Antifouling paints on test


Aquagard Bottom Paint PRICE: £115 (3.8lt/1gal) • £30.26/lt CONTACT: gc@.pro-flex.net (www.aquagard.eu from Jan 1)


POOLE HAMBLE (E) HAMBLE (W)


Boero Mistral Nf PRICE: £99.95 (2.5lt) • £39.98/lt CONTACT: www.allboatcare.co.uk


POOLE HAMBLE (E) HAMBLE (W)


Aquagard is a water- based paint made in the USA and recently imported into the UK. A range of colours will be available. Application was easy – the paint is relatively thin – and brushes could be washed out in water. It performed better in the static water of Poole, with a thin layer of slime, than in the Hamble, where it grew some thick slime and minor growths of green weed which needed a quick brushing to remove. Two coats are recommended.


International Cruiser UNO EU PRICE: £69.95 (3lt) • £23.32/lt CONTACT: www.yachtpaint.com


POOLE HAMBLE (E) HAMBLE (W)


Boero Mistral Nf antifouling, imported into the UK by All Boat Care of Southampton, performed well in the Hamble, with some slime around the edges of the panels but little in the middle. What slime there was shifted easily with a sponge. There was some green weed along the west-facing waterline panel. The paint grew more slime in the more static water of our Poole Harbour location, although still wiped off very easily with a sponge.


International Micron Extra 2 PRICE: £88.95 (2.5lt) • £35.98/lt CONTACT: www.yachtpaint.com


POOLE HAMBLE (E)


BUY HAMBLE (W)


International’s Cruiser UNO EU can, as the name suggests, be applied as just one coat for a season’s use. In order to achieve the correct film thickness in a single coat, however, it is necessarily thick to apply. Cruiser UNO performed well, especially on slime, with very little slime growth in the fast-flowing Hamble water, and no green weed growth in either of our two locations. All fouling wiped off easily with a sponge on each set of boards.


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


International Paints’ Micron Extra 2 was the best performer on test, with only a trace of slime on the boards in the Hamble. In Poole the slime was a little thicker but in all situations wiped off easily with a sponge. One of the panels in deeper water had no slime or fouling at all. Staining on the waterline was removed easily with a sponge. The paint was fairly thin to apply, and requires 3-4 coats to achieve the required film thickness.


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