New antifoul discovery - 100% effective AND green

...courtesy of Sail World

A spectacular new study has shown there to be a natural fungus that, when added to hull paint, may completely solve the barnacle problem on the hulls of boats in the future.

The microscopic fungus called 'streptomyces avermitilis' lives in the ocean and is extremely poisonous to acorn barnacles and other crustaceans. When an extract from this fungus is added to paint for the hulls of vessels, the surface remains entirely free from barnacles. This has been recently demonstrated in a study from Göteborg University in Sweden.

'The fungus affects the nervous system of barnacles, and you only need a tiny amount of fungal extract to have an effect,' Hans Elwing, Professor at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Göteborg University, announced yesterday.

Growths on the hulls of all vessels increase friction, which slows the vessel, requiring more wind power or a higher fuel consumption - which in turn causes more emissions.

At Göteborg University there have been several research projects conducted attempting to create environmentally friendly paints which prevent organisms from attaching to surfaces.

The discovery of how this microscopic fungus affects barnacles was made by a research team specializing in surface biophysics. As little as a 0.1 percent mixture of pure fungal extract in paint is sufficient to prevent any growth of acorn barnacles. Traditionally effective anti-foul paints have been problematic for the environment since the poison in the paint dissolves and spreads into the water.


Professor Hans Elwing - .. .
'A sensational finding is that the fungal extract is toxic only as long as the paint is on a painted surface. When the paint is dissolved in sea water, the activation of the poison appears not to take place, making the paint apparently harmless to organisms in the open sea,' says Hans Elwing.

The scientists are basing their work on a theory that the fungal extract makes the paint imitate the fungus's natural and environmentally friendly defense against being eaten. Hans Elwing also believes that many other organisms in the sea have developed this type of environmentally friendly protection.

'The discovery that this fungal extract counteracts the growth of barnacles will probably create quite a stir around the world. No naturally occurring substance has previously been shown to have such a dramatic effect on barnacles in combination with being so easily degradable in the environment and probably completely safe for humans,' says Hans Elwing.

Hans Elwing's research team has joined up with SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden in Borås and Stockholm to develop their ideas. It is hoped that innovations in nanotechnology will facilitate the creation of new anti-fouling paints for boats.

Lol

LOL .
I just had to post this

Coconuts are non-fouling?

...from another forum

Water Based Antifoul Paints

Since the fall of '07, this writer and her husband's boat has been part of a bottom paint study to test the efficacy of the biocide Econea, an eco-friendly product produced by Janssen Pharmaceutica and sold to different paint companies. Three paints were applied to the bottom of our Crealock 37 — one control paint containing 67% copper, one solvent-based test paint and one water-based test paint. After a year, the water-based paint, in our opinion as boat owners, was not only the best among the three, but the best paint we'd ever used. There was zero hard growth on all three — which made them equally 'successful' in the eye of study coordinator Jack Hickey, as that is the study's primary focus — but the water-based paint had very little slime or grass. The other two were mini-ecosystems unto their own

...photos and more of the article here:
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-12-10&dayid=515#Story4

Sani-Tred rubberized coating

Rubberised paint for steel decks is showing much promise as an antifouling substance:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/new-antifoul-discovery-100-effective-green-27399-6.html

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/metal-boat-building/rubberised-paint-steel-decks-36414.html#post442163

Unhappy Steel Boat Application

Ran across this unhappy application

NOTE: I have written the Sani-Tred company an email and asked for an explaintion.

I got an answer, and a pretty complete one at that. Here is what I ask of them:

Sani-Tred Technician's Reply
I was able to pull up the customer’s info. The web page/blog you referred me to had the name “Kerry & Claudia South Australia” on it so I searched for those names and cross referenced to that location (Australia).

We show one order for Kerry and that is all.

