Anti-Fouling - Lets Talk About It

[H/V Vega]

I have a 120 year old wooden boat that is considered by the insurance company to be a better risk than most of the new ones fresh out of the yard. I like to think that is partly because I try and take good care of her, just as she has done for me through some seriously bad weather... cyclones, etc. Clearly wood worms and the other critters that seem to feel my hull was expressly made to provide them with an ideal environment for retirement are a worry as is keeping the hull smooth and clean so she can continue to give me 12-14 knt passages. Not bad for a floating tipper lorry! ( That's a "dump truck" for you yanks out there)

Yesterday I spotted an advert for Micron 66 and was impressed with the claims for it.... even after halving them by the usual "advertising" factor. A little time on the web and I found that all the major paint companies are making something that sounds a lot like the same stuff. Well it's all new to me and I soon realised that perhaps paints had progressed a bit since my last serious dive into their technologies and it would be a good idea to upgrade my knowledge base again.

So, and here goes maties....... lets have a natter about bottom paints and what is working these days, as well as what is not. All advice including additives et al appreciated, but myself I would like an update on these new paints and if they really do last for years and years also do they block out marine borers and their ilk.

[cchesley]

Well, I used Micron 66 one year ago. I've not had to get a diver in that time to scrub the bottom. There is a little bit of slime growth but since September, I've been underway very little so I'm pretty pleased with it. Previously I'd used Micron CSC but it may have been deactivated somewhat by being out of the water on a ship for 3 weeks. Before that, I had Petit I believe. Both of the previous ones were in dire need of a scrub after 5 months. I'm hoping for at least 6 more months before haul out and we'll see if I can make it another full year. (PNW waters for the Micron 66, Woolsey (?) in Maine made 5 months, Micron CSC 5 months)

[Ram]

h/g vEGA
EXCUSE ME FOR ASKNG- I know this has nothing to do with the paint- WHAT BOAT - does 12-14 knots Im intrested in seeing a picture if you happen to have one- or many

[chuckr]

i live i miami in warm water and my 40' jeanneau sat for periods of time - i used micron 66 and got 3 years out of the paint - with only a little rub down in the first 2 years - this year, as i am a full time cruiser now, i used micron extra as we will be moving a lot and not sitting as much as in the past -
chuck patty and svsoulmates
ki4sry
on a mooring in key biscayne

[H/V Vega]

Hi Ram, well give us 25-30 knots of wind with a not too bad sea and we sail at those speeds regularly and under all plain working sail. The historical Vessel Vega was built for the North sea and additionally for cargo service in the Artic. It is not unusual for good sailing boats with a bit of water line and a strong rig to make those speeds. They were built for it and were based on a lot of years of experience building "real" sailing vessels. They can also be driven hard because they have the power to hold up to it. Just reflect that it is still a fully loaded sailing cargo ship that holds the record for UK to OZ and some of the fastest times across the Atlantic were also clocked by fully loaded cargo boats. Modern yachts are not at all the same as their older sail powered sisters were. They tend to be more for "good weather sailing" than all rounders. Not to mention masts that go "ping" in the dark with no warning. Your boat will go to weather better than mine on a good day for sure.... but when it kicks up that's when the differences raw tons and powerful rigging make start to show.

[H/V Vega]

Oh, and a clean bottom with Sean Lidgards great sails help a lot also. Last year we spent about 38 hours beating against the S.E. Monsoon averaging 12+knts in 30 + knts of wind after that it dropped to 10-11 knts boat speed for a few days.

[s/v Jedi]

When we departed Florida we had hard-type Trinidad on. Worked lovely... for 3 months. We switched to Seahawk Islands 44plus (TNT) 2,5 coats and it lasted 3 years in the Caribbean. 8 months ago we selected the same again and put 3 coats on. Expect to get 3+ years out of it. I actually buy it legal in the USA (export) but think they stopped production so it's until stock lasts.

I am considering Micron 66 but it doesn't work in fresh water and the Rio Dulce is in our future.

The ultimate will be a boat-scrubbing robot much like the ones for swimming pools. Nice slick teflon paint and throw the bot overboard to do it's job when needed. It just needs someone to build it...

ciao!
Nick.

[Ram]

Vega
Thanks thats a "nice to know" bit!

[Hud3]

Another vote for Interlux Micron 66 in the tropics.

[Ram]

I wonder f there is anything we could add to the paint to make it last longer - like mixing fine copper dust ?

[S/V New Sensation]

Another vote for 66. I'm going on two years in the PNW and when the diver changed the zinc last month the slime was coming off from his bubbles. I'm impressed after 22 months.

[H/V Vega]

Ram, I know a lot of us used to mix in copper oxide with the bottom paint. Trick was to buy a cheap copper based bottom paint then boast it up with copper oxide. CP was really cheap by the kilo then. Cayenne pepper has also been an old stand bye that does work well. Problem is with the modern paints I do not know enough about them to know if I would be boasting the paint or killing it. There seem to be three major paint companies making these long life paints.. International, Jotan, and Hempel. All three would seem to be the same thing in different marketing packages and perhaps strengths. What does seem to vary is the price. Would love some comments on not only addatives but comparing these new paints. ike I said above My biggest worry is will they actually protect my hull from wood worm et al as well as keep it clean.

[thinwater]

My long-time favorite, Micron 66, scored well, and so did some others.

[George Elliott]

Interesting - I'd always heard ground cayenne pepper worked so I mixed it with some cheap Panamanian bottom paint that had TBT in it. As far as I could see it did no better than Pettits Trinidad, which I'd used a couple of times as well. A decade ago I ran into a woman in Stuart, Fl (which has horrific barnacles) she had a friend put habanero oil in here bottom paint and 2 yrs later it was the only clean bottom in town. Anyone know how/where to get habenero oil? Thanks George

[Ram]

George- seems like its easy to make here is what i Googled - I think you can make it as strong as you like- we also used the Cayenne pepper - we would put to jars to 1 gallon- not sure how good it realy worked just something that has been done for as long as I can remember-
BACK to the COPPER WILL IT WORK?

I make the oil using extra virgin olive oil because of the mild taste and health benefits. The habanero is dust I have made from drying habs in a dehydrater and processing in a coffee grinder. I DO NOT remove seeds and placenta only stems. I use about 1 teaspoon of hab dust per 4 ounces of oil (adjust to taste). Place a little oil in a serving bottle, add the hab dust and fill with the rest of the oil. I have experimented with adding various herbs to this mixture (mint,basil,thyme, anise). To my surprise, the best and my favorite is the anise (4-8 seeds (ground) to taste for above amount. Shake the bottle twice a day for about two weeks, then enjoy. No need to separate, as the dust settles to the bottom.