Windermere - Antifoul yes or no?

[waterline]

Help required from a "newish" sailer on Windermere

I have just put a new Jeanneau SUN 2000 (22') trailer sailing cruiser on Windermere and was advised that as I was only going to keep the boat on the water for 7 months of the year, that I probably would not need Antifouling on the hull. My intention was to clean the hull as the boat came out of the water (possibly using a Karcher pressure washer). Well so far the boat has been on the lake for only a few weeks, and already the hull is becoming quite fouled with green gunge. My question is: should I have Antifouled from day one, and what type of Antifoul should I use.
I have also heard that boats kept on fresh water suffer more from osmosis, so again I am not sure if I should epoxy the underside of the hull prior to Antifouling to give a bit more protection against osmosis. or should I assume that all modern boats are less likely to suffer from these problems?

Any help much appreciated

 

[vyv_cox]

I keep my boat on fresh water although mine also goes on the sea at weekends and holidays. Some answers:

1. The fouling is normally slime, a fairly thin layer. It looks nasty but has nearly no effect on performance. We usually use a scrubbing brush from time to time from the dinghy to clean as far as we can reach. This only takes an hour or so and is quite a pleasant occupation on a warm day.
2. Recommended A/F for fresh water is usually one grade down from the top performer, e.g. International Cruiser. Problem with using an eroding antifouling is that scrubbing takes it off, colouring the water and removing your protection. I find a hard scrubbable to be a reasonable alternative but I don't see that it has much effect on fresh water fouling.
3. Osmosis is potentiually more severe in fresh water but I would be surprised if any new boat did not have isophthalic resin gelcoat which is much more resistant than the normal grade.

I would do nothing. If the slime gets really bad at least you can haul out on your trailer at minimal expense, unlike most of us.

 

[Twister_Ken]

There are a few specialist a/foulings for fresh water, like Broads from Blakes. Suggest you ask a local boatyard what works best in Windemere.

 

[Avocet]

We're on Windermere this year. I used the same stuff as I used on the sea last year but don't know how well it will perform yet. No sign of slime so far.

Yes, clean fresh water is generally regarded as being worse for osmosis. Applying epoxy not the kind of job you can do quickly though. If you do decide to epoxy, make sure the hull is dry (get a surveyor or hire a moisture meter). You might find you need to leave it out of the water all winter and apply next spring when the weather gets warmer.

Maybe see you on the lake sometime. What's the boat called?

 

[waterline]

Thanks for your comments re: antifouling etc. I had thought about epoxy coating the underside, but it seems quite a job and I am not sure if it absolutely necessary. I would have to drop the boat in a cradle to complete this work, as it sits very low on the trailer. The boats name is Janine.