Ultrasonic Antifouling

Ripster

Ripster

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Anyone got one of these systems fitted - Ultrasonic Antifoul device?

Are they any good - they cost just short of £1k for a 10m or less boat, so they aint cheap - but if they are as effective as the makers claim - might be worth it - getting rid of the annual hassle/cost of antifoul painting etc.... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

What do the learned panel think?
 
First appeared in the 80's. if they worked as claimed I'd guess we'd all be using them now.

And there was the large plastic bag that surrounded the hull. That also looked to be a good idea...........
 
I think I know of one system, they are normally found on large vessels they have a referance anode and another anode firing of a electric current which puts a sheild around the vessels hull.
cost a lot of money but no more anodes ever needed

paul
 
We are going to be running a long term test of both the main ultrasonic anti-fouling systems currently being offered and will report back regularly during the Summer season. In the meantime if any of you do install it on your boats, do let us know how well it works (or not) for you.

Hugo
 
Hugo, can you be sure to include the sterngear in the test, as the system claims to protect it from fouling. I think this is potentially where the system could be most use, cos there is no other viable method of anti-fouling your props, shafts, p brackets etc.

I was about to fit the system just at the transom for this purpose, but the supplier became very non-commital about how successful this would be, and certainly wasn't willing to guarantee it in any way.
 
In theory it is meant to protect the sterngear and we will certainly be keeping a close eye on the sterngear as well as the hulls. Because they both have year old anti-fouling on their hulls we will also ensure there is at least one test area which is either taken back to bare GRP or painted over with an inert paint to ensure we know it is the ultrasonic doing its job rather than the ongoing effect of the eroding paint.

My understanding is that it doesn't work on wooden hulls because wood doesn't transmit the ultrasonic sound waves effectively

Hugo
 
Think I can detect a tad of scepticism here about these systems!! All to good to be true etc.... I'll try to keep an open mind and wait for the results of the LT test before spending out....
 
I agree, but lets imagine they prove to be very good at their job................

Those manufacturers are going to rake it in surely?

Good luck to them, I hate antifouling with a vengeance.
 
Known as Cathodic Protection or impressed current protection system. does not act as an anti-foul system. Would not work on a GRp hull but might be effective in reducing reactions on running gear.

Very technical system, once swithed on should stay on always. 250,000 ton tanker takes about two days to stabilize with a facility to swich Off Port/Stard side depending which side to, when berthing. Trust this post makes things a bit clearer for you.
 
Hugo, I've just latched onto this, not having studied it before. I think I'm going to install it to the new boat, and will report back with pictures if you wish, and I have old pictures of my last boat (same model of boat, same berth, so a fair comparison) with M66 and other antifouls

I was about to order the one that is currently advertising on MBY home page, www.ultrasonic-antifouling.com, in the 20m version with 2 transducers. But I just noticed you say above "both" systems. Which is the other one, so I can compare before spending 15 hundred quid?

Incidentally, at my location in antibes the problem isn't the hull as that is easily fixed with M66 or other soft paint. It's all sterngear. The pics below are my old boat lifted out last week, after 4 months of almost no use, and the hull is cleanish but props all manky. Paint is M66. The hull would be cleaner if it had run some distance to give the soft paint the chance to rub off a bit, but it's done nearly no miles in 4 months. It's the manky props alone that cost lots of speed and fuel

Anyway, can anyone tell me/give me a link to the other system? Thanks

P2240177.jpg

P2240175.jpg
 
I can't help with your request I'm afraid, but just out of curiosity: is it a sea water intake, above stbd prop? Weird position, judging by the pic.
 
No, it's the discharge of the genset cooling water. That's why the slots face aft. It's put there to reduce noise. The genset cooling water goes into the gen exhaust to cool the gas, then there is a separator to take the water back out of the gas, and send it down through this skin fitting. The gas (and a small bit of unseparated water) goes down the main engine exhaust. Good system, to reduce gurgling noise when genset is running at anchor
 
I had exactly the same idea, and planned to fit just one... err ... vibrator?, the 10m system anyway, in the hull level with the props, to try and stop the props and other sterngear fouling when left on the berth. As you say, it's easy enough to stop the hull fouling with good antifoul like M66.

Thing is, as I got close to ordering, the supplier went very non-commital on me about how well it would work on the sterngear, so it was going to be a bit suck it and see. I lost my enthusiasm a bit then, and haven't ordered it. If you do go ahead, it'll be interesting to see how it goes.
 
Hmmm. They do say it zaps barnacles on the website. I emailed them earlier to say I'm specifically interested in zapping barnacles and am not bothered about slime, and to ask will their stuff do what I want, so I'll see what they say

The testmonials on their website do report good results with sterngear

I don't know much about ultrasound. didn't study it in engineering days, did you? Do you think it could harm metallic components and stuff? Or interfere with something else on the boat (like the precious u/w lights!)? These vibrators take only 1 watt so the amplitude of the u/s waves must be tiny, but if they match a harmonic resonance frequency of say a propeller blade is it going to drop off thru fatigue cracking? I dunno, but I'd rahter not have that result. I'd be leaving this thing switched on 24/365, vibrating my P brackets to death...
 
Just read the mails I received again, and you could read them as saying the 10m system may not work well enough on the stern gear, so fit the 20m. I don't quite follow this, as the 20m is just the 10m duplicated, with the second vibrator located 10m or more away, and therefore presumably adding nothing to the sterngear protection? I guess if you fitted both vibrators level with the props, one on each side of the hull to minimise the distance from vibrator to prop, the results would be better?

Here's the relevant parts of the mails, you may want to make your own judgement:

me:
does the system stop barnacle and tubeworm growth on stern gear?

them:
the answer to your question is yes.
The system is designed to oscillate at the same frequencies as unicellular
organisms and the range within which they operate destroys most types of
algae and barnacles and other crustaceans. The system, when installed
correctly, will look after your underwater gear as well as the hull.

me:
I plan to use it only to prevent growth on the stern gear - shafts, props, p brackets, rudders and trim tabs, and I assume I only need the smaller system for that (it's a twin shaft 18m motor cruiser, in the med). However, depending on the price difference, it may be worth getting the 20m system anyway.

them:
The Ultra 10 would look after your sterngear to a certain extent, but of course being over 10 metres, your shafts, props, etc are all a few sizes bigger, so need a bit more looking after. I hope this helps


I share your concern about possible resonant effects, but have no more insight than that.
 
Hmm. I dont get the "your props are bigger" part. No logic there. I asked them if I could buy the 20m kit and fit both vibrators by the sterngear. I told them the forward part of the hull wasn't an area I wanted zapping. I'll see what they say

On the resonance I'd expect the resonant frequencies of the hunks of metal we're talking about to be much lower than u/s but we could do with a waves/harmonics engineer to comment. I haven't time to google all that now...
 
There is a guy who installed ultrasonic protection on his Fairline (P38 I think) at Sant Carles because we seem to have a very aggressive barnacle problem in the new marina.

I believe that they were fitted in Oct last year and I walked past his boat in January this year - OK I couldnt see very far under water but it didnt seem to have worked from where I was standing. I hope that I got the correct boat and am not raising doubts unnecessarily but it did help me make my decision not to use them until there is more proof that they actually work.

I'm going to try a coating technique this season. Marlin Paints Velos Plus see here - I cant find a bad report on the stuff - maybe it works maybe it doesnt - I'm going to give it a try.
 
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