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25-06-2006, 00:28
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#1
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand
Boat: Hartley Tahitian 45ft. Leisure Lady
Posts: 8,038
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Way out there thought
I was just reading some info on some latest Anti-foul coatings being formulated at the mo. Still in developmental stages, but they look very interesting. They differe from what is currently marketed, in that they are actually Non-toxic, not even copper enriched. Totaly different principles. Very cool.
Anyways, I was thinking about a part I read about Dolphins and the skin. It seems they have a skin with lined surface to it that the little ridges are spaced just so, so as to stop barnicles from being able to stick. What a cool idea mother nature. Anyways, it lead me to think about props and the issues we have with marine growth. Why on earth couldn't someone etch these same Dolphin contours into the surface of the bronze. It lead me to some late night thinking. Hmmmm. Just an idea. Now I just need to catch a Dolphin and see exactly what the skin looks like.
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Wheels
For God so loved the world..........He didn't send a committee.
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25-06-2006, 01:11
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Phoenix, Arizona... USA
Posts: 2,386
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It'd be a bit cold blooded to capture a "live" dolphin, Alan.
Then you have to make sure that the live "speciman", would have to be kept wet in order to survive being out of the water!!
Maybe a dead speciman is what you meant to say that you'd capture.
Am I right?
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CaptainK
BMYC
"Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." - Benjamin Franklin
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25-06-2006, 01:25
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#3
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 49,143
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Competitive swimmers are wearing full-body suits modeled on shark skin (“Fastskin”), which reduces drag by up to 4%, according to “Speedo”.
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
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25-06-2006, 11:10
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Long Beach, CA
Posts: 863
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Quote:
It lead me to some late night thinking
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Thinking, or drinking?
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s/y Elizabeth— Catalina 34 MkII
"Man must have just enough faith in himself to have adventures, and just enough doubt of himself to enjoy them." — G. K. Chesterfield
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25-06-2006, 12:41
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#5
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand
Boat: Hartley Tahitian 45ft. Leisure Lady
Posts: 8,038
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K, don't ever take me that seriously. I meant catching a dolphin totaly tongue in cheek. I didn't use a tongue in cheek smiley cause I thought that would be obviouse.
Reminds me of an amazing storing called "servive the savage sea". You must read it. Anyway's while they are now several weeks adrift, the author thought he maybe ablwe to catch a sunfish that would come up and bump the bottom of the raft at night. He felt a bump and reached over the side, wraped his arms around this huge fish and wrestled it into the raft. Once in the raft, he realised it was a large shark, on which he then faught to get it back out of the raft again.
Me thinks wrestling with a Dolphin, I may come off second best.
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Wheels
For God so loved the world..........He didn't send a committee.
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25-06-2006, 15:11
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#6
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia
Boat: CyberYacht 43
Posts: 5,174
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Seal Oil
It is a little known fact that Australia's Americas Cup win was due to the use of seal oil. (Seals use this oil to move faster through the water.)
They had great problems applying the oil until they came up with a seal oil sealer.
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25-06-2006, 21:52
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#7
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand
Boat: Hartley Tahitian 45ft. Leisure Lady
Posts: 8,038
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Yeah but it wasn't speed that allowed them to win, it was the fact the Americans couldn't get anywhere near the Oz boat for the smell :-)
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Wheels
For God so loved the world..........He didn't send a committee.
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26-06-2006, 08:01
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Phoenix, Arizona... USA
Posts: 2,386
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I was just yanking your anchor chain Alan. Hee Hee.
You didn't notice the winking smile face at the bottom of the post. Did ya?
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CaptainK
BMYC
"Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." - Benjamin Franklin
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27-06-2006, 22:01
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: The Great State of Texas
Boat: Boat owner wannabe
Posts: 4
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Oh? Does that mean not to take you seriously CaptainK?
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28-06-2006, 02:01
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#10
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chesapeake Bay
Boat: Sabre 28-2
Posts: 3,197
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Alan,
Great minds think alike. I did a story a few years back on the TBT anti-fouling issue for the Far Eastern Economic Review. I spoke to some of the paint makers and one of them mentioned it was studying marine mammals for just such an application!
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28-06-2006, 02:31
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#11
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand
Boat: Hartley Tahitian 45ft. Leisure Lady
Posts: 8,038
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Now only if I had a few million dollars to throw at R&D, I could become rich with a errr.....few million dollars.
A wee side note, the owners of International paints will spend approx 20-30million dollars this year of R&D.
Big money in them paint companies.
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Wheels
For God so loved the world..........He didn't send a committee.
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28-06-2006, 02:50
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#12
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chesapeake Bay
Boat: Sabre 28-2
Posts: 3,197
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well, 96% of the world's goods are moved by a ship at least once. the fuel consumption is increased and speed decreased dramatically with even a small percentage of the hulls fouled. commercial shipping company go no more than 5 years between anti-fouls. consider that you're probably paying $50-$100 a gallon for antifoul, you can image what it costs to paint the bottom of post-Panamax container ship!
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28-06-2006, 12:28
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#13
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand
Boat: Hartley Tahitian 45ft. Leisure Lady
Posts: 8,038
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Here's an interesting point though, The QE2 moves just six inches for every gallon of fuel burn't. So a small saving in fuel by better slip throught the water can result in an enormouse fuel saving at the end of a trip.
What I really find hard to believe, is how do they get that much fuel into a cylinder.
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Wheels
For God so loved the world..........He didn't send a committee.
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28-06-2006, 12:55
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,413
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I think the solution is semi automatic submersible bottom scrubbing robots... dispense with antifouling and just send the robot down to scrub!
Jef
sv Shiva
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