A dozen of the leading antifouling paints are put to the test and rated by MBY in The Solent and the Mediterranean
Hempel Hard Racing £112.50
As its name suggests this is a hard paint. It is suited to fast boats and can be sanded back to give a smooth finish for less friction in the water. As with most hard paints, its performance will gradually tail off over time
DURABILITY: 4/5
Hard paints give the best durability, and this one is particularly recommended for fast boats and those that dry out, given that it won’t wear out easily.
COLOUR FASTNESS: 3/5
Being black, the Hempel paint was less likely to show a colour variation than the white paints, but looking closely we could see a hint of blue coming through around the waterline of the Solent panel.
WEED/BARNACLES: 3/5
There were no signs of barnacles on the panels in any of the locations, but the slime in the East Coast and Solent locations had started to form weed patterns, suggesting that over a longer season some weed might have grown.
SLIME CONTROL: 3/5
This paint performed well in the Mediterranean location with little slime growth, but in both UK sites there was significant slime build-up. If the boat was used regularly as intended, the slime wouldn’t have had as much time to build up.
WASH TEST: 4/5
Running a finger across the panel didn’t remove much slime build-up. More sustained pressure from the hose did remove it, giving a decent final result.
VERDICT 68%
Hard paints don’t usually perform as well as eroding paints during a static test but the Hempel Hard Racing put in a solid performance in our three locations. It resisted all major fouling growth and regular boat use would have kept the slime at bay.
