Bottom Paint Bio Additive

[Celestialsailor]

A few weeks ago I went into my local and favorite chandlery. I am doing a bottom job with barrier coat this summer and was pricing what I would need. I was told that all the bottom paint was now no more than 60% copper as mandated by a California government body. Luckily, they still had a few gallons of Pettit Trinidad. But not with the SR additive (Slime reduction). I was told that Seahawk made a "Bio Boost" that could be added to the bottom paint. Then I was told that the boaters in Mexico were adding "Round-up" to there bottom paint for a boost. Has anyone heard of this of is it a wives-tale?

[kthoennes]

Well, speaking from here in corn country, I'd be very skeptical that Roundup would be an effective marine biocide. It may be very effective as an herbicide in a limited time window after uptake into plants, but it washes away in a rain very easily and degrades very quickly. You can google all kinds of information on the quick degradation of Roundup after the initial application, but all you have to do is squirt weeds in a sidewalk crack. It will kill the weeds at the time of application pretty well, but after one rainstorm the weeds can come back nice and healthy. Degrades or washes away in just a week or two.

[Outwest34au]

Correct. Round up would not last a moment when immersed. Dilution first of all. And it would have dried before you get the boat to the water and been UV and dust affected and losts it effectiveness. Roundup is great when taken into a plant but dies a rapid clean death when it hits dirt etc, thats why greenies dont hate it. It is effectively non residual unlike Diuron which should never go near our waterways.

[Celestialsailor]

Ok...Sounds like another wives tale then. As I understand Roundup...it is some form of salt.

[Hudson Force]

I believe most broadleaf weed killers like Roundup rely on providing a high concentration of IAA (indole-acetic acid) which is a naturally occuring plant hormone which would have little or no effect on marine organisms, especially barnacles. This is the same defoliant that was used in Vietnam as "agent orange", but without the toxic byproduct of dioxin. 'useless as a bottom paint additive.

[sailorboy1]

Would you really consider going though al the time and expensise of a botton paint job, just to risk it all by adding something other than what the paint manufacturer suggests. Just to maybe save a few dollars IF it works?

I don't feel you can compare bottom paints anymore by the percentage of copper they have in them.

[Outwest34au]

The active ingredient of Roundup is the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate.
Roundup is a general herbicide not a broadleaf specific herbricide.
When we used an old Isuzu truck with circa 23 ft tray for water and mixing and carting chemicals the tray floor would end up a sticky mess from the spilt chem here and there. After a good rain storm the tray would shine like brand new steel. There are better products for cleaning metal tho :-)

Maybe the mexicans are using it to throw the dogs off the scent? LOL

[onestepcsy37]

no problem.

go to your local farm supply store. tractor supply is a good one, but agway or any other local farm store should be ok. go to the section where they keep all the chemcals and treatments and medicines for livestock. buy a bag of tetracycline. think i paid $9.00 for a 12 oz bag, or something about that much.

stir half the bag into each gallon of paint. paint the bottom. that's it.

[foggysail]

A few years ago I tried adding an oil base bio to my paint. I forgot the name but I still have a gallon of it in my garage if a needed.

All I can say about the experiment is that it created a big mess and provided little improvement. I came across a someone who knew someone who..... added a bio to his bottom paint and after hauling a year of two later the bottom was pure and clean.

BULL$$$$!

The installation problem I had is the addition of the oil based bio affectively "watered down, thinned" the paint. The stuff ran all over the place and me. Although I had drip protection on the ground to collect any that would drip, it still got on the ground---asphalt, not dirt. Of course I had to clean up this mess also or risk getting tossed out of the yard.

I am done playing chemist.

Foggy

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

no problem.

go to your local farm supply store. tractor supply is a good one, but agway or any other local farm store should be ok. go to the section where they keep all the chemcals and treatments and medicines for livestock. buy a bag of tetracycline. think i paid $9.00 for a 12 oz bag, or something about that much.

stir half the bag into each gallon of paint. paint the bottom. that's it.

AND PLEASE!!! COME BACK AND TELL US YOUR RESULTS AFTER USING IT. Maybe it has merit.

[onestepcsy37]

been using that for many years. in florida/bahamas i go four years between haulouts, although i am adding it to pettit trinidad which is pretty copper heavy.

i didn't invent that, by the way. back in the eighties, a professor at university of miami began marketing an additive to bottom paint that he claimed increased it's performance. can't remember the trade name but it came in a small bottle - maybe 2oz - that you just stirred in. couple of years later is was discovered that the contents of the bottle was nothing more than tetracycline. i used to use it but it seems to have disappeared from the market.

now that i think about it, the last time i painted i put the whole bag in each gallon of paint.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Would you really consider going though al the time and expensise of a botton paint job, just to risk it all by adding something other than what the paint manufacturer suggests. Just to maybe save a few dollars IF it works?

I don't feel you can compare bottom paints anymore by the percentage of copper they have in them.

I was just asking the forum a question Don. It wasn't about taking a risk. It wasn't about money. I was just asking a question. I did appreciate some of the positive and informative responses I got though from the others.

[bobconnie]

I know theres a lot of stuff used by folks down the Bayou to extend there bottom paint! But I also know that most if not all of them if they work, are very bad for both humans and and the water!! except for haveing our bottom done on our Colvin in the Carribe a few years back, Ive tryed to stick with the leagle paints. But I do miss the days of red lead!! ahh 4 yrs in the PNW with out having to repaint!!

[Hudson Force]

I was a little troubled by the prefix "Bio-" hanging loose in the title and found repeated in other posts. I'm assuming everyone is assuming this is "biocide".
I'm not convinced of the effective result of any user mixed additive, though I did add some copper-oxide to some bottom paint years ago with no way to measure the result. It has been a common practice among some shrimpers in the southeast US, for many decades, to add cayenne pepper or some variety of "hot sauce" to their bottom paint.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

... buy a bag of tetracycline. think i paid $9.00 for a 12 oz bag, or something about that much.
stir half the bag into each gallon of paint. paint the bottom. that's it.

Tetracycline has been found to leach rapidly from painted surfaces and degrade quickly in seawater. The concentrations released were insufficient to cause any deleterious effects on marine organisms, including those responsible for fouling boat hulls.
➥ Tetracycline in antifouling paints | ResearchGate

However, you barnacles may be acne-free.