Anti Fouling Paint..... SeaCoat

[phillcoops]

Yes. We had our S&S34 done last October. The yard didn’t get it quite right so are doing it again free of charge this Autumn in the shed this time. The finish has to be perfect at the molecular level. Worth speaking to John Bowlin at Seacoat. He is very helpful. He is sending us test panels for the river Tamar in Devon as well. I fear fouling is more about the location than any given product. Really worth watching the Delos video on You Tube too. Good comparisons of other boats in the Caribbean. Fouling does come off VERY easily but you will need regular maintenance if the boat isn’t used much. Also yards can be a bit funny about lifting but so far we haven’t had a problem with strops slipping. They just put a pair of horizontal check ropes on.
Please, please make sure they get the substrate perfect before applying. I’m desperate for the product to work (it’s the future) but poor application could result in what is conceptually a fantastic product being blamed when it wasn’t put on properly.

[sailing_gal]

Originally Posted by Benz

I feel the same way--leaving a boat in the water for ten years unhauled is asking for trouble in other ways. Most boats have through-hulls that should be inspected every few years--rudder hardware, props, and other underwater fittings can benefit from a dry inspection. Imagine a bow thruster (which are becoming common on more and more small boats), left in the water for a decade!
Still, being able to haul without having to sand and paint will be nice if the stuff works. Wonder how you touch it up, if only certain yards have access?

I put CopperCoat on my boat 2 years ago. I hauled it to replace some thru-hulls and all the paint needed was the pressure wash the marina gave it and it was clean. (I am in the Med these days). I have had a diver go over the hull with a rough sponge for a minimal amount of Euros once in the 2 years. I expect that the only reason I will haul my boat in the future is for other maintenance issues such as greasing my Max prop- but I can do all of that with a short haul, thus saving the blocking and dry storage fees.

[Matt Cl]

Application conditions and substrate are definitely the only way to do it
I tried Silic One fouling release this season as I thought is was the way forward, on a freshly stripped hull, the paint company rep gave the boatyard inaccurate info, and the Hempel instructions were very misleading, unsurprisingly the Silic one peeled off! leaving me with a very large bill. Quite a few boats near me have used the Silic One prop kit fouling release, and all of them said it came off within a very short time.
You are very fortunate to have used a decent yard that is happy to re-do the work.
I'm back to traditional antifoul now, I'll try a different (Not Hempel) product in a few years time. Its a shame that not everything does what it says on the tin!

[phillcoops]

Hi. The Seacoat product is a VERY hard product with a 10 year plus life expectancy. It can also be keyed back and recoated (according to the manufacturer). Boats huh, can’t live without them etc...

[Dave_S]

I'm very keen to believe someone has come up with the magic formula, but I don't think it is here and now. Listen to the Delos video and they say just that, nothing they have seen or used seems to work.

I still like the vx10 Seacoat product because it is slippery and hard and lasts for 10 years. Most (if not all others) slippery finishes are soft. Not suitable for me, I want to be able to beach the boat sometimes and the soft finishes won't hack it.

Added bonus is it should allow the dagger boards to run with less stiction.

I don't believe the hulls will wipe completely clean at 8kn, or 10kn, or even 12kn so it comes down to cleaning it once a fortnight (Delos say 1 to 1.5 weeks - hope not). My hulls are free of protrusions, keels, props, rudders so I think I might be able to come up with a system that will allow me to clean it simply without getting in the water, either from on deck or on the dock.

[Dave_S]

It's been a year since the last post. Has anyone experienced the V10X in that time?

I would love to hear any news on this SeaCoat product,
good or bad.