Phasecoat bottom paint

[southerncross31]

Has anyone tried a new bottom paint called Phasecoat. Apparently it was created by the Navy and is supposed to dry to such a hard finish that any growth will slide off if the boat is used frequently? Another plus is that it will increase hull speed (with a heavy full keel every bit counts). With a price tag of 350 a gallon i would like some feedback before i use it!

[Fstbttms]

This is a "foul release" hull coating. While I have no knowledge of this particular product, there are other foul release coatings on the market and they generally all require more frequent cleaning than traditional, biocide-laden anti fouling paints. Usually along the lines of twice as often. Also, the boat MUST be kept clean, anything other than a light slime becomes extremely difficult or impossible to remove. Non-toxic anti fouling products are definitely not "set it and forget it."

As a person who earns his living in the water, I applaude your desire to use a non-toxic product.

[PerformanceOutdoor]

THIS MESSAGE IS POSTED BY THE MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR

I just wanted to clarify that I am with Performance Outdoor, the distributor for Phasecoat UFR.


Thank you Fastbottoms for a well thought out reply. You are correct in that most foul release paints will require a little more maintenance if left in the water. They don't kill the growth like copper, they rely on physics to remove the growth by denying it the ability to permanently adhere to the hull. Therefore the force of the water across the hull should remove virtually all of the growth.

Phasecoat UFR is designed for active boaters and works best on boats that can achieve speeds of 8-10 knots for a period of 10 minutes or so to allow the force of the water to work.

Some sailboats can achieve and sustain that speed while others cannot. We are introducing a sister product-code named Bare Bottom , that is designed more for the inactive boater and those that cannot achieve the periodic high speeds necessary to remove the organic growth. It will have similar attributes but does not require the sustained speed. More to follow on Bare Bottom in about 30 days or so.



Thank you

Robert Wohlfarth
President
Performance Outdoor

[dwwilde]

Mr. Wohlfarth,

Do you have any additional information on the Bare Bottom product? I have shared some emails with Dr. Lienhart at Microphasecoatings but I am seeking any and all information on this coating. Arre there yet any independent test results?

Many thanks.

Dixon W. Wilde, Ph.D.

[sailingdog]

Basically, phase coat isn't for dock queens... However, on smaller sailboats, getting the 8-10 knots may be an issue. Hull speed is a problem there..