Ultrasonic antifouling

[landonshaw]

Does anyone in this forum have direct experience with this technology? I searched and found one thread. It moved off of the subject so for me was of no use.

I am interested in how it works, no matter of the price. The price will only be an issue if it works, then I will consider price.

I understand it would be used in conjunction with a painted on anti fouling product.

Thanks for your comments.
s/v Aloisius

[RaymondR]

I have a 12m steel boat and installed two of them I built from kits. I spend quiet a bit of time in the tropics where fouling is severe. I think they helped however I was unable to give them a fair trial as at the time I was in an area requiring a lot of motoring so hauled the boat and installed ablative antifoul. I would say that the performance I was able to observe of them was promising enough for me to give them another trial in the future when the ablative antifoul loses it's effectiveness.

[barnakiel]

Browse YM, I think they have run some long term tests.

I got pretty shocked with the results. Well worth a read.

b.

[landonshaw]

YM?
Private message or dshaw@sgu.edu
Thanks Dave

[btrayfors]

I stopped by a booth at the Miami Boat Show last month and talked with the lady who was displaying commercial versions of this technology. The claims were pretty impressive, including a note that Nigel Calder had tested the system and found that it works.

If I remember correctly, the cost for a 40-foot boat was on the order of $2,500.

I apologize for not being able to remember the company name, but you could no doubt find it amongst the exhibitors at the Miami Boat Show.

NRG Marine is one of the manufacturers of such systems.

PYI Marine has a FAQ page re: ultrasonic systems: Ultrasonic Antifouling System FAQ's

If you Google "ultrasonic antifouling" you'll find a bunch of references.

Bill

[fstbttms]

Not direct experience; but the owner of the local J/Boat dealership told me that ultrasonic systems had been installed on two J/120s here last year (neither of which are customers of mine, unfortunately.) But after a several month trial period, the owners of both boats apparently decided to remove the systems, due to lack of effectiveness.

[autumnbreeze27]

Our dock neighbor has one installed. It's annoying as hell. You can hear it run. It sounds like of like a dock line squeeking against a cleat, except in a pattern around the boat.

Not sure how effective it is, or if you could hear it inside... but if you could hear it, it would drive you nuts.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Browse YM, I think they have run some long term tests.

I got pretty shocked with the results. Well worth a read.

Let me guess- Yachting Monthly tested an ultrasonic system in Northern European waters, where fouling is so light that in-water hull cleaning typically isn't needed even by boats that stay in year 'round.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Let me guess- Yachting Monthly tested an ultrasonic system in Northern European waters, where fouling is so light that in-water hull cleaning typically isn't needed even by boats that stay in year 'round.

And why wouldn't that type of info be just as useful as your posts on nothing even working in SF Bay?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

And why wouldn't that type of info be just as useful as your posts on nothing even working in SF Bay?

Because a test of any anti fouling system (be it ultrasonic, paint or otherwise) conducted in a place where fouling is essentially a non-issue (like Northern Europe) is next to useless.

[Tayana42]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Because a test of any anti fouling system (be it ultrasonic, paint or otherwise) conducted in a place where fouling is essentially a non-issue (like Northern Europe) is next to useless.

Not next to useless for people whose boats are in Northern Europe.


S/V B'Shert

[Lars_L]

I installed an Ultrasonic in the spring 2013. It was from a New Zealand manufacture CleanABoat. I have a small 30 foot boat a according to the recommendation I mounted two transmitters. They sends a short 24 kHz pulse once every second. It takes 0.42 A and have to be in function as long as the boot are in the water. I could see that it was in function since there was disturbance on the deep sunder. During the spring 2012 I have painted the bottom in my regular way with antifouling paint that use to last one summer. In the autumn when I took up the boot, it lock like I haven’t have hand any antifouling system. It was almost a record I amount of barnacles. Even direct on the place that the transmitter was glued on the inside, there was many barnacles. My conclusion is that it doesn’t work on my boat.

I send some photos to CleaABoat on how I have mounted the transmitter and how the hull looked when I took up the boot, and asked if I hade installed it wrong somehow. I have not received any response.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by landonshaw

YM?
Private message or dshaw@sgu.edu
Thanks Dave

Yachting Monthly?

Ultrasonic Antifouling Test - Yachting Monthly

There was a full length feature on an extended test of a couple of units. Browse their www or back order a hard copy.

b.

[sailorboy1]

I bet part of the problem is that people actually think ultrasonic is an answer in itself. If they looked at it as something to extend and improve the effectiveness and life of regular bottom paint they would be happier with the results.

This is just my guess as I don't have and don't to plan have ultrasonic.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

Our dock neighbor has one installed. It's annoying as hell. You can hear it run. It sounds like of like a dock line squeeking against a cleat, except in a pattern around the boat.

Not sure how effective it is, or if you could hear it inside... but if you could hear it, it would drive you nuts.

If it's "ultrasonic", humans shouldn't be able to hear it.

As for this type of system being effective, my thinking is that if it was, people and boat manufacturers would be installing them in droves. So far they are not.