Ultrsonic Antifoul

[WestonW]

Hi all,
I have my M26 in at Cullen Bay Marina, Darwin. Yes it is a nice spot. Water temp on Sat was 30c. I now have a bit of growth happening, lovely green stuff and shells starting. I have been looking at Ultrasonic antifouling. I wanted to know if anyone else has looked into this system.
www.surewatersystems.com.au
Boat Sure Digital Ultrasonic Algae Control. I’m open for any info and assistance.

[bubba]

Do you have bottom paint? It helps a lott. Do you wax the bottom often?

[Oskar 26M]

Sounds like a great great idea (no pun intended), but there doesn't seem to be much information available on it beyond what is published on the distributor's web site.
I wonder if you could offer to do a "tropical waters trial" for them? You could even offer to waive your trial fee (if it works! )

[WestonW]

No bottom paint . It was waxed , but has been in the water for 3 months now . I will be pulling her out during the Cyclone season , so I will have time on my hands for mods and cleaning.

[Mistral]

I have just received a quote from the distributor for my 26M. Total cost A$4000 incl. tax, but without installation.
Probably still economical if you do have the boat in the water all the time and need anti-fouling. I will consider getting it.

[Oskar 26M]

Four grand sounds like a lot for a transducer and control box, but as you say, could still be cost effective (if it works).

The cost and pain of anti-fouling my previous keel boat was one of the factors that pushed me towards a trailer sailer and ultimately a Mac.

[Nautek]

I would also be very sure about this product before I parted with $4000
It seems a lot of money for an unproven product.
I would like to see it tested on a boat in a marina first as there are a lot of things that could influence it in a marina with a lot of electrical activity in the water around vessels
I always thought ultrasonic cleaning was a fairly concentrated activity and not something a transducer could do in the wide open spaces.
It will be interesting to see the results further down the track

Allan

[Kelly Hanson East]

It actually works by attracting whales and dolphins who lick the bottom of your boat clean..

[tangentair]

Four grand sounds like a lot for a transducer and control box, but as you say, could still be cost effective (if it works).

The cost and pain of anti-fouling my previous keel boat was one of the factors that pushed me towards a trailer sailer and ultimately a Mac.

And the choir said "Amen Brother"
but 4 grand Austrailian - maybe someone going to the annapolis boat show can have a look and see if there is any real data or if it is just another one of those "ultrasonic" bug chasers. I used to get about 5 or 6 bites when I would go out for 2 days but after installing one of those I only got 2 to 3 bites a day.

[Mistral]

Following inquiries made to see if it would harm the marine life, I received the following response:

There are no negative side-effects from BOAT SURE.
Boat Sure is 100% safe for animal and plant life, including fish and dolphins. The ultrasonic vibrations are outside the range of hearing of marine life.
Boat Sure is a very quiet device. Ultrasonic frequencies are beyond the limit of human hearing. It is also within a specific range so that marine animals such as dolphins and fish cannot hear it. During normal operation, a low ticking noise may be heard when within 20cm.

Wish I could get more data to know it actually works.

[AJ]

I installed one a couple of months ago. After much agonising over the expense I figured that it would pay for itself over a few years if it at least doubled the time between antifouls (I have needed to have it done every 12 - 18 months at around $1500 per go). I also wanted to decrease the number of in between rub downs necesary during the warmer months. We get a lot of algal and weed growth where we are. I also negotiated in writing a hand back agreement if it didn't perform to my satisfaction. The system is also easily transferable between boats if you sell.

The transducer is separate to the control box and is quite large - 50 mm diameter.

Observations so far - good Ultrasound contact between the trasducer and hull is critical - spent some time getting that right. I've mounted it just behind the battery which I'm told should be OK.

The technique primarily affects (filamentous) algal growth. I have to say that compared to surrounding boats antifouled at the same time as mine there is much less algal growth around the waterline (virtually zero). When the water warms up a bit I'll don the snorkel and have a look. Distributor also was happy to come and measure signal strength throughout the hull which I'll get him to do now I think I've got the installation right.

[Oskar 26M]

Hi AJ
Good to hear that someone is giving this a trial, especially by comparing it to neighbouring boats with similar antifoul history.
Please keep us posted on how it works out in the long run.

[Mistral]

Hi AJ,

Where are you located? I also do get a lot of growth on my boat and need to take it out every 6 to 8 weeks at the moment to clean the hull. I have no antifouling on the boat, so I am looking at all options at the moment.

Keeps us posted on how it works? Do you have the power on all the time?
Dirk

[WestonW]

Hi all,
I have done some more snooping the web site below is the manufacturer, seems to be in the UK. Cost around 800 pounds ($2000) delivered.
http://www.ultrasonic-antifouling.com/f ... uling.html

[ALX357]

I'd like some reassurance and experimantal testing to prove that the ultrasound would not degrade the fiberglass' structural layup or composition after a period of time, as might happen with continual vibration .