Antifoul Puzzle

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

I will tell you that in areas of high fouling, using cheap, low-copper anti fouling paints is not cost effective in the long run. Of course you have to have the boat dived on some sort of regular basis no matter what you use, but with a low-copper product you will haul more frequently for new paint than if you had paid for the good stuff to begin with.

Most in southern NE haul each year... And most boats are stored out of the water as well in winter. Petit says you can get 2 years from the paint... Yards want to slap on 2 or 3 coats too... lots of build up and no improvement. When you do the math.... it makes sense to dive more and paint less with a lower end product... one coat too.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Sandero

Most in southern NE haul each year...

Yes, I know. Which is why I specified that your anti fouling philosophy is not necessarily effective in regions of high fouling, which southern New England is not.

[Jim Cate]

As Pete said, the water is murky and cold here, but just out of the Solent I know a little bay where the water is rather clear. Might be a nice way to spend a weekend -- drop the hook, do a bit of hull diving, right at slack tide.

DH, I dunno how athletic you are, but as I've aged, I find that even with a hooka and in warm water, cleaning our 44' LWL hull is getting to be a difficult task. You won't be doing it in a couple of goes at slack water! It's a lot of area, and some effort is required to remove even slime, and one must be careful to not use too much pressure for fear of removing good paint... not as easy as it sounds! And any significant current makes it harder yet, for you expend considerable energy just maintaining station.

jim

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

DH, I dunno how athletic you are, but as I've aged, I find that even with a hooka and in warm water, cleaning our 44' LWL hull is getting to be a difficult task. You won't be doing it in a couple of goes at slack water! It's a lot of area, and some effort is required to remove even slime, and one must be careful to not use too much pressure for fear of removing good paint... not as easy as it sounds! And any significant current makes it harder yet, for you expend considerable energy just maintaining station.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzawnxVPlL0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgPmXg1-o5g

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I recommend you select Micron66 instead.

It's been replaced by Micron 77, which was not recommended for a few reasons, including my summers in brackish water.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Hmm, the boat yard give it a good blast with a massive pressure washer each time she comes out as you would expect, so back to thin and patchy (but not flaky) would be a good description before applying the Uno.

Pete

Exactly my experience. After the second pressure wash, it was worn all the way through in places.

Have to say, thought, that there was very little fouling. Just a bit of slime. So it does work; it just doesn't LAST.

And the Uno -- how did that hold up?

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

thanks. That was good viewing

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

That's really very interesting. Thanks for posting that.

That looks like a very gentle and effective way to do it.

Fastbttms, how long does antifoul last on those boats, and how often do you scrub them?

I'm not exactly Mark Spitz, but I'm under 60 and I reckon that is not beyond my athletic ability. It looks like you are using some kind of suction cups to tether on? The tide runs very hard here, so I think I would have to do it around slack tide, and maybe over two tides if necessary.


Another thing which occurred to me is that maybe it makes sense to clean the bottom using those white pads, but with the boat dried out. One person holding a hose to keep the surface wet. Instead of a pressure washer. What do y'all think?


I dried my boat out at the Royal Air Force Yacht Club grid last fall. It frightened me, but in the event it was not a big deal other than the large amount of time required waiting for the tide to go out and come back in again. Also a fair amount of labor to set up all the shore ties.

[Sandero]

Waters in LIS which I suppose vary from harbor to harbor can promote the growth of all manner of stuff... slime, barnacles, grasses... too quickly. It seems as if it's been getting worse... as the paints become less effective. Maybe. I have to have a diver scrub it at the min once a month.

http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/cgi/...ext=wracklines

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Fastbttms, how long does antifoul last on those boats, and how often do you scrub them?

Here in the Bay Area, we typically clean every other month and with that regimen, we'll get 3+ years of good service out of a properly applied, high quality anti fouling paint.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Here in the Bay Area, we typically clean every other month and with that regimen, we'll get 3+ years of good service out of a properly applied, high quality anti fouling paint.

Damn, if you only had anyplace interesting to sail over there, I'd move to the Bay Area


That's remarkable, and I guess that speaks to the gentleness of cleaning by hand.


"High quality anti fouling paint" would be what types? All eroding, I suppose?


And what do you think about the idea of cleaning by hand while dried out?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

"High quality anti fouling paint" would be what types? All eroding, I suppose?

Hard paints by nature are more durable than other types. In the videos I am cleaning Pettit Trinidad. Ablative paints typically can't match the longevity of a good hard paint, but I find my customers using Interlux Micron 66 go well over 2 years between haulouts. The two aforementioned products are the only paints I ever recommend for my service area, BTW.

Originally Posted by Dockhead

And what do you think about the idea of cleaning by hand while dried out?

Could be done, I suppose. Again, I don't see the advantage to hauling a boat simply to clean the hull (regardless of method) but I think you've mentioned before your club provides inexpensive haulouts.

[a64pilot]

You don't want to SCUBA to clean a hull, too much crap on to get in the way, haul in and out of the water etc., you want a Hooka or a long hose and leave the tank on the dock or boat.
Vis is overrated, and will likely go to crap when you start cleaning anyway, maybe not with current, but I've never cleaned where there is any current to speak of.

Get some cave training, you will learn to work in zero vis

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Could be done, I suppose. Again, I don't see the advantage to hauling a boat simply to clean the hull (regardless of method) but I think you've mentioned before your club provides inexpensive haulouts.

Hauling out costs 150 pounds in Cowes (for a 25 ton, 54' boat), but I was not thinking about that, but rather drying out.

Maybe you don't have the tidal range over there for that, but this is the ancient traditional way to get at your bottom over hear.

Ever heard of a "scrubbing grid"? They pour a concrete slab on the bottom next to a sea wall somewhere where the slab will be dry more than half the tide. You tie up to the wall with shore ties to keep the boat upright (base of the mast to a bollard some distance away) and wait for the tide to go out.

Then you have a few hours to do whatever under your bottom.







The advantage would be not having to dive to do it. For the non-divers on here.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Maybe you don't have the tidal range over there for that, but this is the ancient traditional way to get at your bottom over hear.

We don't have huge tidal ranges in most of the continental U.S. but grids are not unheard of here. Just very rare.