12 minute read
Buyer’s Guide
Treat your hull and topsides to the latest paint technology, or go for a wrap. Sam Fortescue reports
Getting the boat painted for the spring is just one of those jobs you have to get on with. Whether it’s you or the local boatyard ducking into overalls, gloves, masks and goggles, it is o en tempting to simply use the same stu as last year. A er all, if the hull came out clean in the autumn, why change?
Well, legislation doesn’t stand still, and neither do the R&D departments of the world’s paint manufacturers, which means products are always evolving. Here we highlight some of the latest hull and topside treatments, as well as o ering a quick guide to the other coatings are available.
As with everything in boating, you can pay bottom dollar for a simple rosin-based paint which quickly rubs o and provides less protection. e next step up is a longer-lasting resin-based paint which doesn’t wear away so fast, and the pinnacle is a jazzy self-polishing paint, which generates a constant amount of biocide through a chemical reaction with the water by the hull.
“I always say, the rst thing a boatowner should do is sit down and work out how o en they’re going to use their boat,” says Jamie Smith of Marine Ware, UK distributor of
Nautix and International paints, among others. “If you use the boat o en, go for an ablative, but it’ll wear fast. If you only use the boat for a couple of weeks, then you need something with more biocide in it.”
For faster boats and multihulls, you can look at a hard antifoul.
While it generates less friction with the water for a fraction of a knot more speed, you’ll need to spray down the hull during the season to remove slime and bu the nish for optimum performance.
And of course, there is a growing range of super-slippery hull treatments that prevent marine fouling getting any purchase, rather than killing it. ese socalled fouling release coatings are less toxic and generally last two years or more between coatings. Also in this category is ultrasonic antifouling, which uses inaudible sound waves to create vibrations that prevent fouling from taking hold. Here’s what’s new for 2022...
Foul language
Seajet 034a
In a year that has seen a number of ‘hybrid’ products emerge, Japanese manufacturer Seajet is no exception. It is replacing its existing 034 Emperor and 035 Hard Racing paints with a new formulation which sits halfway between the two.
By reducing the amount of zinc pyrithione contained in the paint, Seajet technicians have made the paint less toxic without apparently a ecting its performance. It sits between a self-polishing co-polymer paint and a hard racing antifoul.
“Tweaking and evolving formulations is an inevitable process for a manufacturer such as Seajet, which is committed to maintaining high product performance, with products that continue to meet public demand,” said a spokesperson. e new paint is available in large 2.5lt tins and is approved for application by boatowners. It also comes in 250ml cans for applying to propellers, sha s and other stern gear. Colours are limited to black, white or dark grey at the moment, and the product costs £29.43 for a small pack or £153.01 for the large.
seajetpaint.com
Hempaspeed TF
Global coatings manufactuer Hempel has added another product to its non-biocidal range for sailing boats. Its slippery SilicOne fouling release coating has been a staple for some years, nding increasing favour among eco-aware sailors. Like all fouling release coatings, it works because slime, polyps and larvae cannot get a good enough purchase to create a fouling problem.
Its new Hempaspeed TF is a slightly lower performance hybrid alternative designed for sailing boats. Hempel says it combines traditional tough thin- lm coatings with Hydrogel fouling release technology. Hydrogel is a proprietary polymer that absorbs seawater to form a barrier around the hull. Being mostly water, fouling organisms don’t recognise it as a place to attach themselves.
Incredibly clever as all this sounds, the result is a Hempel’s cheaper product, pitched more at trailer-sailers, regularly-scrubbed raceboats and freshwater cruisers.
“Hempaspeed TF is based on hard acrylic binders and hydrogel,” explains Zeljka Bassanese. “This makes Hempaspeed TF ideal for any boat. However, it will pick up a little bit more slime than the premium Silic One.”
It can be applied by a DIY-er taking the usual precautions, and is expected to cost around £36 per 750ml can. It is available in white, blue, black and grey.
