What is antifouling? Why should I use antifouling? What happens without antifouling?

In order to prevent fouling, mussel and snail growth, treating your boat with antifouling in the spring cannot be avoided. This is true for all boats that are in the water for a longer period of time. The underwater coating prevents organisms, such as barnacles as well as zebra mussels, and plants, such as algae and mud, from settling on your hull. Most antifouling contains biocides, such as copper, in order to prevent these deposits from happening. However, there are other products that are more environmentally-friendly, such as SILIC ONE products of thebrand Hempel.

The three most important reasons why you should paint your boat with antifouling and what would happen without antifouling:

1. The boat can glide easier and faster through the water!

Deposits and fouling make your boat heavier and the frictional resistance increases. This directly affects maneuverability and the speed of your boat.

2. Easy steering maneuvers!

Fouling on the propeller, bow thruster or steering gears can have dangerous consequences. The response time of the boat with regard to steering maneuvers is longer than usual. In the worst-case scenario, this can lead to complete failure.

3. Lower fuel consumption!

Due to increased frictional resistance of the hull in the water, more fuel is needed. This results in unnecessary costs and more CO2 emissions.

Do I need antifouling for my trailer boat?

If you own a trailer boat and take it out of the water after each use, it is not necessarily required to use antifouling. However, you should still regularly clean your underwater hull and steam-jet clean your boat after each use. If your boat remains in the water for several days, we recommend to treat the underwater hull with antifouling.

The antifouling on my boat is still in a good condition. Do I have to re-apply?

If your antifouling is in good condition at the end of the season, we still recommend a new coat of antifouling at the beginning of the new season. However, the effectiveness of the antifouling depends less on the number of coats, and more on the thickness of the coat. For applying a new coat, follow these steps:

1. Clean the underwater area of your hull with fresh water, for best results and in order to remove loose antifouling particles, you should use a high-pressure cleaner.
2. Sand the old antifouling in slightly wet condition.
3. Rinse off the sanding dust with a suitable product (e.g.International Super Cleaner). Rinsing with water alone does not suffice in this case, since the fine abrasive particles will settle in the sanding grooves, which will affect the effectiveness of the antifouling.

4. Repair damage or small blemishes where the antifouling has come undone. A step-by-step guide can be found in thiVideo
5. If you are using the same antifouling you have previously used, you can simply start with applying antifouling. For renewing the protection, one coat is sufficient.

I' ve bought a new boat. Do I still need to apply antifouling?

Absolutely. New boats will generally need a coat of antifouling. On a new boat with a GRP hull that comes directly from the shipyard has a layer of wax to protect the hull from damage. This must be completely removed before applying the antifouling.

My boat has never been treated with antifouling. How do I apply antifouling?

In general, all materials need to be completely grease-, dust- and moisture-free prior to applying primer and then antifouling. For degreasing, Super Cleaner works perfectly. Dirt, oil, wax and grease residues are history. Before you apply antifouling, you need to prime your surface. International Gelshield 200, a fast drying epoxide primer, is especially suitable for GFRP boats.

For aluminum, lead, steel and wooden surfaces, International Interprotect or International Primocon is a reliable product. Please also consult the product data sheets regarding intervals between coats. Following cleaning and priming, you can start applying your antifouling. Watch the followingvideo for helpful tips regarding priming of your underwater hull.

Hard or soft antifouling - which antifouling do I need?

Hard antifouling as the name reveals, forms a hard surface and is especially suitable for fast motor boats, trailer boats and boats in dry marinas. In our online shop we have the following hard antifouling products:

Self-polishing antifouling, also called self-eroding antifouling has a polishing effect. Both antifouling and growth are slowly eroded as the boat passes through the water. This type of antifouling is perfect for sail boats:

Slow polishing / semi polishing antifouling prevents build-up of thick layers and is suitable for fast boats.

Thin-film antifouling works by means of an extremely smooth surface, due to which adhesion of organisms is much more difficult. The smooth surface is created by adding PTFE and thus also results in higher speeds and less fuel consumption. In addition, no thick layers of paint are built up.SEATEC GTI 30

Antifouling for Propellers and drives For propellers, there is special antifouling that usually comes in a spray can, making application a lot easier. This special spray antifouling protects your propeller or drive reliably from fouling. Some propeller antifoulings are not applied with a spray can, but with a spatula.Hempel Prop NCT, InternationalTrilux Prop-O-DrevorJotun Aqualine Optima

Use biocide-free antifouling and protect the environment. Avoid biocides in antifouling paints and ensure a toxic-free underwater hull coating for your boat and a sustainable solution for boating.

Factors to consider when choosing antifouling:

1 Material

Not all antifoulings are suitable for every hull material. Many antifoulings are designed for boats made of GRP, wood and steel. For stainless steel and aluminium boats, the choice of antifouling paints is somewhat limited. Information on the antifoulings can be found on the corresponding products, the manufacturer's pages or product pages.

2 Speed

How fast you sail your boat and how often or for how long is also an important factor in choosing the best antifouling. Information about what speed the antifoulings are particularly suitable for can be found in the product information.

