Antifoul top tips

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  • 13 Jan 2017 16:01
    Reply # 4546486 on 4367227

    A snippet from a posting on the OCC FB page:

    "In the end, I came up with a superior solution. I bought the cheapest antifoul in the right colour I could find and added 500g copper powder to the liter. After the first season: not one barnacle, and no weed or anything else whatsoever."

    Might be worth a try?

  • 12 Dec 2016 14:54
    Reply # 4454925 on 4367227
    Deleted user

    Hello Andrew,

    There are a lot of antifoulings used here. There are local ones, some of which are notorious for maybe a bit too strong and others are not as strong as they used to be. 

    Most antifoulings are imported however, and as there is not much control over what they are, or what you use (unlike France and England, where I hear spot tests are done) there are some pretty strong ones around. Some more "legal" than others.

    Many of the local charter companies use Interspeed 340 which is a shipping product and strictly speaking illegal to use on yachts. However in Greece there is no control over this. The only problem is it comes in 20L containers but you will probably find someone to sell you a smaller quantity. It only comes in blue or black.

    Other very good antifoulings in my opinion are these:

    Seajet 033 This is japanese, self polishing, reasonably priced and excellent. Two coats will give you two seasons in the water.

    Micron Extra or EU seems to work for a lot of people too. 

    Nautix A88 a bit on the expensive side but very good, used by Ellen Mc Arthur too!!

    Other than these there are many others that do a pretty fair job, like Hempel's Mille Ultima, Veneziani etc.

    The "yachtie" ones come in a greater variety of colours and also are probably a bit more eco-friendly.

    Yes Corfu is North of Kefalonia, we have similar waters, maybe a bit colder there, on the open sea side. 

    Bear in mind if you are going to be trailering the boat often, a lot of the normal antifoulings, especially the cheaper ones don't take too well to being left out of the water for extended periods either. In this case you might be better off with Coppercoat... 

  • 28 Nov 2016 22:57
    Reply # 4415592 on 4371364
    Deleted user
    Peter Papageorgiou wrote:

    Hello,

    That's a lovely boat you have there.. I have one  the same albeit in bad condition, but fixable! I bought her as a project for a lowly sum, a couple of months ago, and hope to launch her next year. 

    I live in Corfu, Greece, where I have owned a chandlery for the past 18 years and am now back to working on boats and skippering.

    I have had a number of friends and clients who have used Copper/epoxy systems, with mixed results. Currently two of the bigger catamarans in the charter fleet I work for have coppercoat and I cant say I am impressed... a lot of green hairy stuff, and quite a lot of the harder white stuff. Also a mate of mine with a older Bavaria which is a sailtraining vessel so gets a lot of use, has had it for 5 years and has gone back to ablative antifouling. Having said that, there are also a number of people appy with it, I think it is important to get a good job done in the beggining (mixing the copper in continuously being important)

    Personally i will be using an ablative/selfpolishing on my Corribee. I have had a lot of experience with them working fine for many of my customers, and I like the idea of minimum buildup of paint layers on the bottom.

    There are many brands available here, Micron from International is one of the most commonly used, but there is also Seajet which is a bit more reasonably priced, and Nautix which is french and also very good/strong.

    If you happen to pass by Corfu, get in touch. I am also the local HLR for the Cruising Association, and I will be nice to meet and exchange info on the Corribees...


    Hi Peter


    Your post sounds very interesting given that you are close by to Kefalonia and I would love to sail over (never say never depending how the season goes). Are there any particular mixes you recommend or is it generic for all waters?

    Thanks again


  • 09 Nov 2016 03:26
    Reply # 4371608 on 4367227
    Deleted user

    If I were to go to a new boat, or to completely redo Footprints I would be tempted to go to the Coppercoat for its long term durability. Using the ablative antifouling is over the years very expensive and gives often disappointing results, even when applied correctly, ie  two full coats with plenty of dry time. The only downside about the Coppercoat is that it needs regular scrubbing, but at least it won't wear off.

    I mostly get away with putting Footprints on a tidal cleaning grid once a year and scrubbing off and then applying one coat of antifoul between tides. That usually gives almost as good results as a proper haulout with the two full coats of antifouling. I always wash down the hull with fresh water before applying the antifoul using a pressure back-pack sprayer. A full haulout for a week, plus two coats of antifouling usually costs at least NZ$1000. Antifouling beteen tides costs about NZ$200 for a can of antifoul, plus sundries, so even if I have to do the tidal grid scrub and antifoul every 8 or 9 months, I am still way ahead financially over doing an annual or two yearly haulout.

