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What's with the slime??

4K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  jppp 
#1 ·
I'm so happy I spent the extra $100 / gallon on the stuff that prevents slime. NOT!! The hull was completely covered with the stuff. The slime that is. I am glad we painted with "Shark White", because it makes it easy to see when YOUR UNDER THE BOAT WITH SCUBA GEAR SCRUBBING IT OFF IN MURKY HUDSON RIVER WATER!!! 45 minutes before departure to the starting line no less. So where does this stuff prevent slime? On the hard I guess. Maybe it was in the fine print printed on the Inside bottom of the can. Micron Extra was the stuff, "With Biolux".
 
#2 ·
Think how bad it would be if you only spent $250 per gallon. Seriously, I also use Micron Extra and I'm not convinced it's any better than Micron CSC or a cheaper paint. Hard to say without a side- by - side comparison though.
 
#3 ·
I'm in the Hudson River too near the Tappan Zee Bridge and use the WM CPP bottom paint which when on sale is about $100+/gallon. I do reapply one gallon of it every year but it does thin out as an ablative paint is supposed to. It does not stop all barnacles or slime but it is one of the cheaper brand name (Petit makes it) paints on the market. We also hire a diver or do a quick haul out to spray the bottom clean at least once in the warm weather.
I have tried some more expensive bottom paints in salty water (LI Sound) and not been impressed with the results.
Your money, your boat, your choice.
 
#5 ·
Gee FB, you having a bad day? Some have more experience than others with these things.

The Interlux website would have their customers believe it was more effective. Read below. Nevertheless, the OP has learned it's misleading.

Uses Micron® Technology to provide excellent, long lasting antifouling protection against all types of fouling. Micron Extra includes Biolux, to control slime. Hightly engineered, controlled polishing rate reduces build-up of old coatings and minimizes sanding.. Haul and re-launch without repainting. Micron Technology uses less copper more efficiently than old fashioned high copper bottom paints.Available in a low emissions formula: Micron Extra VOCIncreased fuel economy leads to reduced carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissionsBiolux® technology blocks slime and improves antifouling performance. Suitable for use on all boats in all watersLloyds Register certified as TBT-free.
 
#6 ·
Trying to figure barnacle issue out myself.
Boat moored in salt water (Halifax Harbour - Nova Soctia Canada). Mirage 24 - new to me this spring.
Surprised to notice this weekend that the whole rudder was covered in tiny barnacles. I didn't put on a new layer of bottom paint - as I was under the impression from previous owner that boat had not been in the water much since he did a coat.
But what is 'normal'? I had ~200+ little barnacles per sq ft. Does that count as 'retarded growth' or is my bottom paint shot?

I was able to scrape rudder clean with back rim of deck brush - but I can feel that the whole hull is covered as well.

Any suggestions on what to do?
Should I pull the boat and power wash them off? Just hire a diver to clean the bottom? Or should I pull it and put on a new layer of bottom coat?

Thanks for the advice
Mark
 
#14 ·
But what is 'normal'? I had ~200+ little barnacles per sq ft. Does that count as 'retarded growth' or is my bottom paint shot?
Yes, your paint is shot. Most anti fouling paints (when in good condition) will work very well against higher forms of fouling organisms (like barnacles.) They perform less well against lower forms (like algae) which is why the "anti slime" paint formulations came into being and are so popular. But the bottom line is; if you have a serious barnacle infestation on your hull, you need new paint.

Any suggestions on what to do?
Should I pull the boat and power wash them off? Just hire a diver to clean the bottom? Or should I pull it and put on a new layer of bottom coat?
At this point, anything but a new bottom is just a bandaid. But consider giving a local hull cleaner some work before you haul. :p
 
#15 ·
Further to that - how long do the bottom paints last?
My boat will have max 5 mo in the water/yr - does that mean the ablative paint will last 2 seasons?
Or is it just dependent on my area?
For boats that live in the water year round, typically you can expect to get 2-3 years out of a quality anti fouling paint, whether it is an abaltive or hard product. There are exceptions but nothing is going to last longer than that. Talking about actual paint products now, not copper-loaded epoxies like Coppercoat etc.

The manufacturers do like to sell "multi-season" ablatives to those of you folks with short sailing seasons. I will not speak to their effectiveness in this regard, having no experience with boats that come out of the water for the winter. But it is true that ablatives can withstand prolonged periods out of the water while hard paints cannot.
 
#8 ·
It depends on we're you live even within the long island sound area

Northport for example has a sewer plant on the EPA s$$$ list and boats foul very fast and barnacle larva THRIVE in the environment

Now that the water is fully warmed up I have to clean every TWO weeks MAX and every boat is like that

Stern drive powerboats that do not stay on top of foul the prop and drive so bad with barnacles they have to do short hauls just to keep using the boats
 
#9 ·
How long a bottom paint lasts will depend on how many layers you put on. One layer, 12-18mos round here. 2 layers, 36ish. Also, FB tells me that regular gentle scrubbing will tend to extend the life of the bottom paint, as opposed to infrequent hard scrubs.

I also tend to get barnacles (SF Bay), on the prop and the rudder. My theory on the rudder is that the propwash causes accelerates the "ablative wear" of the paint, as my rudder barnacles are almost exclusively directly behind the prop.

