Sale of Self-Polishing Antifouling for Boat
Looking for self-polishing antifouling paint? You have just entered the section of the topRik marketplace you need. In the presented catalog you will find prices for self-polishing paints from the best manufacturers of ship care products. All the most popular colors, various volumes and service life up to 36 months. Read the instructions carefully - they indicate the speed of the motor or sailing vessel for which self-polishing antifouling agent is designed.
Do you have any questions or you find it difficult to choose? Professional yachtsmen, topRik experts, will answer any question regarding self-polishing antifouling paints for free and right now. In addition to yachting, our experts monitor the condition of our fleet, which is located in several marinas in the Mediterranean, so they are very familiar with the peculiarities of antifouling for various vessels. Contact us through online website form, phone call, email ([email protected]).
What are Self-polishing Antifouling Agents
The hull of the vessel is exposed to the inhabitants of the aquatic environment. There are so many species of plants and animals that attack the bottom of the boat that to list them you will need a directory of marine and freshwater flora and fauna.
The boat's hull, not weighed down by shells and algae, ensures maximum hydrodynamic performance of the boat. A dirty bottom reduces speed and maneuverability and increases fuel consumption. If your boat remains in the water for most of the year, a good coat of antifouling paint will ensure maximum performance. Many boaters and boat owners consider finishing and painting the bottom of a boat to be a messy, tedious and time-consuming task. But it is one of the key preventative maintenance tasks that keeps the ship in shape.
One way to protect the housing from contamination is anti-fouling paint. It serves not so much for beauty as to protect the hull from the growth of algae, shells and other aquatic organisms that slowly but surely destroy the hull of your vessel.
Such paints contain a fairly strong biocide - a chemical substance that inhibits the development of microorganisms. Previously in antifouling formulations agents this role was performed by tin, but then it was replaced by copper, since it does not exhibit active leaching properties like the previously mentioned biocide.
If your boat remains in the water all year or most of the year, using antifouling paints should become an indisputable rule for you. For boats left in the water for short periods of time (eg a two week summer holiday) or stored in a dry area (trailer, dry storage) a good coat of wax and regular cleaning will suffice.
Operating Principle and Benefits of Self-polishing Antifouling Paints
When the vessel moves, microscopic particles of self-polishing or ablative paints are gradually erased and carried away by the oncoming flow of water, releasing fresh biocide, which resists the “capture” of the bottom by crustaceans, algae and other representatives of aquatic flora and fauna.
One of the advantages of this coating is that since it wears off constantly and evenly, old paint does not remain on the surface of the bottom. Therefore, when the time comes to update it, you will not need to first remove the old layer of coating.
The downside to this self-cleaning feature is that ablatives are not a good choice for fast, planing boats. High speeds speed up the process of self-polishing and cause paint to come off quickly.
Preparation and Applying Self-polishing Antifouling Paints
Preparing the underwater hull and applying a fresh coat of self-polishing paints are the most important thing to do when preparing a yacht for winter storage.
If you did not carry out cleaning work in the fall, in the spring you will have to work twice as hard as usual. Self-polishing antifouling does not require sanding before applying a new coat. However, if you don’t wash off the old algae in the fall, they will remain self-polishing paints with a dried layer, and then you will have to sand it in order to subsequently avoid peeling off a new layer.
It is advisable to do sanding not with sandpaper, but with abrasive sponges, choosing the finest grains. Otherwise, only coarse bubbles will be removed, while small ones will remain. The sponge can be slightly wetted, then there will be no dust formation.
Important rule of self-polishing antifouling: if the old layer is still good, there is no need to apply a new one. This not only saves time and money, but is also more environmentally friendly.
If this is your first time painting the bottom of a boat with an antifouling agent, just follow the instructions. If your boat is currently painted, it should be prepared accordingly. Preparing a boat for antifouling depends on what type of paint has already been used in the previous treatment. It is worth remembering that not all types of paint are compatible, so if you know the brand/type of paint already applied, continue to use it or find the most suitable compatible coating.
To obtain the best results, it is recommended to apply the paint with a short-haired roller, and in hard-to-reach places use a high-quality brush with long, soft hair. The movements should be performed in a criss-cross manner and always complete the last move in the same direction. Attention! The number of layers that need to be applied is indicated in the description of each of self-polishing antifouling paint product.