3 Areas of use:

a. Where the boat is situated, ie. in which waters, is important when choosing antifouling for your boat. In some waters there are more sub-aquatic organisms, in others there are fewer. Fouling varies depending on temperature, sunlight, salinity (salt or fresh water), current and water quality, so different antifouling types are more or less suitable depending on these factors.

b. It's also important to note that not all antifoulings or the ingredients used in their composition are permitted in every area, body of water or country. Many antifoulings are banned in Holland and parts of Scandinavia, for instance.

Tip: Wherever you are, either the Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea or Lake Constance, you can always find out which antifoulings are particularly suitable and which should or must not be used when you are there. Certain regulations and guidelines exist and apply in some cases. Look into the local legislation.

4 Antifouling over other layers

Since subsequent layers of antifouling should match existing coats, you will be limited in your choice of antifouling unless existing layers are completely removed.

I've bought a new boat and I'm not sure which antifouling was previously used

If you're unsure which antifouling was previously used, maybe because you've bought a used boat, you can first of all apply a coat of barrier primer (e.g.International Primocon)and afterwards the antifouling. If you decide to use a different antifouling, please consult the compatibility chart below or contact us for more information.

* Unknown antifouling; ** Bad condition

● Wet sand existing antifouling,rinse with fresh water and allow to dry. The new antifouling can be applied afterwards.

● Remove existing antifouling completely, e.g.Interstrip AF.

● Apply a coat of sealing primer, e.g. Primocon®. Afterwards, apply your new antifouling.

I would like to use a different antifouling than last year. Is my new antifouling compatible with the old product?

Cruiser Bright White becomes Cruiser 200

• Polishing antifouling suitable for freshwater and saltwater
• Improved resistance to colour fading
• A selection of bright colours including true white
• Suitable for aluminium
• Low VOC content

Micron Extra EU becomes Micron 350

• Powerful SPC antifouling for multiple seasons
• Improved performance
• Improved paints
• Micron 350 has a lower VOC content

Cruiser Uno EU becomes Cruiser 250

• Provides protection for one year
• Suitable for sailboats and motorboats (up to 25 knots)
• Improved paints

Ultra EU becomes Ultra 300

• High-performance hard antifouling
• Improved paints
• Hard, long-lasting finish
• Suitable for polishing and wet cleaning
• Low VOC content

How much antifouling do I need? Formulas for calculating the correct amounts for your surface.

In order to determine how much antifouling is needed, you first of all have to calculate the entire surface of your underwater hull. This varies slightly, depending on whether you own a motor boat, a short keel or long keel boat, as you can see in this chart from the manufacturer International:

The practical yield (m² per liter) of the different antifouling products is specified in the respective product data sheets that can be found on our website. The required quantity in liters can be calculated with the formula: total surface / recommended coverage rate of the respective paint.

Key
LÜA = Length over everything ● LWL = Length water line ● B = width ● TG = draft ● F = freeboard ● 1 foot = 0.3 meters ● 1 meter = 3,281 feet ● 1 square foot = 0.098 square meters ● 1 square meter = 10,764 square feet ● 1 gallon = 4,545 liters ● 1 liter = 0.219 gallons

What type of protective gear do I need when working with antifouling?

As mentioned above, antifouling contains biocides and other substances that may be dangerous to humans. This is why we urge you to carefully read the labels of the products and protect yourself as necessary with clothing or other equipment when using antifouling.

Lease use protective gloves, safety goggles and a suitablemouth/nose protection with particle filter for sanding work, withprotection against solvent vapours when applying antifouling and primer and for any processing of paint and antifouling: In order to protect exposed skin and your clothing, we recommend wearing an overall.

What items and tools do I need when painting antifouling?

In order for antifouling application to be an easy and quick process, you need the correct. Ausrüstung und das nötige Werkzeug. This includes rollers and brushes for applying antifouling, masking tape for taping the areas to be treated, as well as suitable thinners or cleaners for cleaning your brushes and equipment.

If the old antifouling is no longer in good condition, you might need a paint scraper, a good grinder with matching accessories or a product for removing the old antifouling.

How do I apply antifouling? Should I use a brush or a roller?

Both application methods are suitable for most antifouling products. It is only for International VC Offshore EU and International VC 17m that the manufacturer recommends application with a roller only.

Using a roller when applying antifouling is usually the quickest method for large surfaces. The quickest, but not necessarily the most perfect result, is application with a lamb hair or short-fibred mohair roller, since these can soak up more paint. Using a foam roller takes slightly longer, but the result is a smoother surface and a higher quality.

Brushes are perfect for difficult and rough surfaces, as well as minor repairs and difficult to reach areas. When using a brush in these areas, more paint can be absorbed. An even surface is possible when you are painting back and forth as well as horizontal and vertical over an area that is not too large. The final brushstrokes should be light and applied vertically. It is important to clean the brush about every 30 minutes, since paint residues can dry on the brush, and these result in an uneven surface. We generally recommend use of high-quality brushes for applying antifouling in order to avoid fine brush hair sticking to the freshly painted hull.

Small tip from our SVB experts: "Hold your brush at a 45° angle to avoid visible brushstrokes"

FAQ