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Old 18-10-2019, 09:13   #1
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Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

Hello, I read similar chats but did not find the answers:
I cruised about 2,000 nm, and, I think, washed out all my ablative paint. So after all, when I left the boat on a mooring for 4 weeks I had cities of*barnacles and about 1' of weed. The guys from my marina did a good job cleaning the bottom when they hauled the boat, but it raised two questions:

1. I have*dst800 thru-hull smart transducer (plastic). Barnacles filled it up, I even cannot see an impeller. How can I fix it with chemicals? It is plastic! I'll try in Spring to put it in an ultrasonic cleaner. Any other ideas?

2. I started to think about*Ultrasonic Antifouling Kit. Reviews are not bad, but:
these guys generate quite powerful signals:*700V peak-to-peak. I think it might destroy the hull (mine is fiberglass), creat microcracks or unscrew some bolts (keel bolts for example). I mean eventually, in 5-10 years. Any professional opinions?

Thanks!
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Old 18-10-2019, 09:41   #2
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

if you sit the stuff will grow not matter what paint is on the bottom

hang the transducer in a bucket with Barnacle Buster or diluted muriatic acid and it will clean up

you are on your own for the ultrasonic and if you search the forum there are lots of threads, but I doubt it destroy your hull
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Old 18-10-2019, 11:20   #3
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

Don't leave your DST800 installed. Pull it and install the plug (bung) when the boat is not actively being sailed or expected to be sailed in the next few days or week.
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Old 18-10-2019, 21:42   #4
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

We are wrapping up 7 months cruising in SE Alaska and at the beginning of the trip were plagued by barnacles growing on the transducer and paddle wheel. At one point, we were anchored three days in one spot and when we moved, no STW... checked the paddle wheel and a tiny mussel was already attached and growing!

Getting sick of having to clean the transducer every morning, I got desperate and tried spraying some McLube Sailkote dry lubricant on the paddle wheel in the hopes of deterring growth without impacting functionality. It seems to have worked! It has now been months since we last pulled the transducer to clean it and I have only renewed the Sailkote once shortly after the first application when I pulled it to see what it looked like.

Just be sure to let the Sailkote dry before you reinstall the transducer.

Hope this helps...
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Old 18-10-2019, 23:18   #5
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

Just plain old vinegar will work. If the part's removable. We usually remove ours if we go into a marina, and let it soak in a small tub, like for dip. All the calcium based stuff falls off, and most weed doesn't care much for the mild acid, either. Swimming pool acid ("muriatic acid) is HCl, a stronger acid than acetic (vinegar).

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Old 19-10-2019, 12:01   #6
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolchac View Post
Hello, I read similar chats but did not find the answers:
I cruised about 2,000 nm, and, I think, washed out all my ablative paint. So after all, when I left the boat on a mooring for 4 weeks I had cities of*barnacles and about 1' of weed. The guys from my marina did a good job cleaning the bottom when they hauled the boat, but it raised two questions:

Thanks!
Ablative paint doesn't leach out, it wears off exposing fresh anti-fouling. Possibly you needed to clean off the growth and expose a fresh surface of paint. The friction of water while underway is supposed to slough off paint keeping it optimized for anti fouling.
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Old 20-10-2019, 09:25   #7
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

Quote:
Originally Posted by roverhi View Post
Ablative paint doesn't leach out...
Not true. Ablative paints leach biocide just like hard paints do, whether there is water moving past the hull or not.
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Old 20-10-2019, 09:59   #8
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingScot View Post
Don't leave your DST800 installed. Pull it and install the plug (bung) when the boat is not actively being sailed or expected to be sailed in the next few days or week.
The best answers are always the simplest.
Do let it sit, put the vessel on a regular schedule for your diver.
No paint means you have to haul it or dive on it.
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Old 21-10-2019, 09:40   #9
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

I smear zinc oxide on my paddle wheel. The kind lifeguards put on their nose. It prevents marine growth.
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Old 22-10-2019, 11:31   #10
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Re: Barnacles*and weed on the hull. Did not find an answer in threads here yet*

Many thanks to all of you! Some conclusions:
I'll try vinegar, if not -Barnacle Buster and then - ultrasonic cleaner. How it works - I'll update in Spring.
To protect in future -McLube Sailkote dry lubricant looks very promising.
This problem happened the first time for the last 10 years on the same boat, same mooring. Probably I was too lazy and put only one layer of ablative paint. For boaters, who do not know how it works, quote:
"ablative paints are an older type of paint designed to create a hull coating which ablates (wears off) slowly, exposing a fresh layer of biocides".

After some analysis, I say no to Ultrasonic Antifouling Kit.
Such devices make to vibrate the whole boat including the mast, shrouds winches ... The signal (let's say 20kH) consists of many harmonics (different frequencies) which may "find" a thing in a boat to get resonance with. If gelcoat has some very small, not noticeable blisters, they will grow or could be created. Also, the threshold of human hearing - 20kH, you might not hear it, but you feel it, and your mast will be working as a speaker. Also, the mast could be similar to a giant dental ultrasonic plaque remover. By the way, dental research:
"The results of this study suggest that ultrasonic scaling can cause further damage to teeth with enamel cracks..."

And, finally, I don't think dolphins would like such music.
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