[Rhodes22-list] Biological Centerboard Fouling/Jamming - A Serious Issue?

Jim White jdwhite at utpa.edu
Fri Dec 3 18:31:03 EST 2004


That must be some pretty rich water to get such instantaneous growth. I've 
never encountered anything like that before. Might result from high levels 
of nitrogen / phosphorus based nutrients in the water column or some other 
factor. Is that local, or consistent with the whole geographic area (i.e. 
coast), you sail near NYC right?. I'll check our data bases here and see if 
anyone has published anything about that....sounds interesting.

Of course most of my work has been in the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, 
although I did a short stint at Woods Hole a few years back, and as I 
recall, even their boats didn't have that kind of problem. In Alaskan 
waters, we left unpainted skiffs in the drink for pretty long periods too 
without much fouling.

A day sounds pretty severe. Must be growing some pretty nasty stuff there. 
A month is enough time to get some critters going.

The barnacles that you have to grind off, how long were they growing on the 
hull? Any idea the species? I would venture that they probably are acorn 
barnacles (Balanus nubilis), but I'm sure you have gooseneck barnacles 
there too, they are ubiquitous.

  I've had Menagerie in the water since May (with new bottom paint), and 
only have a few very small barnacles below the waterline. I detached a few 
in July when I lowered the CB with a gloved hand. That was 3 months time.

Gosh, there could be a paper or two here. I should try and collect some 
fouling data from different areas and compare the rate and speciation.....

BTW I just queried the Biological abstracts for a comparative study of 
benthic and sessile marine organism growth rates in US Waters and didn't 
turn up a single paper........

jw
Jim White
Le Menagerie


At 05:56 PM 12/3/2004, you wrote:
>Around here you shouldn't even dream about it.  It varies from location to 
>location, but if some of these things latch onto your hull you don't want 
>to know what it takes to get them off.
>
>I had a waxed, no bottom paint hull on a previous boat that I would put 
>into the salt water for a day.  But that was it.
>
>If my mooring goes into the water a month before I get around to launching 
>my boat, the mooring line is coated with growth by the time I pull it out 
>of the water, notwithstanding the fact that the line is coated with 
>anitfouling paint.  It takes a week of chlorine treatments to kill it 
>all.  I still get an occasional barnacle, even with my top rated bottom 
>paint.  I have to grind them off.
>
>Bill Effros
>
>William E. Wickman wrote:
>
>>What happens if you don't have any bottom paint at all?  My boat is kept in
>>fresh water and does not have any bottom paint.  All that is necessary is a
>>good pressure washing to clean the "pond scum" and alge from the hull
>>whenever the boat is hauled.  It comes off easily as long as you get it off
>>before it dries.  So, while the bottom looks pretty when cleaned (ie. waxed
>>like the topsides), I wonder.....what is going to happen when I take the
>>boat to the coast and subject it to salt water for a week or two?  I guess
>>the real question is, how long does it take for marine growth to start
>>forming on your hull?  If I only have the boat in the water for one week
>>will I have a barnacle problem when I take it out?  How many of you folks
>>out there do not have any bottom paint?  How has it worked out when you put
>>your boat in salt water for short periods?
>>
>>Bill W.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>|---------+---------------------------------->
>>|         |           "Roger Pihlaja"        |
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>>  |       Subject:  [Rhodes22-list] Biological Centerboard 
>> Fouling/Jamming - A Serious      Issue?                               |
>> 
>>  >------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Hi All,
>>
>>Richard Smith has brought up the issue of fouling on the centerboard &
>>inside the centerboard trunk as being a potentially serious maintenance
>>issue on Rhodes 22's.  It is apparently only a serious issue for those of
>>us that sail in severly fouling waters, like down south.
>>
>>I've been a member of the Rhodes List about as long as anyone.  In all that
>>time, I can't recall anyone except Richard ever mentioning biological
>>fouling as being a prime cause of jamming the centerboard up inside in the
>>trunk.  According to Richard, it's a fairly significant maintenance issue
>>for folks in his area that sail centerboard boats. (Rockaway Inlet?)
>>
>>If there really is an issue here, it should be more widely known.  How
>>widespread is the problem?  How are other folks managing to deal with the
>>problem?  It may even rate its own FAQ topic.
>>
>>So, I'm asking all Rhodes 22 sailors, what has been your experience with
>>biological fouling & subsequent jamming of your centerboards?  Please don't
>>be shy about responding.  This is the sort of discussion the Rhodes List
>>was created to encourage.  If you sail in warm water & haven't experienced
>>the problem; then, tell us where you sail.  Perhaps the problem is very
>>localized.
>>
>>Roger Pihlaja
>>S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
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>>
>>
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>>
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