Other products from Hempel include its Hard Racing antifoul, and its high-performance Mille NCT self-polishing product. Tiger Xtra is Hempel’s standard eroding antifoul and Classic is its basic ablative product.
hempel.com
Jotun Non-stop Supreme
Not new as such, but newly approved for sale in the UK, Jotun’s Non-stop Supreme is an advanced selfpolishing antifoul. It leaches biocide at a constant rate, unlike cheaper resin-based antifouls, which wear according to boat speed. However, Jotun is targeting the superyacht market, and although many of its products can be applied by DIYers, they are marketed and packed in a way that will appeal more to professional paint applicators. For example, they have increased pack size from 750ml to a full litre. Non-stop Supreme should not be applied by amateurs.
Jotun also produces its Racing product, which can be burnished for speed around the cans.
jotun.com
International
Part of the giant AkzoNobel group, International offers a full range of antifoul paints, plus varnishes and topcoats. International's Micron 350 is a hi-tec self-polishing antifoul that protects for two years, while Ultra 300 and VC Offshore are hard racing products.
International-yachtpaint.com
Premier
British manufacturer of good value resin-based paints and selferoding antifoul in a black red, dark blue and light blue. Comes in 2.5lt tins from £44.50 or £74.59 respectively. Also does a range of bilge, locker and deck paints.
premiermarinepaints.co.uk
Teamac
Another British paint brand, with a line of straightforward ablative antifouls and boat paints. Its Antifouling D product costs a very reasonable £44.14 per litre.
teamac.co.uk
Flag
This British-based manufacturer has a range of good value paints, including its eroding Cruising Anti Fouling, a semi-hard Performance product and its CopperQuick, which binds its copper in a PTFE resin for minimal hull friction. The latter can be effectively burnished for a racing finish.
Flagpaints.co.uk
Nautix
With a useful line-up of products for DIYers and pros, hull types from wood to aluminium and fast to slow boats, Nautix has a good presence in the UK. Its A3 is high quality eroding antifoul, while A4 is aimed at hard racing finishes. Its A4 T.Speed product is aimed at serious racers who want even lower water friction. It also produces an intriguing fluorescent antifouling for application to keels and rudders, where the colour could make it easier for SAR authorities to zero in following a capsize.
paints.nautix.com
Boero
The Italian coatings specialist is focused on the superyacht sector, but also has a decent line-up for ‘normal’ boats. These include its premium Magellan 630 selfpolishing copolymer antifouling, which lasts for 36 months or more. Its Mistral NF is copper heavy and only available in the UK market – it is suited to medium speed boats. Admiral 933 is its middle tier self-polishing antifoul,
Case study: Freya, Maxi 1100
Tony Rice, owner
I purchased Freya in 2018 and had the hull polished using the usual cutting paste, but it deteriorated over the year with white oxidised areas reappearing. Over the next two years I repeated the process prior to launching for the season, but the interval before the white patches reappeared decreased each year. Last winter we concluded there was no point in spending more money having the hull cut each year with cutting polish, and therefore examined our options, which were: Do nothing - Given the value of our boat and indeed our pride in her, we felt this was not an option with which we were comfortable. Dry sand - There is a boat maintainer who I met who carefully dry-sands coloured hulls, cutting back into the original coloured gel coat and then waxing it. I had a test panel done and was very pleased with result. I had seen a Maxi 1050 that he had polished this way a couple of years ago. Wrap the boat - We had seen a number of boats that had been wrapped and were impressed with the results. Our main concern was repairing damage, but I was reassured seeing some professional repairs. You had to look carefully to see them. Paint the hull – Many Maxis have had this done. Our decision to wrap Freya was mainly driven by cost. Wrapping was cheapest, less than £5,000, the dry sand was £5k+ and I was uncertain of how long it would last. Having her professionally painted was likely to be more than £13k, a sum we could not contemplate spending. After one season are we pleased with our choice? Most definitely. I am of course paranoid about scraping the hull coming into a berth or when others come alongside, but this is no different than if I had had her painted. We have invested in some more fenders with thick fender socks which we rinse off regularly. We wash the hull down with fresh water after every trip to remove the salt but always did this as I have a teak deck to keep pristine too. I had a canvas cover made to go over the blue areas of the counter stern (looks like a chin strap) to stop the dinghy damaging the wrap when we used it from the stern gate. I have also put a stainless steel plate over the bow to protect against damage from the anchor chain. The wrap looks as good today as when it was fitted.
while Scirocco and Altura round out its hard racing offer.
boeroyachtcoatings.com
Coppercoat
Now a tried and tested hull treatment, Coppercoat is an epoxybased system that can perform for 10 years or more with minimal maintenance (the odd sand-down). It is more expensive at the outset, and needs careful application, but just think of all the hassle saved!
coppercoat.com
Sea-speed V10 X Clear
Seacoat’s Sea-speed is a hard epoxy paint containing siloxanes, which can switch valency in moving water, making it very hard for fouling to latch on. It is widely used in the cruise and military sectors, but works for slower sailing boats too.
