Ultrasonic Antifouling Info

[svBeBe]

I am looking for someone that has used a product that supposedly is a replacement for antifouling.

I know that some of you are itching to give me your advice...and if you have actually bought and installed this device by Ultrasonic Ultrasonic Antifouling (www.ultrasonic-antifouling.com), I would like to hear what you have to say.

But, if you haven't actually used this product, or have any direct knowledge of the company and/or its technology, please refrain from telling me what you know.

Bill

[fstbttms]

There have been many threads about this subject. Try the search button.

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

There have been many threads about this subject. Try the search button.

FastBottem(s):

Prior to making this posting, I tried to go through all of the ultrasonic postings. The majority were mostly from arm chair experts who didn't know anything. The problem with most threads in CF is that there are lots of folks that don't have lives and want to write something "that they think" makes them look very smart to others.


Bill

[Johnny Cruiser]

Originally Posted by svBeBe

I am looking for someone that has used a product that supposedly is a replacement for antifouling.

I know that some of you are itching to give me your advice...and if you have actually bought and installed this device by Ultrasonic Ultrasonic Antifouling (www.ultrasonic-antifouling.com), I would like to hear what you have to say.

But, if you haven't actually used this product, or have any direct knowledge of the company and/or its technology, please refrain from telling me what you know.

Bill

Bill,
Installed a month ago 3 of their Dual Units on my boat. It just made it from the Med where it had lived its entire life to Florida. Capt thinks it is working as we only cover back 2/3 of boat. Here is the link to my prev post re this brand:
Not Just another antifouling thread.
same section as this but would not cut & paste (go figure?)
Cruisers & Sailing Forums > Engineering & Systems > Construction, Maintenance & Refit Not another electronic antifouling thread!

My boat had just been hauled out, cleaned, and surveyed before the installation but we installed @ 20ft increments versus their recommended 30' increments as had seen a Mega yacht that had been in the Med for 17months till it hit a container and its hull had less crap on it then I had to clean monthly off my then fiancee's 36 foot Catina monthly @ 5 times the sizes.

Johnny
Cruisers & Sailing Forums > Engineering & Systems > Construction, Maintenance & Refit Not another electronic antifouling thread!

[svBeBe]

Johnny,

I read your previous post a few days ago. Thanks for posting. I am still hoping to hear from someone that has used it longer.

Thanks,

Bill

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Johnny Cruiser

Installed a month ago 3 of their Dual Units on my boat. It just made it from the Med where it had lived its entire life to Florida. Capt thinks it is working as we only cover back 2/3 of boat.

My boat had just been hauled out, cleaned, and surveyed before the installation but we installed @ 20ft increments versus their recommended 30' increments as had seen a Mega yacht that had been in the Med for 17months till it hit a container and its hull had less crap on it then I had to clean monthly off my then fiancee's 36 foot Catina monthly @ 5 times the sizes.

Until someone posts comparative pictures showing an ultrasonically protected area of a hull and an area OF THE SAME HULL that is unprotected by one of these devices, any claims of efficacy or success are pure speculation and are not worth the electrons it took to post them, IMHO.

No offense intended, Johnny Cruiser.

[bobconnie]

Gee ya think fstbot would try one of these out to see if they would work !! as much as he worries about the Invirement(SPL) just sayin ?

[fstbttms]

I'm certainly not worried about my livelihood being at risk. If that were a possibility, ultrasonic antifouling devices would be much more prevalent than they are. As it is, they are in use on an extremely insignificant percentage of all the boats that live in the water. In my 17+ plus years in the marine maintenance business, I have never come across one.

All I'm asking for is something a little more conclusive than, "My neighbor's dentist's cousin uses one" or "The captain thinks it's working." All the threads about this topic over all the years and I've never once seen any photographic evidence that ultrasonic antifouling works. Is that too much to ask?

[bobconnie]

I for one hope this system works WELL Cus I hate bottom painting !!I don't care if it's once a yr or every 5 yrs!! it's a hot nasty smelly job! that has to be done !! I would love to pull and scub the bottem and paint the wheel and strut and back in the water !! easy peasy even if it was once a yr it be great !! when I think of all the time Ive spent under a boat UGG ! give me the new stuff !!!

