Don’t let marine growth dim your lights. Leaders in anti-foul products Propspeed look at the solutions for protecting your underwater lights
The issue of fouling below the waterline continues to grow, with invasive species hitching a ride and spreading wherever a vessel goes. Not only does fouling damage marine ecosystems, but it also harms the performance of the marine craft.
How to protect all underwater assets from marine growth and maximise performance?
Using coatings to protect underwater assets is a vital part of boat maintenance. Biofouling, the accumulation of marine life on vessels’ running gear, increases drag and fuel costs. While growth on underwater lights and transducers negatively impacts their performance and can damage the delicate components.
What started with a simple propeller coating, Propspeed has grown into a company that now has solutions for all of the underwater assets on vessels.
Bay of Islands, New Zealand – Where it all began:
Propspeed is the original running gear foul-release coating system. It is specially formulated to prevent marine growth from bonding to metal surfaces below the waterline. Propspeed protects precious underwater metal assets such as propellers, shafts, struts, sail drives, rudders and more.
Propspeed uses a two-component etching primer, which bonds to the metal substrate, and a clear silicone topcoat, which provides an ultra-smooth outer layer. Combined, they provide an integrated coating system that stays firmly adhered to metal substrates, dramatically reducing fouling.
Propspeed also protects underwater metals from corrosion, which occurs through electrochemical reactions with the metal’s environment. Quality coatings like Propspeed reduce the risk of corrosion by electrically isolating the metal, as well as limiting the exchanges between the ions and the gases contained in the water and in the metal. In short, if a reaction can’t occur, there will be no corrosion. It is also vital to ensure your protective coating is paired with the right anode to ensure efficient cathodic protection and the best coating performance and longevity.
Protect more than just metals: Lightspeed and Foulfree
Underwater lights have become a highly desirable feature on boats. Lightspeed offers an easy and affordable solution to reduce maintenance, sustaining lighting system performance and protect underwater lights. Underwater lights generate light and heat, creating environmental conditions that favour marine growth. The growth then interferes with underwater lights’ ability to emit light as it covers the lens. Efforts to remove this growth, barnacles, in particular, can damage delicate lighting components, given that barnacle glue is the most potent adhesive in nature and six times more powerful than any manmade glue.
Conventional antifouling paint used on hulls and running gear is unsuitable for underwater lights as it is not transparent and interferes with light transmittance. This is where Lightspeed comes in. Lightspeed harnesses the science behind Propspeed to provide an effective solution for fouling on underwater lights. As it is fully transparent, it has zero interference with light transmittance. It also contains an adhesion promoter which ensures the coating lasts for 12-24 months, reducing maintenance time and costs.
Foulfree
Try the revolutionary foul-release coating that protects transducers from marine growth to ensure accurate signal transmission. Foulfree is certified by Airmar and has been tested to ensure it has no adverse effects on the performance of transducers.
For more information on the Propspeed range of products, visit www.propspeed.com