Fairing always on the bubble? There is not only antifouling!

Especially in recent years, there has been a proliferation of alternatives to traditional antifouling paints, which have been “accused” of being polluting and expensive (since, on average, they need to be applied once a year). Of course, in most cases, it must be said that these are not “universal” solutions and are often good as a complement (to increase durability) to traditional antifoulings, which have the strength to be effective on any kind of hull.

THE WRAPPING
One consists of wrapping the living work: a series of adhesive and antifouling films. For example, Uniflow Marine(www.uniflow-marine.com) has come up with Silikon Pro-glide, an antifouling product characterized by three layers: the silicone one, followed then by a polymer layer and a special marine adhesive. Finally, an easily detachable layer of paper protection. The advantages, in theory, are many: compared with paint, whose effects fade over time, self-adhesive film is more effective, causes less friction and does not pollute. Of course, this is not a job you will be able to do on your own; it takes a professional. Test results for now are not known.

COPPER POWDER AND RESIN
Then there is the possibility (after sanding the hull down to the shell), of giving several coats of resin mixed with some copper powder, biocide par excellence. This they propose, for example, Coppercoat(www.coppercoat.it) and M300(www.m300antifouling.fr): these are two two-component resins (epoxy for Coppercoat and polyester for M300) mixed with copper powder. In theory, the longevity of the treatment and the smoothness of the hull are guaranteed: the disadvantage is the extreme difficulty of sanding and returning to the original shell if the operation were to be repeated.

THE BARCALAVAGE
If you don’t want to use antifouling products, you can rely on cleaning on rollers car-wash style (Corydoras type, www.hullwasher.com): a system that is not very popular for now, and moreover may not work for boats with double rudders or keelboats.

THE TARP KILLS ORGANISMS
Or you can, when the boat is moored (if you have a lifting keel system), install a protective surface (the Parefouling, www.nauticinnovation.wordpress.com) that, by keeping the living work in the dark, limits the colonization of organisms.

ULTRASOUNDS
Finally, ultrasonic systems: the latest in terms of time is the Spanish Dumo ACM(www.fbyachting.it), which emits frequencies from a transducer directly submerged in the water, thus preventing the development of fouling and algae at the mooring. However, it needs a control unit (powered by 150/220 volts) to be placed on board in a locker or fixed on the pier.

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