Any antifouling tips or tricks?

[just add water]

I have an 18ft boat sitting on a trailer that needs antifouling.
The problem I am facing is the rollers on the trailer are in the way. The only solution I can come up with is to paint around the rollers and when dry push the boat back a foot or so and paint the rest.
Anybody got any better ideas?

Thank you

Andrew.

[JOHN1]

your spot on, just make sure it has dryed before pushing it to finish the missed spots

[twinkle]

i jack up both ends off the trailer about a foot. put a piece of timber under each side of the boat to hold her steady and this gives me plenty of room to clean and paint the hull

[just add water]

Thanks for the replies lads.
Got out today and got the first coat on.
Just gotta push the boat up and down the trailer to get the job done.

[Stan]

The small amount that you miss is unimportant. Most growth occurs where the light penetrates the water and so most growth occurs at the edge of the boat. I paint right up to the edge of the rollers. The bit that is not anti-fouled has very little growth.

[just add water]

Thanks Stan. That makes sense, also makes the job that little bit easier.

[twinkle]

my god thats so lazy. useing two pieces of timber on each side jack up the boat. and prop up each side you only need to lift it a foot to get a roller in on the hull. weed will grow and will slow you down in the water

[just add water]

Well after getting under the boat and painting around the rollers I decided that i'd have to paint the missed patches. It's the first antifoulling so I figured I'd do it right.

So far I've only got the primer done. Was trying to get it all done by Wednesday. It's not looking too good at the moment.

[just add water]

Just as a matter of curiosity can anyone tell me roughly what it would cost to get a professional antifoulling job done on an 18ft boat. It's approximately 10sq metres.

[twinkle]

you dont want to know but an arm and a leg springs to mind. you only need to lift the boat about a foot off the trailer
if the trailer is to low to get under ,jack it up and put blocks under it.i gave mine which is 22 ft a coat in less than an hour
once you can get at the hull easily

[just add water]

Cheers Twinkle.
I will be finishing the job myself. I'm just curious as to how much it would cost to get it done.
Maybe I'm trying to convince myself that I'm saving money.

[Stan]

Anti-fouling paint has come down in price. You should buy a large tin as it is more economical in the long run. Paint that remains can be used the following year. The 750ml tin should give it 1 coat and costs about €43. The big tin which is probably 2.5lt costs about €110 ( I think) and so you would get 4 coats out of it. If not already primed you will also have to buy a tin of primer. I find the navy anti-fouling the best by far and use the International brand.

There are cheap brands on the market but I am not sure how good they are. Somebody on the site may know of cheaper options.

You will anti-foul the boat in less than an hour

[twinkle]

you are saving money andrew i got a price last year to clean, prime, and anti foul the hull 800 euros plus vat if i wanted to use copper coat 2800 that was last november

[just add water]

Thanks for the info lads.
I went for the EU45 antifouling. I got 2.5lts of antifouling and 2.5lts of primer delivered to the door with a total cost of €104.
All reports I have found about this brand seem to be good. The proof will be next October when I haul her out.
As for €800 for the job to be done for me, I think I saved myself €700 to spend on tackle and extra trips out. :-}

[JonnyB]

I am paying €450, including all materials and VAT, for antifouling on my Warrior 175.

As this is the first time it's being antifouled I figured I'd get a professional job done. I reckon it's pretty good value for money as it includes an initial etch (to provide a key), then priming and antifouling.

I'll probably do it myself next year on the trailer, since all I'll need to do is give it a bit of a sanding and apply a coat or two of antifoul, but it just seemed like too much hassle this year!