SealCoat environmental poison free antifouling

environmental poison free antifouling for boat

SealCoat AF is the core product of the SealCoat solution range.

It is a poison free antifouling coating.

It can be combined with SealCoat's Cpro range of corrosion protection solutions and provides a long lasting, strong, poison free antifouling and corrosion protective coating.

SealCoat AF exceeds all legislation governing antifouling coatings. No biocides or any poisonous materials are used.

Protect your marine assets, the marine environment and our futures with SealCoat AF.

During 1998 & 1999, the LimnoMar Research Institute carried out tests which were funded by the German Environmental Foundation and coordinated by the WWF in Germany.  A variety of non-toxic antifouling paints were used, including silicone-based non-stick, self-polishing, anticorrosive, hydroviscous and micro-fibre coatings.  Biocide-leaching paints served as controls.

Various vessels were selected (such as passenger vessels from various shipping lines and the research vessel Buise), taking into account their range, speed, days at sea, and the different waters they were lying and operating in.

All vessels were applied with test paints, some with stripes and others with their complete hulls coated. 

All vessels were inspected regularly every two months, and taken into account was the composition and development of fouling, main type of fouling organisms, dry weight of said fouling, adhesion of barnacles and actual condition of coatings.

Results were:  Adhesion of fouling on silicone-based non-stick coatings, including barnacles, was basically reduced, but these coatings appeared to be more effective on fast moving passenger vessels than the slower ones with a higher percentage of their time spent in harbors.  Although the silicone coatings in general proved to be highly resistant to impact, both performance and durability was closely related to the quality of the actual application.  Teflon based non-stick coatings gave a poor performance.  The self-polishing coatings, used mainly on fast moving vessels, proved fairly effective, but this type of coating has to be renewed every year.   The non-abrasive coating was not suitable for use in seawater cleaning of the hull during vessel movement proved ineffective.

A patrol vessel, coated with anticorrosive paint, was covered with a biofilm of minuscule forms of macro and microalgae, which were easily removed.  The micro-fiber coating proved to give the best results of all, offering protection against fouling of barnacles.  This coating had the same results as the biocide-leaching antifouling paints, but in an environmentally friendly way.

SealCoat environmental poison free antifouling