Test new kind of antifouling, silicone based

[SVLorien]

Skip Dashew put Interlux Intersleek 1100 on several of his FPBs and that was where I got the idea. After talking to someone associated with those boats it sounds like the results are mixed. Good performance if you are moving all of the time but sit at anchor and soft growth really builds up.

He thought that our speed would probably be too slow for best performance.

Talked to a guy in a yard in HI who put Intersleek on a few military boats and later pulled it off.

We are still using an ablative paint, micron cf. No perfect solution...

[fxykty]

We’ve applied a commercial ship paint, Jotun SeaQuantum Ultra S, designed for low activity and slow speed commercial ships. That means speeds up to 15 knots and idle periods up to 3 months - pretty much perfect match to our movements. It is effectively a very hard ablative and has a service life of 90 months.

The one issue with it is that it doesn’t like to be out of the water - the distributor told us if out of the water on the hard for more than a week to either wet it with a hose twice daily, or scuff it and add a new surface coat before re-launching.

So far we have 3 months on it, so no long term experience. Certainly handles sitting still much better than the PropSpeed on our shafts and props.

[Dave_S]

I'd say no news is bad news. No report and the OP hasn't been back since 2018.

It's a shame I would love to know what was the problem with it.

Fxykty, how's yours working out ?

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I'd say no news is bad news. No report and the OP hasn't been back since 2018.

It's a shame I would love to know what was the problem with it.

Fxykty, how's yours working out ?

Our boat’s been stationary just on 5 weeks now as our electrical refit is taking its time. We’re berthed in a moderate fouling area with good water exchange with each tide.

The propspeed is very furry - I’m really not too sure whether it’s actually worth it as the little barnacles seem to have no trouble sticking to it. Maybe easier and cheaper just to leave the props bare? Why not put the regular antifoul onto them?

The hulls are very lightly slimed. Leaning out of the escape hatch a finger swipe takes it off. And no cloud of paint particles like with soft ablative paints we’ve had before. So far so good.

Hoping to be out again next weekend and in the water for an inspection and clean.

[mitiempo]

A good inexpensive solution for props is spray zinc.
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=157662

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

A good inexpensive solution for props is spray zinc.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=157662

Thanks. I was told today by a marine painting shop that regular antifoul is just fine - as long as no copper and preferably a hard finish so it doesn’t quickly wear off.

[fxykty]

Another comment the painting shop made about PropSpeed is that it needs movement. Power boats generally have no complaints whereas sailing boats can get persistent growth as they just don’t use their running gear as much.

Would there be a similar issue for silicone paint on the rest of the bottom - fine if you’re often sailing but not so good if you park up for a while?

[Al Walker]

Fxykty

We use a hard silcone bottom coating, and you're right. When we go off tootling about for a couple of months in the summer, moving about most days, the bottom stays pretty clean. Leave the boat sitting idle for 5 or 6 weeks and a sizeable fur builds up. Once established, a sailboat (well, ours anyway) doesn't move fast enough to effectively remove the growth. However, it comes off really easily with a light pressure wash. It would also wipe off easily in-water if I was prepared to go for a swim........

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Al Walker

Fxykty

We use a hard silcone bottom coating, and you're right. When we go off tootling about for a couple of months in the summer, moving about most days, the bottom stays pretty clean. Leave the boat sitting idle for 5 or 6 weeks and a sizeable fur builds up. Once established, a sailboat (well, ours anyway) doesn't move fast enough to effectively remove the growth. However, it comes off really easily with a light pressure wash. It would also wipe off easily in-water if I was prepared to go for a swim........

Hi Al

Which hard silicon coating do you have ? How fast would you need to move to clean the 6 week build up off and would it all come off ?

TIA

[Al Walker]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Hi Al

Which hard silicon coating do you have ? How fast would you need to move to clean the 6 week build up off and would it all come off ?

TIA

Seaspeed VX Dave, it's the second silicon coating we've had (the first one was a soft coating), have had this one on for a bit over a year now, and it performs better than the soft coat ever did.

I'm not sure that you would get all the growth off once it gets established, but our experience is that sailing off the wind at anything over 6 knots and we see a light intermittent trail of weed behind the boat, and, if we are plugging into heavy weather with lots of pitching we definitely see a significant removal of growth from the bow back about 4 metres.

Bear in mind there is no biocide in this coating. Due to the way we manage foul control we only get the furry build up. If you get long trailing weed, barnacles and other hard growth, that's another issue entirely. Doesn't damage the coating, but is harder to remove once established.

Al

[lateral]

Originally Posted by Al Walker

Seaspeed VX Dave, it's the second silicon coating we've had (the first one was a soft coating), have had this one on for a bit over a year now, and it performs better than the soft coat ever did.

I'm not sure that you would get all the growth off once it gets established, but our experience is that sailing off the wind at anything over 6 knots and we see a light intermittent trail of weed behind the boat, and, if we are plugging into heavy weather with lots of pitching we definitely see a significant removal of growth from the bow back about 4 metres.

Bear in mind there is no biocide in this coating. Due to the way we manage foul control we only get the furry build up. If you get long trailing weed, barnacles and other hard growth, that's another issue entirely. Doesn't damage the coating, but is harder to remove once established.

Al

Is it available in NZ?

[Al Walker]

Originally Posted by lateral

Is it available in NZ?

Yep, Altex took on the distributorship of it just at the time we were considering using the product. We obtained it through them, and they were first class with support - even sorted out a yard for us. If you want to know more, drop me a line.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Al Walker

Seaspeed VX Dave, it's the second silicon coating we've had (the first one was a soft coating), have had this one on for a bit over a year now, and it performs better than the soft coat ever did.

I'm not sure that you would get all the growth off once it gets established, but our experience is that sailing off the wind at anything over 6 knots and we see a light intermittent trail of weed behind the boat, and, if we are plugging into heavy weather with lots of pitching we definitely see a significant removal of growth from the bow back about 4 metres.

Bear in mind there is no biocide in this coating. Due to the way we manage foul control we only get the furry build up. If you get long trailing weed, barnacles and other hard growth, that's another issue entirely. Doesn't damage the coating, but is harder to remove once established.

Al

V10X Ultra ?

I've pretty much decided to go that way. Very glad to hear from you. No one seems to use it, or if they do they don't seem to talk about it.

Thanks for your response.

[Al Walker]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

V10X Ultra ?

I've pretty much decided to go that way. Very glad to hear from you. No one seems to use it, or if they do they don't seem to talk about it.

Thanks for your response.

Yep, that's the stuff Dave. There's not many are willing to make the mindset change needed to move to a silicon foul release, but I'm finding the odd one or two more open minded now. We've been using it for 4 years now, and I wouldn't go back to antifoul now. I'll drop you a PM later on, we made mistakes first time round, you might as well know what they were so you can avoid them.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Al Walker

Yep, that's the stuff Dave. There's not many are willing to make the mindset change needed to move to a silicon foul release, but I'm finding the odd one or two more open minded now. We've been using it for 4 years now, and I wouldn't go back to antifoul now. I'll drop you a PM later on, we made mistakes first time round, you might as well know what they were so you can avoid them.

Yes please, love to hear your experience.

Thanks