Paints

For the last year, Practical Sailor has been conducting head-to-head antifouling field tests on four boats (two sail, two power). In August 2005, we painted one of our test power boats-a 21-foot Parker-with three coats each of two products: Interluxs Tarr & Wonson Copper Boat, a soft paint, or sloughing workboat paint, that is one of the cheapest on the market, and Interluxs Micron 66, an advanced (and expensive), ablative copolymer paint blended to release biocide at a controlled rate. So far, Tarr & Wonsons field testing and panel results indicate that a budget paint will hold out well for at least one season without hard growth, although you may have to scrub the bottom once or twice. At one-third the price of Micron 66, the Tarr & Wonson paint is not as effective, nor do we expect it to be.

This round of testing included familiar wood protection products like Interluxs Cetol Marine and Marine Light , West Marines WoodPro Plus, WoodPlus Marine, Amazons Teak Lustre, Aces Wood Royal stains, and Deks Olje stains. Products new to our tests were Teak Guard, TeaQua, and Interluxs Cetol Marine Natural Teak. Picking the best marine wood coating for your boat largely depends on your needs, your taste, and your patience. Synthetic coatings and stains are the perfect prescription for the average sailor who wants a product that looks good and protects well, without the fuss of more traditional coatings and without the knee-bruising cleaning teak oils require. They wont have the classic look of a meticulously applied hard varnish-and in our opinion, the jurys still out on whether theyre as durable as two-part varnishes-but for ease of application, no other type of wood coating can compare.

This update to our continuous bottom paint test takes a look at four sets of paint panels from two locations (Long Island Sound and a south Florida saltwater canal). One set was dunked in 2006, and the other in 2005. The paints run the gamut as far as type-from hard antifouling coatings to ablative to white and bright to those with anti-slime additives. Products from the top brands were included-Interlux (http://www.yachtpaint.com/), E Paint (http://www.epaint.net/), Pettit (http://www.pettitpaint.com/), Sea Hawk (http://www.seahawkpaints.com/), Flexdel (http://www.aquagard-boatpaint.com/) , and Blue Water Paints ( http://www.bluewatermarinepaint.com/) -as were the top performers from our past tests, including Micron Optima. For the average northern sailor, who hauls out each winter, we would recommend buying the cheapest of our recommended paints that fits your preferences (water based, eco-friendly, whatever), and rates well among local sailors and paint pros. Any one of these paints will get you through the season without barnacles.

The marine environment can be incredibly harsh on a sailboats exterior wood, and protecting it is a never-ending project. So weve embarked on a mission to find the best wood protection: The ideal exterior wood coating is fast, easy to apply and maintain, durable, and wont break the bank. This first article in the wood coatings series focuses on marine varnishes, specifically 18 one-part varnishes, their ease of application, and their original gloss. Well introduce three two-part varnishes and 19 various teak treatments being tested in subsequent articles. We tested the best known brands of marine products as well as a few off the shelves of the local hardware store, including those from Epifanes, Interlux, Pettit, Detco, Deks Olje, Minwax, HMG, and West Marine. Determining which type of exterior wood coating is best for your boat boils down to identifying your priorities, needs, and taste. Do you want high-gloss or matte finish? Are you a low maintenance-type of owner or are you willing to spend as much time sanding as sailing?

Wouldnt it be nice if you could have a rust-proof boat? In search of our ideal anti-corrosion coating, we chose the products based largely on their advertised claims and also on how easy they were to find. Among the products we tested for corrosion prevention: West Marine CorrosionPro Lube, CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor, Corrosion Block, Boeshield T-9, WD-40, CorrosionX, Corrosion X HD, Shark Hide, LPS 1, LPS 2, LPS 3, and TC-11 all popped up during Internet searches. We left out products that made no specific claims for use in the marine environment.

Practical Sailors readers have long been asking for a test of antifouling paints in freshwater. Last summer, we sank antifouling paint-covered test panels in Lake Erie, and now, the short-term results are in. The top performers, Pettit Super Premium and Pettit Hydrocoat, are laced with copper, but theyre probably overkill for seasonal boaters. While we havent had much luck in salt water with those low-copper, slick racing paints like Pettit SR-21 and Interlux VC-17M, these freshwater paints hold up well in Lake Erie.

At Practical Sailor, were always looking for boat maintenance shortcuts. Typically, restoring and protecting an oxidized hull is a two-step process, compounding with a mild abrasive, followed by waxing. This time, we looked for the lazy-mans approach-so-called one-step cleaner/waxes. Among the contenders: Collinite 870, Meguiars 50, Restructure Marine Polish, Meguiars 67, 3M Fiberglass Cleaner Wax, 3M Clean & Shine, Interlux Premium, West Marine One Step, Star brite Cleaner Wax, and Simoniz Cleaner/Wax. After three months in the Florida sun, the shirkers route is looking pretty good.

In our bi-annual test of marine antifouling paints, Interlux Optima and a new bottom paint from Sea Hawk Paints, Biocop CF, produce the cleanest bottoms after six months. Interlux VC Offshore (hard) and Interlux Micron 66 (ablative) emerge as the most effective ablative paint after 18 months.

A 52-paint checkup: Antifoulants 12 months later.

Four years later, Interlux and Epifanes make the cut.