[Johnny Cruiser]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

I'm certainly not worried about my livelihood being at risk. If that were a possibility, ultrasonic antifouling devices would be much more prevalent than they are. As it is, they are in use on an extremely insignificant percentage of all the boats that live in the water. In my 17+ plus years in the marine maintenance business, I have never come across one.

All I'm asking for is something a little more conclusive than, "My neighbor's dentist's cousin uses one" or "The captain thinks it's working." All the threads about this topic over all the years and I've never once seen any photographic evidence that ultrasonic antifouling works. Is that too much to ask?

per your request
Ultrasonic Antifouling - Boat Hull Protection by CleanABoat.com

Am not defending this product as raised questions myself see my first post starting another thread but I saw the Mega Yacht pulled out from the water parked next to my boat on the hard and it was quite impressive. We took few pics with camera phone but the boat owner objected and since we were in private boat yard he owns the images so we deleted them from fiancees camera which made him happy but it was impressive and has me wondering if it works so well why isn't everyone doing this????

I did not buy the 3 dual units I installed as they were onboard when purhcased and incl in the chattel bill of sale so had my crew install them. The Capt is required to make a monthly log entry on his "To Do" list so I just repeated what he entered this morn when boat arrived in Florida.

Have been on 7 Mega Yacht's <100ft and 6 of them had one brand or another installed of electronic antifouling in the last 2 months. (Med)
Boat currently on over 200' also has protrotype system installed. These boats also have lightning protection installed and had me wondering if the antifouling is also to keep their grounds in the water clear/cleaner??
Do not know as am new to this and have more ? than answers but want & need info to make informed decision. Figure it will be 2 years before I can personally answer if it works on my boat but have already put into the log to get some pics then to help answer the ? for myself conclusively. Will post them when we conclude our test.

Have cleaned enough algae that grows MONTHLY on her 36' Catilina to know the difference and her boat is in a cold inland Lake in Texas not the
warm ocean where growth IMHO would be worse.

Johnny

[fstbttms]

The sales video from the manufacturer is essentially worthless. We have no idea what the fouling conditions are where the boat was berthed, nor do we know what the fouling on the hull would be if there were no ultrasonic devices installed. For all we know, the hull might've stayed just as clean (or cleaner) with only anti fouling paint on it. As I said before, we need comparative evidence.

Originally Posted by Johnny Cruiser

but it... has me wondering if it works so well why isn't everyone doing this????

Exactly. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

[sailorboy1]

We all are really hoping the things work! We just want to see proof that we can beieve in done by someone who didn't have an interest in the outcome first.

You would like to think (at least I would) that the various manufacturers of these systems would see it in their best interest to get some university or testing group to do a real study. If proven to work just think of the up side for them.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

You would like to think (at least I would) that the various manufacturers of these systems would see it in their best interest to get some university or testing group to do a real study.

Now what possible reason would the manufacturers have for not producing a study that shows how well their systems work? Hmm...

[Johnny Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

We all are really hoping the things work! We just want to see proof that we can beieve in done by someone who didn't have an interest in the outcome first.

You would like to think (at least I would) that the various manufacturers of these systems would see it in their best interest to get some university or testing group to do a real study. If proven to work just think of the up side for them.

Don,

As a former tenured Economics Professor @ a major university the market (cruisers willing to spend $) is too small IMHO to justify such a study & expense. Upside agree with you but it boils down to $ unfortunately. Simply look @ how few of manufacturers there are producing this product and many other items we use, how many boat manufacturers have went out of biz last decade etc., and how many boaters have any meaningful political pull! We are clearly as "cruisers" a distinct minority!

So we are left to places like CF to try and find info we can use/glean from people willing to share truthful info without a hidden agenda! IMHO

Johnny

[David M]

The commercial shipping and ferry industry is enormous and they are always looking for new anti-fouling remedies. The pleasure boat business is a drop in the bucket by comparison...no offense. All you need to do is to look through some of the trade magazines for the industry. If there was an acoustic remedy then they would have been all over it already. Fouling costs the shipping industry hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel each year. Additionally, any sort of a cost advantage over their competitors would be accepted. I can imagine the same would apply to military vessels and the need to make them as fast as possible.