperatures in summer in the UK that are perfectly fine for teredo.

 

[cliffordpope]

Yes, but local knowledge will advise whether a creek is especially prone or clear. I have read mud berths are more vulnerable.
I had a single plank affected by teredo on the Broads, so they or their relatives can live in fresh water too.

 

[Scarboroughsloop]

Scary - I always thought a period in freshwater killed the buggers! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[[32511]]

Yep- I believe the Wasa survived in the Baltic because the low salinity meant no teredo.

 

[oldharry]

Yarmouth pier was eaten by the little blighters, and at huge cost, the next course has been served up for them....