I was able to find the customer’s email address in our records so I searched our previous correspondence. I found several emails from this customer regarding their application and the source of their problem. They stated that they sand blasted the steel, deliberately let it sit for days to form a powdery rust film then began applying the PermaFlex over top of the powdery rust. THAT is precisely why they had delamination issues over the majority of the hull. Sani-Tred products come with application instructions and the customer deliberately chose to NOT follow them. The customer even specifically asked us about the sand blasting and we sent them a step-by-step tutorial. What they did was follow some other written specification from another company that recommends applying over top of a powdery rust film. Our customer did NOT contact us to ask if this is recommended or what would happen if they prepared their substrate in the manor that they chose (which contradicts with the tutorial and application instructions we supplied.

When we explained to the customer what they did wrong and why they are experiencing this delamination they became very upset. They became bitter, slanderous and their blog is in no way accurate.

Based on what their own blog states, and I quote, “We contacted the manufacturers and, according to their instructions and specifications, cleaned the hull and recoated”. They used the words “manufacturers” meaning plural. They were still in contact with the other company that supplied them with the information regarding the method of preparation that caused their problem to begin with (not us)! We can only assume that this other company supplied them with info regarding HOW to reapply. We have absolutely NO correspondence with our customer regarding any ‘reapplication’. Keep in mind that they only placed ONE order and that order was NOT for twice the amount that they originally needed. In their blog they claim that their ‘reapplication’ delaminated as well. We have never received a single complaint, photo, email, letter or any contact regarding a reapplication.

Just for fun I’ll assume that a ‘reapplication’ was performed. Where did they purchase the materials? What materials did they use? How was the reapplication performed? How did they prepare the substrate for the reapplication? I have a theory about that … and keep in mind that this is just a theory based on what I see in their photos. I bet that they sprayed the PermaFlex on the hull for their original application. Notice how the boat was masked in the photos in the blog. They used sheet plastic and it appears to have been sprayed. I do not see any brush or roller marks, I just see overspray







If they sprayed the PermaFlex, it is highly likely that they sprayed ‘airless’. We spray ‘air assist’ and have abandoned spraying airless many years ago. When spraying PermaFlex using most common airless units it is typically necessary to thin the PermaFlex to a very low viscosity or you cannot obtain a spray pattern. When any material is of very low viscosity that material WILL lack vertical cling. In other words the material will be very runny and lose its ability to be applied at the proper rate to a vertical or inverted surface in a single application. Additional coats MUST be applied in order to compensate for the lack of vertical cling. If this is in fact the case then this is another mistake they made during the application and by spraying PermaFlex in this manor it would stand to reason that they would have lots of PermaFlex leftover (by being applied way too thin and not at the proper rate/thickness) in order to have enough material on hand for a reapplication. If they reapplied by spraying it in the same manner as the first time then this could very well explain the problem they had with their alleged ‘reapplication’.

If a customer does not call and ask questions before the application and assumes something other than what the application instructions state to do will work, we cannot assume responsibility for what he does and how the application turns out.

Polyurea Coatings

This video might help explain the spraying technics mentioned above. You can certainly see the 'thickness quality' of the material being sprayed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbnwwC8AH0M

...or this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njsZW81_Aec

Medetomidine anti-foulant

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/news/news/2045/
medetomidine causes barnacles to get hyperactive and they dont attach to the surface.


http://www.marinepaint.se/program/marinepaint/marinepaint/results.4.aeea46911a312742798000103062.html
so far they say it is working.


In marine paint
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medetomidine
Medetomidine can be used as an antifouling substance in marine paint. It is mainly effective against barnacles, but has also shown effect on other hard fouling like tubeworms. When the barnacle cyprid larva encounters a surface containing medetomidine the molecule enters the octopamine receptor in the larva. This makes the larva legs start kicking and it cannot settle to the painted surface. When the larva swims away from the surface, the effect disappears (reversible effect).The larva regain its function and can settle somewhere else.

so far looking positive
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0816095822.htm
The substance medetomidine has proved effective in preventing fouling of ship bottoms. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now identified the gene that causes the barnacle to react to the substance, opening up the possibility of an antifouling paint that is gentle both on barnacles and on the environment.

