Non-biocide antifouling
A joint PBO / Motor Boat & Yachting independent on-water test has begun. Adam Fiander reports
PBO begins a comprehensive test of eco-friendly antifoulings
As environmental regulations tighten for marine leisure antifouling, new product innovation has continued mainly with sustainability in mind. So I proposed an on-water test of eight products, three of which are noncopper coatings, and a simultaneous static panel test to run alongside.
I have worked in the marine industry for a long time, including a four-year spell as advertising manager of PBO and Yachting Monthly. I am still in PR and I work with numerous marine companies as well as the British Coatings Federation, but I proposed this test as an independent freelance journalist in cooperation with PBO and Motor Boat & Yachting magazine.
So what are the eight products, where are they being tested and when will the results be available?
Location
In the 2015-16 PBO Great Antifouling Test David Pugh and Ben Meakins installed static test boards in 13 locations around the country testing 20 different copperbased paints and discovered that the Solent is one of the country’s highest fouling areas.
So we set out to find a boat big enough to be coated in all eight products, that is used regularly, but isn’t a planing hull. We contacted Raymarine to ask after their 2008 Hardy Commodore 42 called Raymariner, which is based in the Solent and is used three or four times a week as a test bed and display facility for that company’s electronics.
Boat manager Neil Millerchip responded positively to our approach in February, saying Raymariner had only just been lifted and recoated, “but we fully expect to have to lift & scrub every 4-6 months as the location we are in seems to be prone to lots of marine growth.”