Antifouling without biocide
Practical Boat Owner|July 2023
Opting for an eco-friendly approach, Ali Wood tries silicone antifoul on the PBO Project Boat-and is impressed with the results
Antifouling without biocide

Does silicone antifouling work? It's not flying off the shelves yet, according to suppliers, but the results from our Project Boat are promising. In fact, in the words of the boatyard that lifted Maximus out, "Brilliant. It's fantastic. Everyone should use that!" It's not often we're so effusive about a new product in PBO, so it's worth recapping how we came to choose silicone antifouling, how we applied it over a sunny weekend and why a Poole boatyard, located in an internationally important nature reserve, was so impressed.

The story began in the summer of 2021, when we acquired Maximus, our 44-yearold Maxi 84 cruiser. She'd been in a Chichester boatyard for two years and needed some serious TLC. I was keen to test new products, as we restored her to her former glory, and the hull was the obvious place to start.

Marine growth impedes your boat's performance, so choosing the right antifouling for your hull is essential.

Although there are many tried and tested products out there (see our test in PBO May 2022), I opted for the most environmentally friendly type.

Eco credentials matter, but our antifouling still needed to perform well; after three gruelling days of hand-scraping the hull to gelcoat, I didn't want to apply a product that was either ineffective or short-lasting!

Why silicone?

Copper is still the most widely used biocide in antifouling paints. This is released into the water as the coating wears away. Because of this, antifouling is regulated by the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) and manufacturers are subject to ever-tightening controls.

We looked at a few different antifouling products including Coppercoat, which is a durable epoxy resin rather than an ablative paint and has a leach rate at one tenth of that allowed in places with the toughest marine biocide restrictions such as Sweden and California.

Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin July 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin July 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

PRACTICAL BOAT OWNER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Practical Boat Owner

Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar

Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.

time-read
1 min  |
Summer 2024
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
Practical Boat Owner

No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash

A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.

time-read
2 dak  |
Summer 2024
Multihull sail work
Practical Boat Owner

Multihull sail work

Brush up on multihull sailing skills before heading off on charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to spinnaker handling, tacking and gybing

time-read
4 dak  |
Summer 2024
Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them
Practical Boat Owner

Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them

Jake Kavanagh talks to Sea Start marine engineer Nick Eales about how to avoid the five major causes of an engine breakdown at sea

time-read
10+ dak  |
Summer 2024
Sail the Atlantic with strangers
Practical Boat Owner

Sail the Atlantic with strangers

Would you sail across the Atlantic with someone you've just met? Ali Wood meets the cruising crews who've done just that

time-read
10 dak  |
Summer 2024
IZIBoat: simple sailing
Practical Boat Owner

IZIBoat: simple sailing

Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft

time-read
7 dak  |
Summer 2024
30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT
Practical Boat Owner

30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT

From tall ships to small dinghies, you needn't own a boat to sail. Ali Wood looks at the options, and how skippers can also find crew

time-read
10+ dak  |
Summer 2024
Boats for restoring under £20,000
Practical Boat Owner

Boats for restoring under £20,000

Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget

time-read
10+ dak  |
Summer 2024
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
Practical Boat Owner

Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500

For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices

time-read
5 dak  |
Summer 2024
Playing with coloured sails
Practical Boat Owner

Playing with coloured sails

Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers

time-read
3 dak  |
Summer 2024