ePaint
With spring commissioning delayed in the west by poor weather this year, you may still have time to consider a new bottom paint that has been proving itself in field trials for several seasons now.
ePaint (no, it’s not another product from Apple Computers) is new technology. The barnacle-resisting chemistry is a combination of effective antifouling ablative resins that are held in place by a special paint substrate. It differs from all other bottom paints because it contains no biocides, nor any heavy metals such as copper or tin. This technology is called Sunwave because the antifouling chemistry is released with naturally occurring daylight. And its release is roughly proportional to the amount of daylight nearby
Tests by accredited agencies show that this product does indeed work and work well in most applications. It won’t be effective in a completely darkened boathouse, but there aren’t many of those around. Everywhere else it has tested well.
In southern climes such as Florida, it will probably need to be re-applied annually. In more northerly areas there are many reports of two-year life-span, and even longer. And it is equally effective no matter what the orientation of a moored boat is to the sun’s path. The amount of sunlight even in a cloudy day in winter has been shown to be enough to keep the self-cleaning chemistry at work. Its advantage is a cleaner shore and ocean bottom under marinas, with no biocides or copper fouling the environment.
It is a two-part epoxy mix (in a 4:1 ratio) that does require a clean, well prepared hull, preferably one with no residual bottom paint, and one cleaned of wax or other contaminants. Because there are no metallic components it is also safe for aluminum or steel hulls with normal surface preparation. Containing no VOCs, it also cleans up with water and can be a DIY project for most boaters.
It is distributed by Payne's Marine Group in Western Canada and will be available for sale to the public as soon as the new labeling for consumer use has changed but is currently available for commercial use.
