Antifoul systems (tropical waters)

[Guest]

Nightcap definitely needs a bum job, it's been 2 1/2 years. Last time I used Altex 5 and wasn't entirely happy with its performance but I may have had unrealistic expectations.

Any recommendations? A hard antifoul as a first coat and a coat of ablative? All hard? Cheapest places to buy? (I'll be back in NZ soon to bring another boat up here so freight isn't a problem).

All usage is in tropical waters, extensive movement in winter but a lot of idle time in water over the summer.

[wheels 543]

Hey ya Pete.

I really recommend the Hempel product. Their main branch is Auckland. It is not a Retail store as they are commercial.

If you have any trouble getting it, i can arrange it all for you. A few from Crew were going to try it and I haven't heard any problems of them getting it if they did. It should give three years of good service.

However, it is important to understand that all soft foulings will allow some growth. They are designed to self clean when moving. So expect at least something to grow in those warm clear waters when just sitting around.

[Bad Kitty 252]

Depending on how you feel about environmental issues, places like Fiji are often still using product which is not available in places like NZ because it may have undesirable side effects, such as lesser spotted warblers growing 2 heads. Desirable side effects are nothing grows on or within 20 metres of your boat for 2 years.

Could be worth talking to guys doing commercial vessels up your way?

[wheels 543]

Most of the Commercial stuff in many of the Islands that are doing anything commercial is now Hempels. There is very little TFT used anywhere in commercial applications now. It is being phased out due to cost because the few that make it don't make enough to be viable. I know it was supposed to go from commercial use somewhere around now anyway, I think it is happening by natural attrition.

[Guest]

Thanks for that. Hempel looks good and they're certainly good at communicating. Will suss them out when in Auckland.

[Steve Pope 243]

Check out Resene in Fiji as they still do or will make up a brew that we all used with very satisfactory results not so many years ago. Also I believe (hearsay) the French have done more recent studies on the effects of TBT and have rescinded the ban that they had on it in mainland France as there being no conclusive proof that it was responsible for the 2 penised female snails after all.

[wheels 543]

I don't know what Tin did to animals, but I can assure you that years ago when we had Tin on boats, the Marina was a waste land of bare bottom. Now it is thriving with marine life. Of course that may not be a good thing either perhaps. Maybe it's the one place you don;t want anything to grow at all.

[The big T 41]

Was a small part on a case study of the effects of antifouling on the environment many years ago (Half Moon Bay). Results showed biotic environment in marina compromied with antifoul, slightly compromised in entrance and immediate area, and no discernable effects outside marina.

 

Given a marina by definition is a highly modified, semi enclosed environment anyway, not really a surprise result.