Bottom paint

[Il mare]

We have always used Interlux Aqua One bottom paint on our previous 40’ Marine Trader with good results but we always pulling her for the winter season in CT. We now have a 60’ DeFever and plan on bringing her to FL next winter and keeping her in the water year round.
Any thoughts on staying with this product or using a different anti-fouling bottom paint?

 

[O C Diver]

Aqua One is an ablative (you probably know that), and it's suitability may partly be based on where you will keep the boat and how much you will use it. If kept in salt or brackish water, many find it necessary to have the hull scrubbed monthly because stuff grows on it so quickly here in warm water. Ablative paints generally work better on boats over 10 knots. You need substantial water flow to make the paint shed. For my boat, the ablative didn't work well as I only cruise at 7 knots. But then it shed very well when the diver was scrubbing my boat bottom. Ended up switching to a hard paint (Petit Trinidad with Slime Reduction), which doesn't ablade when the diver scrubs the hull.

Where will you keep the boat?
How much will it be used?
How fast will you cruise?

These are all parts of the equation.

Ted

 

[FF]

Used to be NEPTUNE had the highest copper content.

 

[rslifkin]

Even within the realm of ablative paints, some are softer and shed more easily than others. The softer ones would generally be more suited to a slower boat, the harder ones for faster boats. And some (like Micron 66) will ablate slowly while sitting still, making them very effective. But at least for Micron 66 specifically, it doesn't work (and can supposedly completely fail) in fresh water, so keep that in mind if any river trips are in the plans.

 

[Vadim]

PETTIT PAINT–Ultima SR 60 Antifouling Paint with Irgarol and add cayenne pepper. At first I did not believe my ears, but it works.

 

[Lou_tribal]

PETTIT PAINT–Ultima SR 60 Antifouling Paint with Irgarol and add cayenne pepper. At first I did not believe my ears, but it works.

What worked? The antifouling, as expected, or the the cayenne pepper, unexpectedly?

L

 

[syjos]

PETTIT PAINT–Ultima SR 60 Antifouling Paint with Irgarol and add cayenne pepper. At first I did not believe my ears, but it works.

I've read of boaters mixing cayenne peppers into bottom paint but had not explored it. I am switching to Ultima SR60 on the next haul out since my current paint, Micron Extra, doesn't do a good job of preventing slime buildup. It does do a good job of preventing barnacles.

Did the pepper reduce barnacles or slime?

How much pepper per gallon?

Did you use Ultima SR60 previously without pepper?

Thanks for the answers in advance.

 

[BruceK]

What worked? The antifouling, as expected, or the the cayenne pepper, unexpectedly?

L

We used Himalayan high country grown(south facing side) organic vegan responsibly farmed fair trade individually sherpa`s wife hand picked berry lovingly hand ground pepper. Will report back how it worked after haulout.

 

[Ted]

2 cups of cayenne pepper per gallon.
The bottom was very much cleaner (barnacles and slime)
at haulout the next year