I aleays antifouled my old boat and suffered the usual chore of cleaning down and reapplying every year. This year I started again with a new 20ft powerboat and decided to leave the hull clean. My berth is in freshwater although most of by trips are in salt. I pulled the boat out onto its trailer three times. At 2 or three month intervals during the season and cleaned it off. A simple tast with the aid of hull cleaner or in my case Halfords wheel cleaner.( half the cost)My hull is waxed each time and retains its gelcoat shine. Is there a good reason to antifoul that I have missed?
yours Environmentally Sound

Antifouling is a good option to clean the bottom of your hull, but certainly not the only one. I think your method is fine and there would be no need to change. Those who use antifouling paint, genrally only do it once a year, but as you are doing it three times, I wouldn't have thought you would have a problem.

Thaks Roxy for the approval. I clean the hull with Halfords Extreem wheel cleaner. It its half the price of the usual Oxalic based Starbrite Hull cleaner and Halfords have been doing a three for the price of two. While this saves money can you see any problems with the Hydrocloric based wheelcleaner on gelcoat?

Check the instruction on how diluted it should be, but it shouldn’t damage it at all, but they can definitely harm you! Make sure all our skin is covered and if it does have contact with your skin, ash it off straight away.

The price of anti-fouling paint is only part of the problem. When you add in the cost of lift out, re-launch and in our case, boat park fees, the whole exercise becomes very expensive. I have been doing a bit of research on the net looking into paints that last two or more seasons. Copper bottom coatings no doubt work for several seasons but I think a bi-annual job using normal paint might be a better option as other out of the water jobs need checking. I intend trying Seajet this year. They claim two years with two roller coats for Shogun and Emperor or 3 years with five coats using Platinum. A lift, hold and wash between times is suggested. Prices are very competitive too. Worth a try I think.

Definatley worth a try John.

I saw something, correct me if I am wrong, down it he hamble last week, that appered to be a jet wash for the bottom of your boat? Has anyone used this as it seemed to claim it did the same as antifouling.

I have used a jet wash and it effectively removes barnacles and other rubbish. I suppose it depends on where you pick up the stuff, perhaps Isle of Man barnacles aren't as tenacious as yours.

I can't imagine anything in the Isle of Man is tenacious

I used to be!

Before I launch in April I intend to wax the hull. As I have said I don't antifoul so some sort of protection is worthwhile. Can anyone say for sure that wax sealer with Teflon provides better protection than the usual wax polish?

Not for sure, but have heard very good things about it. The only people I know who use the teflon option have only been using it a year - in which it has performed very well, but don't know about the long term.

Teflon is definitely better

how long does a grp hull need to be in seawater before it should be antifouled.

Hi Colin, I share Lesley's concerns about the environmental damage caused by antifoul (though I am not sure her wheel wash alternative is entirely green, either!) but I am afraid in seawater it is a necessary evil. Even with a coat of antifoul, the boat will become slimy in a very short space of time unless it moves regularly. And in not many weeks the slime will have grown into a "beard." Because of environmental legislation, antifouling is becoming less and less effective. TBT did the job, but the residue killed too much sea life and so it was rightly banned. We used to put International Micron on our Sigma, two coats before launch and then another coat midseason (while dried out on posts between tides.) We now use Optima, which is more expensive, but seems more effective, and we don't need the extra coat mid-season, so it actually works out slightly cheaper. It would be interesting to know what anti-fouls everyone else uses, and how effective they feel they have been.
Cathy

Now this is odd. In March this year I used a Wax sealer with teflon over the whole hull area. I pulled the boat out in early August for one month while I was away in Oz. In September the boat went back and stayed there until November. When I pulled it out for its Winter rest there was no weed only a brown hard smooth stain over the underside of the hull. This cleaned off easily with my favourite wheel cleaner. There were no barnicles worm casts or weed. Could this be the effect of teflon or is it the result of berthing is frest water in Cardiff Bay and boating in saltwater in the Bristol Channel? From my point of view antifouling paint would just give me extra work, so next year I will continue as before. Happy Christmas Lesley

Hi Lesley. I think your good fortune is switching between fresh and salt water: the organisms that grow in one are killed in the other and vice versa. Our boat is in salt water all the time except when we cruise on the Dutch inland waters, and we have found that whenever we go there, the hull is beautifully cleaned! There are actually environmental concerns about boats which are not antifouled carrying invasive species from infected waters into previously clean waters, but your fresh/salt treatment should solve that!
Great sailing in 2007
Cathy