As with all fouling release coatings, slime may build up if the boat is left for long periods at her berth, but it comes off with a gentle scrub or a bit of pace through the water. Better still it lasts for 10 years and doesn’t contain copper, making it suitable for aluminium hulls.
The price is £435 per US gallon, which will cover about 22sqm of hull.
apexmarinesolutions.com
Awlgrip HD
AkzoNobel, the chemical giant behind the Awlgrip brand, has formulated a new longer-lasting gloss version of its popular topcoat. Called Awlgrip HDT, for High Definition Technology, it guarantees that the finish will retain at least 70 per cent of its gloss for 24 months. Accelerated weathering carried out in Florida suggested it should do even better, making for less frequent maintenance and recoating.
HDT is a polyurethane paint that is applied as a single-stage topcoat to produce a mirror-like finish when it dries. It has been specially formulated to produce a hard finish, but not so hard that it cannot be repaired in event of a scratch or hull damage. It is, however, designed only for spray application by a professional, as the last coat of a multi-layer system.
“Recognising the demand for above the waterline and means less cleaning, less chemicals, etc.”
It is important to thoroughly prepare the surface prior to application, removing any oxidation or scratches. A ballpark cost here is some €50/sqm, followed by €65/sqm for the CeramicPro itself. So reckon on £1000-£1500 for a 35-footer.
ceramicpro.co.uk
a topcoat that filled the gap between hard, durable finishes and slightly softer, repairable finishes, we saw the opportunity to create something revolutionary,” says Akzo. “We leveraged the knowledge gained from over 45 years of creating world-class coatings to design Awlgrip HDT from the ground up.”
Pricing is not yet available for the UK, but in the US, a one gallon tin (3.79lt) goes for some $190 – equivalent to £37/lt.
awlgrip.com
ABOVE
The superyacht Magic Carpet III getting the Ceramic Pro treatment
BELOW
A Grapefruit Graphics hull wrap is put in place
CeramicPro
Ceramic coatings protect the topsides by carefully ‘filling-in’ the micro and macroscopic pores and voids left open in bare gelcoat and glass-fibre hulls. Those same pores, voids and undulations are also present even on the very best top-coat paint finishes.
The hard and resilient nature and deep gloss shine of ceramic coatings are perfect for protecting painted topsides and deck surfaces from oxidation and fading, acid rain, bird droppings, fender-rub and general wear and tear. CeramicPro is not ideal for use below the waterline on sailing boats, according to UK distributor Arron Perry.
“It would be beneficial if the boat was still original gel coat and the ceramic coating applied if kept on a trailer or dry stack,” he says. “But it’s perfect for every surface
Vinyl wrapping
It’s hardly new, but it is gaining momentum in the UK. Vinyl wrapping is becoming a more common way of protecting and revitalising the topsides. Because it employs a printed vinyl film, wrapping is usually employed on boats with coloured topsides, although it could in theory be used on a white hull too. It is also often used to add a logo or design to the hull.
“Wrapping your boat is essentially applying a ‘second skin’ to change the colour or design,” says Harry Derbyshire of Grapefruit Graphics. “It not only works for older boats but can be used on brand new hulls to bring your own personalisation and to protect the gelcoat for future sales.”
Hull wraps can be cost-effective and an alternative solution to painting, due to the speed at which a wrap can be applied. A 30-40ft boat can be transformed in two days, with a significant benefit being the ability to do the work outside in the yard
“The finishing on wrapping is just as good as paint and will last between 6-10 years depending on where your boat is located,” says Derbyshire. “There is no need to polish your boat each year as all the films need is a quick wash with a little fresh water to keep them looking pristine.”
Although the vinyl is scratch resistant, it wouldn’t stand up to a collision with a pontoon. But small tears are easy to repair yourself using patches supplied by the applicator from offcuts. They are simple to apply and virtually undetectable.
