Ultrasonic antifouling for under £300 ?

[Sandy]

I may get this board copied if anyone is interested.

Apart from the board, what are the full parts list - with costs.

Forgive me, I'm an old cynical engineer and would be interest in how somebody could build a system like this for £300. Especially when they then go on to say it does not work with algae. From my discussions with the manufacture the way the system was designed to work was to stop the lower down food chain organisms from attaching to the hull in the first place.

I went down the coppercoat route and am delighted with it.

 

[Sandy]

From my experience and at leas 2 or 3 years in Plymouth it deterred the crustaceans but not the slime and waterline weed growth.

Thanks @Fr J Hackett, as you know I am on the Tamar and usually have a slight slime build up. The club scrubbing grid sorts that out every few months.

 

[Metalicmike]

The green stuff is easy to remove unless its attached to a barnacle and the Ultrasound creates an environment that Barnacle larvae and others don't like.

 

[Metalicmike]

Apart from the board, what are the full parts list - with costs.

Forgive me, I'm an old cynical engineer and would be interest in how somebody could build a system like this for £300. Especially when they then go on to say it does not work with algae. From my discussions with the manufacture the way the system was designed to work was to stop the lower down food chain organisms from attaching to the hull in the first place.

I went down the coppercoat route and am delighted with it.

Unfortunately copper coat and copper infused antifouling paints are being phased out on environmental grounds and yes larvae are at the bottom of the food chain of which Ultra sonics effect.
silicon_chip-2017_05 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Tranona]

Unfortunately copper coat and copper infused antifouling paints are being phased out on environmental grounds and yes larvae are at the bottom of the food chain of which Ultra sonics effect.
silicon_chip-2017_05 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

While there are restrictions on ablative paints using copper not sure they apply to Coppercoat.

 

[Metalicmike]

While there are restrictions on ablative paints using copper not sure they apply to Coppercoat.

Copper is very harmful to the aquatic environment and is never used in Aquariums else everything would die.

 

[ylop]

Copper is very harmful to the aquatic environment and is never used in Aquariums else everything would die.

That’s why it’s a good antifouling!
Have you tried putting your ultrasound in an aquarium?

 

[Sandy]

Unfortunately copper coat and copper infused antifouling paints are being phased out on environmental grounds and yes larvae are at the bottom of the food chain of which Ultra sonics effect.
silicon_chip-2017_05 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

One of the Unique Selling Points of coppercoat is it is a non-ablative antifouling. It is one of the reasons why I went for that solution.

 

[Metalicmike]

One of the Unique Selling Points of coppercoat is it is a non-ablative antifouling. It is one of the reasons why I went for that solution.

Sounds like another Thread, but not today.

 

[Martin_J]

My Ultrasonic antifouling hasn't been doing too well these past ten years at keeping either the slime or the barnacles at bay...

 

[Martin_J]

I did just go out to the shed and found this (after reading all your earlier comments on the pros and cons)...

 

[Martin_J]

And lifting off the lid... it's got this inside....



It looks to be a UK based company with a website that's still active..

https://www.ultrasonic-antifouling.com/leisure/product/ultra-20-series-ii-system-2-transducers/

 

[Metalicmike]

Wow....nothing to lose. There have been a lot of improvements since 2016 the info I have added to the thread start is definitely worth reading.

 

[Metalicmike]

My Ultrasonic antifouling hasn't been doing too well these past ten years at keeping either the slime or the barnacles at bay...

Not sure about your system but I would check the coupling medium under the transducer, maybe it has dried out or degraded.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

If you can reduce haul out to five years, that would have a big impact on sales of Antifouling ect, so it follows that there will be a lot of pressure to negate it's viability. I can't answer that question but I can say it is intruiging enough for me to invest the time (which I have plenty of) to build this system following Glens recommendation.

I keep saying this! Fouling is a MAJOR economic issue in commercial shipping, marine installations (e.g windfarms and oil production facilities), port facilities and lots more. If it's a marine installation, fouling is a concern. If a technique is efficient and cost effective it WILL be used. Our use of antifouling products is a minor by-product of a massive industry. No-one has an interest in promoting products that don't work; the market will rapidly find them out. So the question to ask is, what are the big boys using? And the answer is similar products to those we use, but tailored for professional rather than amateur application.

There is significant research going on into antifouling techniques, but it is a very challenging problem because of the biological complexity. Just about every phylum under the sun is represented on the bottom of boats. Just for example, ultrasonic techniques are reported to deter barnacles but promote sea squirts!

If there was a simple solution, believe me, it would already be in use.

 

[Metalicmike]

I keep saying this! Fouling is a MAJOR economic issue in commercial shipping, marine installations (e.g windfarms and oil production facilities), port facilities and lots more. If it's a marine installation, fouling is a concern. If a technique is efficient and cost effective it WILL be used. Our use of antifouling products is a minor by-product of a massive industry. No-one has an interest in promoting products that don't work; the market will rapidly find them out. So the question to ask is, what are the big boys using? And the answer is similar products to those we use, but tailored for professional rather than amateur application.

There is significant research going on into antifouling techniques, but it is a very challenging problem because of the biological complexity. Just about every phylum under the sun is represented on the bottom of boats. Just for example, ultrasonic techniques are reported to deter barnacles but promote sea squirts!

If there was a simple solution, believe me, it would already be in use.

I cant fault your argument, it all comes down to cost effectiveness which is how this thread started. The links that I added to the start of this thread still make interesting reading if you have the time, thanks for your response.

 

[Martin_J]

Not sure about your system but I would check the coupling medium under the transducer, maybe it has dried out or degraded.

Should I have installed it in the boat, rather than just storing it in the shed (since many forumites thought that that shed location was all it was worth)?

To be honest.. My ten year delay in fitting was because I thought the aft transducer would be best placed on the saildrive gearbox (rather than the GRP hull) to at least keep the leg free of fouling.

But my better instinct didn't want to cause the aluminium leg any suffering with an ultrasonic transmission though it continuously.

 

[Tranona]

Sounds like another Thread, but not today.

So why bring it up? Coppercoat is arguably the only effective alternative to paint now and there is no indication that it is to be banned or restricted in any way.

As others had said it has been around for 20 years but never gained any traction which given the potential market suggests it is not effective. While it is interesting to see how it might be installed for a small amount of money that is unlikely to be as confessing as solid data in comparison with other products. There have been case studies and limited comparative tests studies published over the years, most of which have confirmed that it is not a viable alternative.

Good luck with it. An interesting low cost electronics project to spend some time on. Hopefully you will get some results to share.

 

[Metalicmike]

Should I have installed it in the boat, rather than just storing it in the shed (since many forumites thought that that shed location was all it was worth)?

To be honest.. My ten year delay in fitting was because I thought the aft transducer would be best placed on the saildrive gearbox (rather than the GRP hull) to at least keep the leg free of fouling.

But my better instinct didn't want to cause the aluminium leg any suffering with an ultrasonic transmission though it continuously.

You have nothing to lose, I would install one just behind the sail drive and the other just forward of your Keel. The pulses alternate between the two transducers so they don't cancel each other out.
I am assuming that the hull is solid glass fibre.

 

[William_H]

I have a friend who bought and built a kit from Jaycar. It apparently did not do much in our high fouling environment. he sold it to another friend. I did have occasion to repair it for him. Bad electrolytic capacitor blew fuse. He installed it but also found it did nothing useful. Certainly not compared to the difficulty of supplying the current on a small boat. Advice to the OP ... get a mask and snorkel perhaps a wet suit and scrub..... Like I do ol'will