|
Gear On Test - FLAG Performance Extra Antifouling Performance Extra is a semi-hard antifouling developed by Flag to pre-empt future legislation to restrict the use of biocides even further than at present. It contains a high proportion of copper, which is intended to make life unpleasant for barnacles, encouraging them not to hang around. The ‘semi-hard’ nature of the paint puts it somewhere between self-polishing eroding antifouling and the hard paints used on racing boats, which will be smoothed and faired. It’s intended for use against all types of fouling and is suitable for craft making speeds of up to 35kn, so well beyond Jumblie’s top speed. It’s even supposed to be suitable for use on drying moorings We found that the paint went on easily enough with a roller for the main areas and a brush for the more intricate places. Two coats are advised with extra on leading edges, trailing edges and along the waterline, for which contrasting colours can be bought in smaller 450ml tins. One thing we quickly discovered was that, because of the high copper content, the paint takes a great deal of stirring to get it fully mixed. It took about 10 minutes stirring by hand and left us wishing for a stirring hook and an electric drill. Once done, however, it was thick and quite ‘gluey’ enough to pull at any marginally loose old paint, even though the surface had been well rubbed back. Despite its gluey nature it did spread easily enough and certainly stayed where it was put. Once the second coat was on the hull looked good and was launched within a few days. She then had a lousy summer with less use than we would have wished, but still getting off to sea for ‘average’ cruises. By the time she was lifted out some six and a half months later her waterline, particularly on the starboard side, was nowhere to be seen with a very unsightly line of brown staining and slime well onto the topsides. (Such staining was, locally, a particular problem this season). Below that, the antifouling was covered with patches of muddy slime, particularly down the rudder blade and under the quarters, which could be wiped off with just a finger. I must emphasise, and the photos show, that this was patchy coverage not continuous and sprayed off in a trice with a pressure spray to show a clean layer of intact paint beneath Perhaps, being semi-hard paint, it would have been as well to scrub the bottom gently in the middle of the season. The bottom 6in of the keel had a smattering of barnacles and a few strands of weed, but not as much as I had feared. They too come off quite easily. Once more it was the propeller that was a mess of barnacles, but that had been treated with a propeller antifouling not the Flag Performance Extra. I was dubious about the semi-hard, high speed nature of this Flag paint, but, apart from the unsightly waterline, which really had nothing to do with the antifouling used, I thought it actually performed well. It seems that a mid-season scrub or spray off would have been a good thing, but would have spoiled the purpose of the test. I’d certainly look at using the paint again. Colin Jarman CONTACT Bainbridge International Tel: 01489 776000 WE LIKE Performance Coverage Adhesion WE DON’T LIKE Hard to mix Verdict: 4 Stars A pretty effective, low biocide antifouling that’s suitable for a wide variety of craft and locations.
Sailing Today Feb 2008 |
|