Motor Boat & Yachting – May 2018

We put the latest kit through its paces

TRIED& TESTED

International Micron

77 antifouling £199 for 5 litres

Freshly painted and

ready for the season

to start in April 2017

Helly Hansen

Stockholm backpack £60

This backpack arrived just in time for

a holiday to the Maldives, hence the

impossibly idyllic photos of it (sorry

about the shirt). The timing was great

because the Stockholm is an

excellent travel companion and,

for the boater, its waterproof main

fabric and roll top mean it can handle

the challenges of life on board.

First thing’s first: it’s massive.

Twenty-nine litres in fact, and

substantial enough to swallow

a laptop, books, tablet, extra

clothing, and all those other bits

you need when you’re travelling.

What I like most, though, is the

number of zip pockets on the

outside, which mean that you

don’t have to unclip the bag and

delve into the depths to reach your

passport or mobile phone in a hurry.

The small front pocket is an ideal

spot for smaller items such as these,

and there’s a zip pocket the full

length of the bag

within the back

panel large enough

to pack away a laptop,

iPad or newspaper.

Away from the

airport, it would be

great for chucking

beach bits in and

heading off in the

tender for a spot

of exploring. The

Forest Green

colour of the

one I tested

gives the bag a

bit of a rough-and-tumble

military look but the Silver

Grey and Black variants are

slightly more stylish.

Finally, given the quality

of construction, I think

60 quid is excellent value for the

Stockholm backpack – thoroughly

recommended. Jack Haines

Contact http://www.hellyhansen.com

International Micron 77 is one of

an increasingly small number of true

copolymer antifoulings that you’re

still allowed to apply yourself. The

other big advantage for workshy

lackies like myself is that two thick

coats should last a couple of seasons,

which goes some way to offsetting

the premium pricing.

That’s exactly what

I applied on my Karnic

2250 around this time

last year and when

I pulled it out of the

water at the end of

October, the results

spoke for themselves.

The underside of the

hull was completely free

of weed and barnacles and

even around the waterline where it

was exposed to maximum sunlight,

there was only a thin layer of slime.

You only have to look at the full

beard of weed growing from the

small unpainted section of topsides

at the stern of the boat to see how

bad it could have been.

Even more gratifyingly, there still

seems to be plenty of life left

in last year’s application,

so this spring I will be free

to plant up my vegetable

patch with lots of baby

radishes rather than

grovel around under

my boat with rollers and

facemasks. Result! Hugo

Contact http://www.international-

yachtpaint.com

Lots of people seem to think that hard

antifouling is the way to go for a fast

planing boat because its harder finish

won’t wear away too quickly. I don’t

buy it, partly because it relies on the

boat’s motion through the water to

wear away the exhausted top layer

of antifouling (so it doesn’t work as

well when left in a marina) and partly

because over the years, you build up

countless thick layers of lumpy, part-

worn antifouling.

I prefer to use a true

self-polishing copolymer

antifouling that gradually

dissolves in the water, even

when the boat is sat on its

berth for weeks at a time.

Not only does this ensure

there is always a fresh layer

of biocide-laden paint to keep

the critters at bay, but it reduces

the buildup of old paint and leaves

a smoother, more fuel-efficient finish.

A full-length zip

pocket gives quick

access to essentials

VALUE 

RATING 

VALUE 

RATING 

After six months in the water,

the Micron 77 had kept the

hull free of fouling while the

unprotected areas (inset)

were covered in growth