Practical Boat Owner - January 2016

The great UK antifouling showdown

SOUTH WEST– PLYMOUTHFouling: Seajet’s 033 performed best at Plymouth Yacht Moderate
Haven, with 038 also doing well. Micron Extra was also a strong performer, with the same company’s Cruiser Uno and Jotun’s NonStop also doing well.

SOUTH COAST – CHICHESTERFouling: In Chichester, Seajet’s 033 was by far the cleanest, Moderate
coming out almost slime-free. Micron Extra was a close second. Seajet 038 and Teamac ‘D’ were next best, with Precision Premium also doing well.

SOUTH COAST – HAMBLEFouling: Seajet’s 038 was best in the fast-flowing mouth of Moderate

the Hamble, with their 033 product not far behind. Micron Extra was relatively clean, as was Teamac’s D, with Jotun NonStop also moderately successful.

Teffort involved in buying, priming, painting, delivering and installing the test boards. his is the biggest test we’ve ever carried out at PBO, with a significant investment of time, money and

similarly in orientation, location and tidal characteristics as possible – facing the sun, and aligned to the tide to simulate a boat’s We were careful to install the panels as

mooring and occasional use. We were fortunate that only one set of panels suffered damage (in Port Edgar, where a tyre fender was tied on in front of the board, damaging

the paint and removing the fouling from a few of the panels). Our host locations kindly monitored the boards and their growth throughout the year. When we took them

out, in early October, the water was at its warmest and the fouling greatest. Any later and the fouling would have begun to drop off as the water cooled.

‘worst-case’ scenario – that your boat doesn’t move all year. The more you use her, the better your antifouling will perform, Of course, our static panels represent a

and the less the fouling will adhere. Some interesting resultsWith the results in, the 26 panels, 20 paints

and 13 locations have generated a lot of data. Sifting through has shown up some interesting results. The most telling of all is that every paint tested showed a big

improvement in fouling when compared to the control areas, which had heavy weed, shell and kelp growth. None of the paints

had any barnacles or other shell growth, or any long fronds of weed – except in some cases along the waterline. While no single paint kept everything

fouling-free in all areas, what particularly surprised us was the dominance of one paint – Seajet’s 033 Shogun was best in eight of our areas, with the company’s 038,

due to be released in 2016, also doing well. so effectively in many places that when These paints shed slime and other fouling

pulled out of the water, they appeared clear. well. International’s Micron Extra was a comfortably one of the top paints all around Other paints also performed reasonably

the country. Other good performers included Teamac Antifouling D plus, made by an independent family business located in the north-east, Precision Premium, also made

by Teamac, and Nautix’s A3. Seago High Performance also performed well in places. Hempel’s Cruising Performer and Jotun’s NonStop did well in some areas of the

country. Boero’s Mistral NF had some reasonable results, and Flag Performance Extra did well on the East Coast.

Increased regulationOf course, most boat owners won’t be interested in which brand is best all around the country: most boats stay put in their

home port for most of the season, which is why it’s best to look at the results for your location, or the nearest port to your own. It’s reassuring that the better paints on test

proved mostly effective in keeping fouling at bay, as manufacturers have had to deal with increased regulation – especially the EU’s Biocidal Products Directive, which has led to

tweaks and changes in antifouling products. seem to split into two camps – around £40-50 per 2.5lt tin and around £100 per tin. Cost is another interesting factor. Paints

The circa £100 camp tended to do better than the circa £50 camp – the more expensive bracket, which often has greater concentrations of copper and other

biocides, is likely to be more effective.

TOP 5 PAINTS1. Seajet 0332. Micron Extra

3. Seajet 038 4. Teamac ‘D’5. Precision Prem.

TOP 5 PAINTS1. Seajet 0332. Seajet 038

3. Micron Extra4. Int. Cruiser Uno5. Jotun NonStop

TOP 5 PAINTS1. Seajet 0382. Seajet 033

3. Micron Extra4. Teamac ‘D’5. Jotun NonStop

With thanks to: Southampton Solent University’s Warsash Nautical College, Chichester Harbour Authority, Plymouth Yacht Haven, NRhu Marina, Dunstaffnage Marina, Port Edgar Marina, Whitby and Scarborough Harbours, Lowestoft Marina (ABP), Waldringfield Boatyeyland Yacht Haven, Victoria Dock (Gwynedd Council), Inverkip Marina, ard and Fambridge Yacht Haven for their assistance with this trial.

A board from Whitby as removed, showing how the slime ran off the two Seajet products, 038 and 033

PBO verdictPBO Verdict

Boards were submerged during the summer months

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