SeaHawk Bottom Paint - **CKS!

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Next time I would suggest talking to other people in the area about what works best. What was the rationale behind using the Seahawk?


The CuKote is 47.5% copper. BioCop TF is 38% copper. So what you did is coat a paint with 47.5% copper, with an outer layer that is 38% copper.



I think most readers of this thread will come to their own conclusions about what the cause of your problems is.

My "area" is everywhere. Before you try to say my adding the BioCop to the CuKote maybe YOU should look it up. The BioCop is their BETTER paint with dual biocides. I asked Seahawk and they said the paint I used was the best for the areas I planned to be in.

Yes, readers should be able to come to the conclusion that the cause of the problem is the paint.

[MarkSF]

Biocides are for slime and soft growth. Copper is for barnacles and hard growth. The BioCop TF does not have a high % of copper, relative to other products. That's why you're getting barnacles.

Generally, for hard growth, the effectiveness of the paint is proportional to the % of copper. Buy the paint with the highest % of copper you can get.

I'm saying this for the benefit of others reading this thread, so as to avoid the same mistakes, as it looks like you are mostly interesting in scoring points, not in figuring out what's wrong.

I did look it up, that's how I found out is was only 38% copper. Shame you didn't do the same before you applied it!

[sailorboy1]

Guess Mark is a better expert than Seahawk. If I had only asked him instead of Seahawk before I selected and applied the paint.

NO little spec difference in copper excuses the paint from hard growth such a short time. And I did take the copper concentration into account which is why the bottom coat is the higher concentration CuKote.

BTW - I'm not looking to score any points. I'm looking at letting others know that the expensive Seahawk paint sucks! If you read the whole thread you will see others with failures in short time frames. Yes others are reporting good results. So maybe the problem is Seahawk quality control sucks. Maybe those getting good results are getting the extra copper from those of us not getting good results.

[jls095]

I think the caveat is that it sucks in your particular case. Our yard applied 2 coats of cucote and after a month there is nothing at all on the bottom. We'll see what happens longer term since we cruise full time and haul every 3 years.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by jls095

I think the caveat is that it sucks in your particular case. Our yard applied 2 coats of cucote and after a month there is nothing at all on the bottom. We'll see what happens longer term since we cruise full time and haul every 3 years.

Your unlikely to get three years unless your up North. My last bottom paint was cukote, I was more displeased with how soft it was than how well it worked. It was three years before we got a bottom job due to a family emergency, and it didn’t last three years.

[sailorboy1]

Well just got the bottom cleaned. The diver said if had to guess he would say that the bottom paint was 3 years old. But of course the paint is only 8 months old.

So the Seahawk BioCop/CuKote paint has proven to grow hard and soft growth pretty fast on my boat traveling from Jacksonville Fl down the east coast and up the west coast of Fl and over to Gulfport MS.

So just a FYI in your paint choices as to whether you what to risk getting a "good" or "bad" patch of Paint from Seahawk as based on the thread that's all it comes down to. But for me the paint was $2000 and 4 days of hard work down the toilet!!

[fstbttms]

Due to a boat I cleaned last week, Sea Hawk "Smart Solution" has jumped to the #1 spot on my all-time worst anti fouling paint list.

[senormechanico]

The "Smart Solution" must be referring to the paint manufacturer deciding it would sell more paint more often !

[Capt.Tom]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Well just got the bottom cleaned. The diver said if had to guess he would say that the bottom paint was 3 years old. But of course the paint is only 8 months old.

So the Seahawk BioCop/CuKote paint has proven to grow hard and soft growth pretty fast on my boat traveling from Jacksonville Fl down the east coast and up the west coast of Fl and over to Gulfport MS.

So just a FYI in your paint choices as to whether you what to risk getting a "good" or "bad" patch of Paint from Seahawk as based on the thread that's all it comes down to. But for me the paint was $2000 and 4 days of hard work down the toilet!!

The paint on my Hunter 40 lasted a long time in harsh conditions.. how do I know harsh ? I accidentally left the speedo transducer in over the winter and come spring there were muscles hanging 4 deep, big ones and 8 feet long only on the transducer. Fully grown.... and in brackish water doing up to 3 + knots on the tides.

[sailorboy1]

UPDATE

So the 10 month Seahawk paint that has a make believe guarantee of no hard growth for a year continues to prove to be CRAP!

The bottom was cleaned 2 months ago in Gulfport MS (it looked like a jungle). A month ago when I got to Marathon the bottom was still clean (spend days sailing 6-8 knots so that ablative paint should look good). Today I went down to clean the slime and grass because I expect that if I'm been sitting a month on a mooring. But there was enough hard growth going on that it ripped up my cleaning pad in less than 1/3 of the hull and now I also need a new set of gloves.

Your Seahawk paint experience may be different, but my experience is this stuff is crap!!!!! I was getting better results with the 3 years old Micron CSC paint.

[Woodland Hills]

Let’s bump this thread back to the top. Maybe it will contribute to the SeaHawk discussion.

[cabo_sailor]

Here in Tarpon Springs I use Seahawk BioCop TF with excellent results. Granted I use a diver once a month in summer. But here is a picture taken just after pulling the boat and before pressure washing. After 5 years just some slime.

[sailorboy1]

If you read ll of the thread it is apparent that Seahawk either works or it doesn't. Since lots of people on both side are in same general water areas my feeling is that it comes down to luck whether you will get a good or bad patch.

[Boatguy30]

I recently used Seahawk Monterey on starboard hull and Petit Hydro Coat+ or whatever antislime on port. Will report back!
Seahawk worked better and dried faster. A bit of a dew really made the Petit look chalky. The Seahawk is a sharper color in the water.

[tomrealest]

I am in Ft Lauderdale and have used Sea Hawk for 16 years. Currently using Biocop TF with good results. A diver cleans the bottom once a month in the summer and usually every other month in the winter unless I am using the boat a lot. Then the diver doesn't come as much. Before application the paint can is shaken in a commercial paint can shaker. I think that is important. If it was not done, maybe that is why the results is unsatisfactory. I haul and paint every two years.