Some slime is inevitable - but generally bottom paints work really well. I accidentally let my power cord hang in the water while I was away for a month. I swear I got about 1 foot of weed hanging down from it; the hull was bit slimy, that is all. Well, very slimy. But no foot-long weed trailing...however, the prop was invisible behind a soccer-ball sized ball of weed!! In 4 weeks! Sheesh.
 
#16 ·
Some slime is inevitable - but generally bottom paints work really well. I accidentally let my power cord hang in the water while I was away for a month. I swear I got about 1 foot of weed hanging down from it; the hull was bit slimy, that is all. Well, very slimy. But no foot-long weed trailing...however, the prop was invisible behind a soccer-ball sized ball of weed!! In 4 weeks! Sheesh.
It never ceases to amaze me how many customers call me at some point during the spring or summer, claiming that I could not have cleaned their boat two weeks previously (as indicated by the invoice they had received) because the fouling growth they were looking at could not possibly have grown in that time. I understand that part of the hull cleaner's job should be to educate the boat owner about the realities of the fouling progression, but man, sometimes I wonder! :rolleyes:
 
#10 ·
Another title for this thread might be: "Don't believe the hype!"

Paint manufacturers market their more expensive paints as "multi-season". Does that mean that the paint will last from Spring until Summer, or through the Fall, or through next Fall? They seem to shy away from labeling these products as "multi-year" for good reason.

As Fstbttms so eloquently points out, these paints only retard growth but do not eliminate it which helps to employ the many divers who clean boat bottoms. There is no panacea for bottom growth. Further, these 'highly engineered' paints are engineered to inhibit growth on the bottom when it is in the water, not when it is sitting out in the air. So don't think that just because you are giving your anti-fouling paint a 'rest' by having it hauled out for a half a year that it is not also degrading in the air environment. The air environment may actually be harsher to your paint then the water environment.

Don't believe the hype.
 
#11 ·
No, it is not "news" to me. But now I am rethinking spending the extra 100 bucks to "Control" slime. Next year it will just be the first and only $100 that I spend. I was about to spend $100 a gallon until I saw what the $230 a gallon stuff claimed to do. I'm sure the warm water is a contributing factor to the rapid growth and nothing is going to stop the slime. I must say the hour I spent in the water under the boat scrubbing was a fantastic cardio work out. Hey, maybe I'll smear the stuff they put inside Twinkies on the hull. No way anything could live or grow on that.
 
#12 ·
Micron Extra and Micron CSC also do a better job of retarding slime growth if you sail the boat. They are least effective at controlling growth when the boat sits idle for long periods of time.

I'm in the Chesapeake Bay, which is a high-fouling area and even though my hull grows slime, I can either "sail it off" or if I choose to get into the water, a soft car-wash mitt wipes it right off. I try to be very gentle so as not to shorten the life of the paint.

Hard growth? Not a sign of it. It's been one year so far. I figure I'll get another year, then re-paint.
 
#13 ·
The boat is sailed at least 3 days a week and raced on Wednesdays. For some that's a lot, but there are 3 partners with different schedules. Mondays and Tuesdays I'm out there practically alone. Today I stole a few hours before work and it was a circus on the river. Albeit a windy circus. 2 weeks we're heading for MV.
We are up the Hudson river far enough where there has been no sign of barnacles, only the DAMN SLIME!! Argh!! Before the last race a buddy was shocked when he saw me roll off the dock with a mask, regulator and tank. 1 hour is all it took. What could I charge my dock mates???
 
#19 ·
Slime has always been a fact of life around here, which is why every racer has a bottom brush. It takes about 15 minutes to give the bottom a quick rub before you leave the dock. Not a big deal really! some guys use a bottom "flosser" which is also very effective.

Besides, slime feels pretty slippery...who is to say it isn't fast?;)
 
#20 ·
I have the yard apply one top coat of Petit Vivid each year, which costs around $1500. A hull diver charges me $150 to clean her, which I only do once or twice per year. I will bet I would be well ahead of the game by skipping a year and cleaning every 6 weeks. But, I do like that new look of a top coat.

For me, it's a hassle to have her cleaned, as the marina will not allow anyone in the water and I have to use my time aboard to move her for cleaning. I'm not sure if that is for safety reasons or to keep the extra copper from being added to the water from the scrubbing. I think it's the latter.

New England marinas are beginning to be required to install water reclamation systems under boats they power wash upon hauling, but can defer it if they have some mitigating practices. The requirement seems to be fairly subjective, as best i can tell. I will bet that agreeing not to scrub boats in the water is their "settlement", for now. I know of one New England marina that requires all newly painted boats to use environmentally friendly paint. I know of another that will not power wash ashore at all. You must have your hull cleaned in the Bay before hauling.

Once again, it is all environmentalist masterbation. I can move a few hundred yards to a mooring or drop the hook in the Bay and scrub away. Idiots.
 
#22 ·
Just bought some bottom paint and will re-coat my hull this wkend.
For interest sake the salesman noted that the xxx Bottomcoat (cheapest option - copier based) could only sit on land for 5 days before the paint would react with the air and start loosing its effectiveness. After a winter (or 18 mo in the case of my boat) the paint is basically useless.
The 'Fiberglass Bottomcoat' was supposed to be good on land for up to 60 days
He claimed the CSC Micron did not react to air at all and could last thru a few seasons.

Mark
 
#23 ·
Wow! Found easiest way to remove slime. Get the boat out of brackish water and into salt. Boat is in Branford CT today. I noticed the white bottom paint is bright. Of course the water is clearer as well.
 
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