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...w=1333&bih=884

I understand where you are coming from....but I believe there has been a significant improvement in the bonding of these polyurethanes in the past couple of years.

You might also reference the poor adhesion that the gentleman experienced with the sani-tred product likely due to improper spraying application. Pwerhaps those Navy boats were done similar?

UPDATE:
Question:
Sdowney, can you give us an update on how the permaflex is preforming as an antifouling paint?

Reply:
Sure, It is not an effective antifoul coating If you dont brush them off when small.
I have lots of barnacles. The coating is undamaged, barnacles dont affect it.
I think it has been a couple of years now.
This was a test and the boat mostly sits.
At first the barnacles were small easily removed simply with my hand, meaning no sticking. Easily brush everything off using my hands.

I just left everything alone to see what hapens and now some barnacles are about an inch and stuck on but can be scraped off with some effort. I was thinking of getting in when the water warms up and use a WOOD scraper made from oak to clean the hull and see what happens. what ever you use to clean with cant be sharp metal or you likely would cut the permaflex rubber.
Permaflex is acid proof so If I haul the boat, I will power wash, scrape, then spray HCL muriatic acid to dissolve anything left.


A sheet piece of permaflex I had in the water as a test grew some barnacles.
When they got to about a half inch I pulled the sheet and when I rolled it they popped off completely intact. Sort of peeled them off. So the barnacle's bottom was there and it is slightly concave. I think these things are sticking to the surface like a suction cup, but they dont harm the coating.

So If you were prepared to get in the water and scrub the boat once a month this would work ok. The bottom is basically dirty. This coating would require someone to periodically expend some effort to keep the surface clean.

some pictures showing intact peeled off barnacles etc
New antifoul discovery - 100% effective AND green - Page 8 - Boat Design Forums

ClearGlide lube

Originally Posted by MikeJohns
I've seen builders polyurethane sealant thinned with petrol and painted on a wooden boat and it has lasted very well. But not as an antifoulant.

All the "slick surface" antifoulings need a water velocity of over 15knots to self clean. Otherwise they foul.

I did see a very clean rudder and prop a month ago when inspecting a 70' commercial fishing boat. The owner had been given a bucket of a waterproof product called "ClearGlide lube" that's used in the oil industry here for protecting pipe threads and also apparently for coating cables in ducts so they can be pulled out in a few years.
He'd applied it around 6 months before to the prop and then to the rudder for a trial, both were spotless ! If you are interested in tough low friction waterproof coatings it might be worth looking at.

Hydron

Originally posted by Silver Raven

I used a product called "Hydron' as a final coat after antifouling - on about 30 or more sailing (race) boats in Sydney. Was just the 'ducks-guts' - slipperier than - smoother than, especially when wet - just so smooth to touch - extended the 'life' of antifouling by at least 60% & even at racing quality finish. I've just 'google'd' it & they have lots of varities - even 1 @ 6% solids. I'd wager that is what the 'Hydron' was or very close to it. I sprayed it on - ever so thin but it sure did do the trick. Yachts with it on - improved at least 2 to 3 positions. It sure was a race winner & made me lots of money as well.

...and....
Steal mom's 'teflon' ironing spray - 4 coats - let dry - 2 years - no barnies.
Use teflon - silicon, etc, lots of new (only been out for the last 40 years) stuff on the market & cheep as chips (or horse, pig, roo, wallaby - see cooking section) easy-peasy - user friendly. Electric systems would cost more in 1 year than I've spent in the last 25 years.

LiquiGlide

posted by Brian

I just heard a bit on the radio about this super slippery product called LiquiGlide.
LiquiGlide

Wonder if we can find some uses for this in our marine world?

Just noticed this:
Question:
Can the coating be put on anything else?

Reply:
We’ve been able to put it on just about everything we’ve tried so far: glass, plastic, metal, ceramic…


Created at MIT with their help

A research group at MIT has developed LiquiGlide, a slippery, non-toxic coating that makes sure every last drop of any condiment flows right ...

LiquiGlide coating means you'll never waste a drop of ketchup again