What's with the slime??

[jppp]

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".

[msmith10]

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.

[CalebD]

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.

[Fstbttms]

Originally Posted by jppp

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".

Anti fouling paint does not eliminate fouling, it only retards it. This is news to you?

[Minnewaska]

Originally Posted by Fstbttms

Anti fouling paint does not eliminate fouling, it only retards it. This is news to you?

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.

[mgb69]

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

[mgb69]

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?
Mark

[tommays]

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

[paul323]

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.

[CalebD]

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.