Foul release bottom coatings

[Nick14]

One of my nerd-like interests (obsessions?) has been with ultra-sleek non-biocide foul release coatings as an alternative to conventional biocide-releasing bottom paints. My interest is primarily for the reduction in drag and thus improvement in speed and decreasing fuel consumption, as well as being better for marine life by not releasing toxic biocides. With 1 nmpg being nominal fuel consumption at semi-displacement speeds (or less), even a 10% improvement would be meaningful.

There are a number of such products that have been sold in Europe for many years. The options in this country have been much more limited. Coppercoat, essentially fine powdered copper particles suspended in epoxy resin, has been available for some time, though some users report mixed results. Interlux has sold Intersleek coating for years but it's only available for commercial ships.

Most of the coatings use silicone-based formulations to create an ultra-sleek surface to which marine organisms have a hard time attaching, and when they do, are washed off by movement through the water. A Massachusetts company offered Dolphin SLIPS a few years ago that seemed to have good reports, but mysteriously they pulled it off the market soon afterwards. A Texas company offers SeaSpeed but I couldn't find any independent reviews of it; the few users reports on line are mixed.

In Europe the most widely used and best known product seems to be Hempel Silic One. I tried to get it for my boat but it wasn't available in this country, but is now. I spoke with reps from Hempel at the Newport Boat Show this week, Hempel Silic One is now available here (though they sell only to marinas for professional application, they don't recommend amateurs apply the product).

FWIW the Hempel reps told me some high performance boats in Florida have reported 3-4 knots WOT speed gains, and that 1-1.5 knots improvement would be possible with a semi-displacement design. Whatever the actual speed increases might be, it seems like reduced friction would decrease fuel consumption at any speed.

The actual coating is a multi-step process and must be applied to either bare glass or a hard non-ablative finish, it can't go over ablative paints. The coating itself is long-lasting; they didn't specify exactly how long other than 'many years.' Though, out of the water the surface will degrade due to UV exposure, they sell a 'recharger' coating that is wiped on and off after winter haul out to restore the ultra-sleek surface.

Best antifouling paint: 8 leading options in head-to-head test

Adam Fiander and Hugo Andreae test eight products on a regularly used Hardy 42 motorboat and a static panel to find out which is the best antifouling paint

www.pbo.co.uk

 

[Packer fan]

I'm not expert , but with the older ones it was key to not park for too long. Eventually stuff stays stuck. Probably why some companies only want it on commercial vessels.

I can't wait til it is perfected.

 

[Bonedoc]

One of the boating magazines posted an article a month or two ago about a thin wrap or biofilm applied to the boat which lasted a season or two and was non toxic and biodegradable currently being applied in Europe. Also what about the newer non toxic trans-hull ultrasound devices? Seems like there is exciting things coming in the near future.

see Finsulate, HullSheild

 

[robint777]

Have you looked at a pure 100% Polyurea, I have seen in the past that while it isn't completely free from growth after a few years, it is very smooth and can simply be wiped off. It is also a permanent solution, It has been used on ice breakers, and dump truck boxes, and other hard wearing applications. Military uses it as well. But I havn't followed any recent progress with it. Must be pure though If I recall correctly. NOT a hybrid product. Doesn't stick to gel coat though, The key is usual is with surface prep

 

[mydacha]

Coppercoat

 

[Hobbit]

I’ve had to switch to Epaint SN for our aluminum boat as Interlux stopped making TriLux 11….so far so good it’s not available in Canada though and have to import from Bellingham. It was used on all the US navy boats and unavailable until a few years ago to the public. I hope they start selling it up here soon. It went on right over TriLux ….as well easy to apply.

 

[Nick14]

Coppercoat has been around for a number of years. It intuitively sounds like a good idea, though rummaging around on the internet seems to show mixed reviews.

I hadn't heard of Polyurea. Couldn't find many reviews of actual use on line.

The thin film sounds interesting, but has a surprisingly short life? Seems like a lot of work for something that needs to be redone every couple of years.

The Silic One and similar 'ultra sleek' coatings are intriguing both because of the lack of toxic antifouling content, and also for the drag reduction and thus performance improvement possible.

A couple of years ago I talked with an Interlux rep at the Newport Boat Show. He was very negative on thew prospects of them ever releasing a retail version of their Intersleek coating. He told me they've been testing it for a few years in the U.S. but were worried about liability. Apparently there had been some cases of boats slipping out of slings on lifts because the bottom coating was so slick! He went on and on about who's responsible if a boat falls out of a lift, and the resulting lawsuits. He said since Interlux had the deepest pockets they were worried lawsuits would end up targeting them.

It's interesting how so many things in life, at least in this country, come down to lawyers... (I remember reading a quote from someone somewhere, along the lines of 'If there's suffering in the world, there's going to be a lawyer there either causing it or profiting off of it').