Hello all
My 26X needs anti-fouling before she takes to the water again (Covidiocy permitting).
She spends much of her time sailing in and around the Solent and is moored in a marina on the Hamble.
I've read the articles and PR guff from various manufacturers, but in my experience, nothing beats personal recommendation.
I'd love to hear from members about the brand of antifoul they chose, application technique, why they selected the brand they did and how they got on in general.
Many, many thanks in advance and best wishes.
Stu
I'll be following as well...never antifouled mind as it sits on the trailer when not used, but planning to keep her in the marina for a few weeks this summer.
David Claassen
"Logan's Run"
2006 26M
PBO, issue 664, May2021 has an article on anti fouling. Different parts of the country need different paint so I have always asked at the local Marina or Chandlers. As for brands, I have been happy with Hempel or International but PBO seems to think highly of Seajet which I have never come across.
Given the speed we can reach with our engines, I have always gone for the Hard stuff.
Happy Hunting
Simon Armitage
Sowenna 26M (River Blackwater)
I keep my boat on the Hamble and it does get a heavy build up growth in that region.
As an industrial chemist , I am aware of the gradual erosion in performance of general anti fowl over recent years due to EU regulations.
It goes without saying , the best antifoul will always be the most poisonous to the environment .
copper coat is still the best but is also very expensive, so I tend to go for known brand and go for the cheapest. My boat is never in the water for more than 4 months at a time , so cheapest is good enough.
If you had a none antifouled hull and was only going to be in the water for a few weeks, I would seriously consider not antifouling at all . You could jet wash most of the fouling on recovery and when dry, the rest comes off quite easily.
I started off with international cruiser Uno as advised when I bought the boat new but when I moved her to the Hamble I got more fouling. Article in pbo at that point suggested international micron2 would be good so I have used that a number of years. I don't get any serious fouling except close to the water line . It is supposed to last up to 2 years but I give it a wet rub and repaint most years since it is a soft product. Last year I dry sanded and it seems to have lasted better .
Roly
I keep my 26X in Chichester Harbour on a swinging mooring from April to October. I watch all the cruisers at the sailing club being lifted out each year and if I notice one with a clean bottom I ask the owner what he uses the cleanest bottoms at lift out are normally ones that have been beached and recently scrubbed, often with coppercoat antifouling . My boat is normally cleanest with Seajet 033 high fowling, normally at least 3 coats applied with roller. My preference would be to use paint brush to give a better key to substrate but my elbow does not allow me to use a brush for very long these days. I clean the bottom with a bucket of water and scotchbrite pad or to get the mud off a car cleaning brush attached to a water hose. I never use a jet washer as this can inject water into the boat hull through the smallest cracks in the gel coat. When working we repaired aircraft composite fuel tanks that experienced air speeds of mk2 I would not allow water pressure washing of these tanks because the water was forced into the outer skin layer and had to be dried at 70C for at least 2 weeks to remove it. Don't skimp with the application rate otherwise you will get to mid season with a clean bottom and in August things will start to grow at an alarming rate. It does help to give the bottom an occasional rub over when you put the boat aground for the occasional picnic during the sailing season. The Seajet 033 works better than the cheaper seajet 037 coastal I found this out by experience. The last tin of 2.5litre cost £97 I have been applying Seajet 033 for the last 5 seasons and intend to use it again this year. I started using it because it was Best on Test in PBO review.
Some great advice above.
Just my 5 shillings worth :
No substitute for Coppercoat if you plan to keep your boat for ages/can justify cost.
Remember whichever anti fouling product outside of Coppercoat you use, it must be a 'hard' anti fouling if you intend lifting your boat out at all. There is the obvious issue of wearing it away but my main concern would be that the 'soft' ablative anti foul is not intended to dry out and is significantly less effective once it has.
Cheers, J