A dozen of the leading antifouling paints are put to the test and rated by MBY in The Solent and the Mediterranean
Flag Performance £56.06
As its name suggests, it’s designed for use on performance craft but is actually a ‘semi-hard’ paint that is partially dissolvable in water.
DURABILITY: 3/5
Its hard properties mean that it’s capable of withstanding 40-knot speeds, but it will also dissolve in the water, so it should be suitable for most planing motor boats with average cruising hours.
COLOUR FASTNESS: 2/5
Despite being called white, it started life as a very light purple colour. During the season it went quite badly turquoise, showing the copper additive.
WEED/BARNACLES: 4/5
There was no sign of any weeds or barnacles at all in any of the locations. Even in the thickest slime patches, there wasn’t any hint of weed growth suggesting the biocides were doing their job effectively.
SLIME CONTROL: 3/5
There was no real format to the slime presentation on the panel of Flag Performance Extra, with patches of heavier slime in different areas of each panel. None of the patches were particularly thick, though.
WASH TEST: 4/5
The finger test removed all but the most stubborn patches of slime, showing that even a slow cruise would clean the boat’s hull effectively. Some gentle pressure from the hose removed most of the remaining growth, leaving a fairly clean panel.
VERDICT 64%
The hybrid make-up seemed to work well in our test, showing that despite being designed to handle high speeds, it still coped well in a marina environment. This would be a good paint for a boat that gets an average amount of use each season.
