HEMPEL TIGER XTRA 7100
£166P/A [1-2YR LIFESPAN]
TYPE: Eroding annual biocide
PREPARATION: Two coats Hempel Underwater Primer
INITIAL COST: £297 inc primer
ANNUALISED COST: £166 over six years
CONTACT: www.hempelyacht.com
While it might not be the most technically sophisticated formulation out there, for many boat owners Tiger Xtra has become a go-to product – a reliable staple and a firm favourite on the winter maintenance list.
With one of the highest per sqm coverage rates of anything tested here, applying Tiger Xtra will soon have you making decent progress across the hull in a relatively short space of time. The prospect of coating even larger than average hulls needn’t be as daunting or as expensive as you might have first imagined.
But does it work? The answer is yes. Doubtless, the regular, weekly use that Raymariner has been subject to these past seven months has helped get the best from all of our contenders (selfpolishing mechanisms need movement of water across the hull) but on this evidence Tiger Xtra has performed as well as many of its more expensive rivals. There was no weed or barnacle growth and the slime was a little easier to release than on some of the others.
The only unknown quantity is whether this performance will continue over a longer length of time, especially if you’re cruising in warmer waters with higher fouling.
We should be able to check this later this year on our test panel but on this showing it represents such good value for money we have given it an extra star over its annual rivals.
MBY RATING ★★★★★