I'm using the Hemple hard ablative this year. Been there only 9 months but seems as good as Jotun or Altex No.5.

I am about to anti foul my new yacht and am using Jotun Seaguardian on the recommendation of several friends who have been using it to good effect here in the tropics.

Hey JV,

I reserched exactly that for the Swan River a little while back. See here from freo Doctor:

http://freodoctor.com.au/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=38&func=view&id=24151&catid=2&limit=20&limitstart=0

My advise is go International Micon extra (or Micron 66 if you want top $$$). We now use the 66. With regular use, you should get 6 months of clean hull, then perhaps a very gentle soft wipe 1-2/month for the second 6 months. Once you start wiping, you will find yo have to keep wiping. Ablative AF, like micron, needs to be wiped very gently (I use soft divers gloves) so you just remove the slightest bit of AF.

We've found hard anti fouling won't keep up with the growth on the river. Regular scubbing just creates more work for yourself. We slip our boat & renew antifoul each May. I believe growth is worst later winter & spring - The winter rains wash all the nutirents into the river, and the water is still relatively warm.

We have used Jotun Seaguardian before. It was useless. Have not tried Hempel.

Main recomedation is to use you boat regualrly - Keep it moving! we sail 2-3 times/week, and spend a fair amount of time offshore.

Note that whats works in North Qld / Sydney Harbour / Offshore Fremantle may not (ie: won;t) work in Swan River.

I trust this is of use to you!

Poods

Hi John
I've been using the Micron 66 for the past few antifouls on my boat, and i highly recommend it. I started off using VC offshore (when I was keen on OD racing and won a couple of Australian Championships with it), and while it was smooth (and made me think i was fast), I had to dive & clean it before every regatta or every two weeks, and after about 8 months, there was little left on the bottom. With the 66 I dive it once a month or so (but not for the first 3 months), and then just give it a very light rub (the prop & drive shaft need more regular cleaning, but thats quicker). It lasts a long time - ie I'm just about to apply it for the third time, but the last time was 24 months ago, so yes it's expensive, but I hate diving the boat all the time, so I think it's worth it. While I'm sure it's not quite so fast as the hard anti-fouls, I've still been at the front of the fleet when I've sailed well, so it's your call. I think it works out as good value when I don't have to dive so much.
good luck
Dave

Ramona said...

Poodle said...

Hey JV,

I reserched exactly that for the Swan River a little while back. See here from freo Doctor:


We have used Jotun Seaguardian before. It was useless. Have not tried Hempel.


Poods

Jotun is an excellent product if you buy the right version. There are different grades of Seaguardion/Sea queen or what ever they are calling it now. The 48 month version will last 2 years ok with the occasional light rub down. The trouble is its in the same price range as Micron and the other premium paints. With a small yacht like John's Spacesailer he may as well buy the best most expensive antifouling recommended for the Swan river. The difference in the overall cost of slipping using premium paint versus cheap will not be worth worrying about.

It could be the Seaguardian that we had painted on was for the ocean (colder, salteir water with less growth), and it could not keep up with Swan River growth.

I agree - For a small boat, get top notch stuff, as it is a small expense compared to the other costs.

I dived on our boat last week to check the hull, all clean after 5 months.

I still back the Micron 66

Poods

finding crew; try findacrew.com it's a prety good place to meet likeminded hmmm idiots :) who will sail with you for nothing but the potential to spend a portion of their life in a wet and miserable way.

as for antifouling - i agree with all, go for top quality, price difference is not that much. It usually says it's ok to coat over any previous antifoul, but I would do an undercoat anyway, different companies, different chemicals etc.

enjoy the experience, we finished the second coat on our cat only a few hours ago so I now have time to get on seabreeze and CHECK THE WEATHER! yep, sailing tomorrow.