Gemini 105Mc Owner’s Manual
61Copyright © 2004 Performance Cruising Inc.
erly sanded prior to application of new coats of antifouling.
When hard paints are hauled and stored for the winter sea-
son, the paint film, as well as the biocide oxidizes and this
makes it more difficult to release more biocide out of the
film. For this reason, they must be sanded and recoated
with fresh antifoulinq before relaunching.
Teflon Antifoulings
Most people associate Teflon with nonstick household prod-
ucts or with the space program, but the properties that
made it perfect for those applications also make it an ideal
ingredient in antifouling paint. Teflon creates the lowest
coefficient of drag in any coating available. The lower the
friction, the less energy is required to move the boat
through the water. For powerboats this means greater
RPM's, increasing speed and fuel savings. For sailboats,
greater speeds are achieved with less wind.
Soft Antifoulings
Soft or sloughing antifoulings provides dependable low cost
protection for cruising boats or boats with displacement or
non-planing hulls. These paints are easy to clean and remove
at haul out which prevents paint build-up. These types of
coatings must be launched within 48 hours of painting to
retain maximum effect effectiveness.
Is More Copper Better In Bottom Paints?
The level of copper is not the only determining factor of
how an antifouling paint will perform.
The resin-binder system, the material that holds the paint
together, is equally important. Not only does the resin-
binder system hold the paint together, it is the mechanism
that determines how fast the copper and other biocide will
be released. The resin-binder system must be carefully tai-
lored for the amount and type of copper and other biocides
used to obtain maximum efficiency The amount of copper or
other biocide may effect the life of an antifouling paint but
the sophistication of the resin-binder system to hold and
release copper or other biocide at the proper rate is far
more important to the effectiveness of the antifouling. A
copolymer or ablative antifouling will release biocide at
nearly constant rate throughout its life. For this reason,
highly efficient antifouling paints like Micron, are less de-
pendent on large amounts of copper and other Biocides and
deliver the best possible performance.
The presence of boosting biocides, such as Biolux, by keep-
ing the bottom clear of slime will make the copper more
effective.
Why Should I Bother Painting My Boat?
Once fouling has established a hold on a boat hull it will
rapidly spread or "colonize" the surface. Prevention is there-
fore better than the cure of having to remove the fouling by
scraping.
There are a number of key reasons to keep your hull free
from fouling:
Safety - Heavy fouling growth reduces responsiveness of the
craft. The added weight of the fouling can make the boat sit
lower in the water than intended. This can have obvious
implications in heavy weather conditions.
Protection - Prolonged growth of certain types of fouling can
damage the substrate of the hull. For example, the natural
glues used to attach organisms to the hull can damage wood
and fiberglass. Fouling can also clog water intakes and cause
damage to the engines.
Speed and efficiency - Fouling causes drag. As drag is in-
creased, fuel consumption increases and speed is reduced
even to the point where a planing hull may not be able to
get on plane. For racing boats, this can be the difference
between winning and losing a race.
What's This I Hear About Pettit's Irgarol & Interlux's Biolux
Anti Slime Additives?
Trinidad SR Slime-Resistant Antifouling Paint
How do you make the best better? By adding new techno-
logical developments to your number one antifouling paint.
Trinidad SR has the same basic hard-to-improve-on formula
as our regular Trinidad but with the addition of a booster
additive called Irgarol, that significantly reduces soft growth
and slime (SR stands for Slime Resistant). Irgarol was devel-
oped by the Ciba Additive Group has gone through years of
extensive testing under the auspices of the EPA. Trinidad SR
meets all VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) regulations.
Trinidad SR high copper load (contains 70.0% cuprous oxide),
will give excellent service even in most heavily infested
waters. Trinidad SR is easy to apply by brush, roller or spray
and has excellent adhesion to fiberglass, wood and steel
hulls.
Trinidad SR is available in four colors.
What is Biolux?
Biolux is a unique antifouling technology developed by Inter-
lux incorporating organic boosting biocides into a special
biocide release system. This blocks slime growth for a foul-
ing free boat bottom.
How does it work?
Just like ordinary plants, Slime and Algae feed on sunlight.
Formulations that use Biolux technology prevent algae and
slime from being able to grow by acting like sunscreen to
block this process.
Soon after the boat is launched it comes in contact with
algae in the water. Once these materials attach and feed,
they begin to secrete a gel like substance that attracts more
algae until it begins to look like a carpet on the bottom of
your boat. This increases drag, increases fuel consumption
and makes the boat more difficult to handle, which can be a
problem in heavy weather. If left on the surface, it restricts
the copper being released to the surface to prevent shell
fouling.
Bottom Paint FAQ
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