Anti fouling question

[wrinklywideboy]

Hooray !!! we’re out of lockdown here in Spain.
Could someone tell me the deal with antifouling,( my boat is left in the water apart from maintenance )
You antifoul your boat and depending which type you use stays effective for a period of time.
Now this is where I get confused and get different opinions
How soon after painting should the boat go back in the water ?
How long can it stay out of the water and remain effective ?
Can I jet wash the boat ?
Any other tips or info would be greatly appreciated
Regards
Stuart

[Ianfs]

Hey wrinklywideboy

Glad to hear you're ok and can use your boat again.

Now then....Anti Foul - The Black Art! and Opinionated Black Art

They can actually be broken down into two types. Hard Anti Foul and Eroding Anti foul. All of them contain Biocides designed to be harmful to small marine life which would want to cling on to your hull, Copper Oxide is the most popular in modern paints.

Eroding Anti foul is really designed to peel away over time revealing a new coat and works better on cruising yachts which don't require scrubbing regularly. In fact these types of Anti Foul are not designed to be scrubbed as they can lose their effectiveness.

Hard Anti Foul is generally used for your type of fast cruiser or fast racing yachts where a smooth hull makes a lot of difference to you speed through the water. This type of Anti Foul can be periodically scrubbed or jet washed throughout the season, because it dries to a hard finish.

Generally, I've known most to fully cure in 72hrs, although you can often launch after 16hrs and even paint the area's where support posts have been whilst on the hard, just before she gets re launched.

It's worth noting that some countries, even within the EU, have their own specific regulations, and antifoul bought in one territory may not be legally applied or used in another, especially in environments that are considered to be sensitive. It's therefore important to be sure the product you intend to apply is legal both in your home country and any that you intend to visit. In addition some Anti Fouls work better in some area's than others.

Most will last about 2 yrs or so, Copper Coat is expected to last up to 10yrs, but is extremely expensive and from what I've heard is superb, but only as long as it is applied correctly in the first place. I've heard some real horror stories where yachtsmen have spent thousands only to have a hull full of barnacles in a short space of time because it hasn't been applied correctly.

I hope this provides a bit more information for you. However I would strongly advise you talking to your local marina to ask which they recommend for your area.

[wrinklywideboy]

Thanks so much for the information, you’ve cleared up some of the mysteries surrounding anti fouling, it’s a lot more in-depth than say painting your front door ! !

[shibbs]

I think Ian has probably answered most of your questions there.
I would say it’s well worth speaking to other owners with similar types of boats in your area to see what they use and what is effective.
You will find one type of antifoul works really well in one area but useless in another.
I use an eroding type as the boat comes out every winter and this helps to stop a big build up.
I then jet wash it which pretty much takes it back to primer ready to be done again.
Yes, I probably could get 2 years out of it but once it’s sat on it’s trailer for 4 or 5 months through the winter I doubt it would be that effective without a top up anyway.
Lots of different views on this.
Trial and error found the best male and type for me.
Most expensive is not necessarily the best!!