But first things first. After Manon van Meer from the "Varen doe je samen" association announced that in future Check the use of authorised antifouling in the water YACHT enquired with the Unie van Waterschappen, the water management organisation responsible for inspections. The result: there are apparently no plans for checks in the water for the time being. However, they would like to increase the monitoring pressure in the trade and in winter storage facilities. So far, so good.
At the same time, Hiswa, the industry association for the water sector in the Netherlands, commissioned a study to test the effectiveness of alternative biocide-free paints. The results in English are now available online. Various systems were tested in different areas - in Heeg in Friesland in fresh water and in Bruinisse in brackish, low-oxygen salt water. Both tests were carried out on polyvalks from sailing schools. As a reference, tests were carried out on PVC panels in the tidal harbour of Den Helder.
The results at a glance:
- Biocide-free colours and films are generally sufficient for fresh water
- The systems have a hard time on the brackish water of the Grevelingen Sea. Even the biocide-containing antifouling used as a reference did not have a satisfactory effect. Only Seajet ex3, which is copper-free but contains other biocides, showed usable results
- Unfortunately, the test winner from Den Helder, the MacGlideTM Pyramid silicone film, was not tested there
- Ultrasound systems showed almost no effect
- According to the study, the issue of cleaning the underwater ship requires further investigation, as this is probably the only sensible solution without poison in waters with difficult fouling conditions such as the Grevelinger Meer
- Milking fat performed surprisingly well on all waters
Conclusion: If you mainly use fresh water, you should seriously consider switching to biocide-free paint or film. There are also alternatives that work well on pure salt water. Only on waters with difficult fouling conditions are biocide-containing paints currently the only alternative for regular cleaning.