    Last modified: 09 Nov 2016 03:44 | Deleted user
  • 09 Nov 2016 00:23
    Reply # 4371364 on 4367227
    Deleted user

    Hello,

    That's a lovely boat you have there.. I have one  the same albeit in bad condition, but fixable! I bought her as a project for a lowly sum, a couple of months ago, and hope to launch her next year. 

    I live in Corfu, Greece, where I have owned a chandlery for the past 18 years and am now back to working on boats and skippering.

    I have had a number of friends and clients who have used Copper/epoxy systems, with mixed results. Currently two of the bigger catamarans in the charter fleet I work for have coppercoat and I cant say I am impressed... a lot of green hairy stuff, and quite a lot of the harder white stuff. Also a mate of mine with a older Bavaria which is a sailtraining vessel so gets a lot of use, has had it for 5 years and has gone back to ablative antifouling. Having said that, there are also a number of people appy with it, I think it is important to get a good job done in the beggining (mixing the copper in continuously being important)

    Personally i will be using an ablative/selfpolishing on my Corribee. I have had a lot of experience with them working fine for many of my customers, and I like the idea of minimum buildup of paint layers on the bottom.

    There are many brands available here, Micron from International is one of the most commonly used, but there is also Seajet which is a bit more reasonably priced, and Nautix which is french and also very good/strong.

    If you happen to pass by Corfu, get in touch. I am also the local HLR for the Cruising Association, and I will be nice to meet and exchange info on the Corribees...

  • 08 Nov 2016 21:28
    Reply # 4371079 on 4367227
    Deleted user

    Cheers Annie. I read about your copper coating and I'll find out regarding local laws in Greece. With mine being a trailer option, then hauling shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll see what the options are when I get there I think and see what the common choice is. I may outgrow the boat, I may keep it for years, so all choices choices.

    Got enough fettling jobs on anyway to keep me busy in between.

    Thank again.

  • 07 Nov 2016 21:17
    Reply # 4369155 on 4367227
    Here in NZ, we have warm water and particularly vicious mollusc fouling, due to the shell fish farming releasing zillions of spat into the water.

    As long as you keep moving (or moor in fresh water) the bottom stays clean.  Standard antifoulings foul up rapidly.  (When David sold Tystie, she was recently antifouled, but the new owner left her on a mooring for a couple of months.  He had to haul her and repaint her before he could sail her with any pleasure.)

    I have chosen Coppercoat for my new build because I am going for shallow draught and because whatever I put on will need scrubbing regularly.  In NZ, they take a very dim view of clouds of ablative antifouling being scrubbed into the surrounding water.  I don't know what the rules are in Greece.

    The nice man at Coppercoat NZ emphasised that it is essential to burnish it before launching and to do so every year or so to release more copper to the surface. 

    Coppercoat is a water-based epoxy.  I tried to contact Synergy on a number of occasions and got no response.

    I reckon that the NZ$1500 I've paid for my Coppercoat will pay for itself in 3 years of haul outs.

    So what you need to consider is, local bye-laws around scrubbing, ie do they allow you to scrub off paint as well as growth, how much scrubbing you're prepared to do and how expensive it is to haul your boat out: a lot of yards have a minimum 10m price threshold.


  • 07 Nov 2016 20:19
    Reply # 4369021 on 4367227
    Deleted user

    Thanks for the replies, I don't want to spend un-necessarily on my first boat without live experience so leaning towards option 1. I've spoken to a friend today who has a crane in Greece available, meaning I can get to those keel bottoms!

    The condition overall seems good so don't want to be sanding down the first year I own it if I can help it.

    Found my local wood yard had a nice block of Sapele today for £6 which will replace the marine ply block for mounting the outboard and the off cuts will replace a few other tired looking pieces.

    Thanks

    Last modified: 07 Nov 2016 20:22 | Deleted user
  • 07 Nov 2016 09:17
    Reply # 4367874 on 4367227

    I found that Coppercoat, as applied to Tystie, was suitable for cool waters, so long as I put her on the beach for a scrub very regularly, but failed fairly badly when I took her to warmer waters. Barnacles attach themselves very securely, and are the devil to scrape off once grown to any size. For a boat kept in a drying harbour, or kept on a trailer much of the time, it's better, because its hardness resists abrasion very well, but for a boat that's to be kept afloat during the summer in Greece, then hauled out, I'd tend to favour an annual coating of ablative antifouling.

  • 07 Nov 2016 06:25
    Reply # 4367662 on 4367227
    Deleted user

    Hi Andrew, why not Copper coat  yr  boat in Greece? Tony Sally 

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