GEAR


14


not hard enough to begin with, there are so many antifouling products available at such a wide range of prices that it can be nigh-on impossible to know which paint to choose. One thing boat owners tend to


A


have in common is that we’re all trying to find an antifouling which represents a good balance of cost and effectiveness. PBO gathered together a range


of 14 of the most commonly available self-eroding paints from a variety of manufacturers and put them to the test over a season. We limited the test to single-


pack, eroding paints and, where possible, requested a blue colour.


How we tested them We prepared our six plywood test panels – two for each of our planned test locations – by priming them with International Gelshield epoxy primer, before masking up a 7x5 grid on one surface of each. With our 14 paints spread over


each pair of panels this gave us enough room for each paint to be allocated one waterline space plus four other underwater spaces, distributed irregularly with one on each row to iron out discrepancies caused by shadows, proximity to


Practical Boat Owner 569 January 2014 • www.pbo.co.uk


ntifouling is a yearly ritual that most boat owners could do without. If scrubbing and sanding were


antifouling paints TESTED


Which self-eroding antifouling paint is best? PBO compared 14 on the South Coast over a season. Ben Meakins reports


other paints and other factors. Between each paint on the grid


we left a 20mm unpainted border of plain epoxy primer. The reverse of each board was also plain primer to provide a control surface. We then applied each paint,


following the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter, using a tie-coat primer where necessary. We installed two of the three


sets of panels on a River Hamble pontoon belonging to Southampton Solent University’s Warsash Nautical College: one pair faced west (we’ve called them Hamble W) and the other pair faced east (Hamble E). This area sees a high tidal flow, with the spring ebb reaching 2-3 knots at times. There is also significant wave action on the panels on the west side in wind-over-tide situations, so the self-eroding properties of the paints would get ample opportunity to show their effectiveness.


The final set (Poole) we installed


in Parkstone Yacht Haven in Poole Harbour. By contrast, this location has minimal tidal flow, and provided a useful comparison with the Hamble boards. We installed the panels on 27


June 2013, and removed them on 29 October 2013. The summer proved warm, with particularly bad fouling reported on the Hamble in particular. Once the panels were removed


from the water we photographed their condition, before giving each board a wipe over with a wet sponge to see how well adhered the fouling was. Finally we cleaned them up with a stiff brush and a water jet from a hose.


What to pay Prices shown are manufacturers’ recommended retail prices for a 2.5-litre tin, where available. Chandlers engage in heavy discounting at this time of year, so it’s worth shopping around for your chosen paint. For example, Hempel Tiger Xtra is currently available at £64.95 from some retailers – a saving of £35 on the recommended retail price.


LEFT One of the panels in situ on the Hamble pontoon


A wipe with a sponge showed how easily fouling cleared


How to read the results


The paints were distributed on our submerged panels so that, over each set, each paint had one waterline sample and a sample on each row of the panel. Photos of these samples have been reorganised and laid out on the following pages so each panel now shows the results from each paint in each of our three test areas. Where kelp is visible on a


square, it is because it had grown on the bare primer border of the paint and couldn’t easily be removed without damaging the sample panel: no kelp or long weed fronds grew on any of the antifouling paints themselves.


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