Well I remain totally amazed by my boat-it was antifouled spring 2005-I bought it July 2005 moved it onto Crinan Canal for about two weeks then on to Loch Ness where it remained until September 2006-probably three summer months in the sea.Since September 2006 it has been in the sea without a clean or antifoul..

Today I beached it expecting a nightmare-apart from a lot of slime and a growth of mussels around the rudder stock and on bottom of keel-absolutely nothing!

However a discussion with local crofter/fisherman confirmed my view that mooring is close to a large freshwater river which discharges vast quantities of fresh water into the Loch-you can see it layering around the boat.As a result well known locally that fouling is minimal.

Phil

Coppercoat - my Vancouver 28 is the second boat to which I have applied and it works as well in the Solent as it did in Kinsale.  Bear in mind however that although the deep copper colour of the new application looks good, the antifoul does not work until your bottom turns green as it is the cuprous oxide and other copper salts that do the work, not the pure metallic copper.  This may mean a couple of quick scrubs in the first year of use.  And I have found the Coppercoat people very helpful. They also told me that is is magic against slugs and that there may be a horticultural market here!

Alan.

If you can alternate between salt water and fresh (not very practical for most of us) any weed that grows in one type of water seems to fall off in the other as they are specific to their usual environment.

My brother used to live aboard a motor torpedo boat up river of London, he only had her out of the water once in many years (she was a nightmare to slip as she was very fragile when not fully sopported by water). He put black varnish on, basically thin tar. Weed would grow but every summer he came out to sea for a few weeks holiday and the weed vanished, she would just start to grow salt water weed which then fell off once he took her back up the Thames.

Maybe us East Coasters could leave our boats in Haybridge basin for a few days every now and then but itis hardly a simple solution.

My yacht Tiki has not needed anything other than a pressure wash for 15 years now!  I think they used to call it 'Copper Bot' then.  It just works a treat ... no problems at all.