A dozen of the leading antifouling paints are put to the test and rated by MBY in The Solent and the Mediterranean
Jotun Mare Nostrum SP £76.50
The SP stands for self-polishing that degrades predictably throughout the season. It’s more suitable for boats that rarely exceed 30 knots
DURABILITY: 2/5
It’s a reasonably hard wearing paint, so unless you’re a speed demon it will be suitable, however like the other Jotun paint, the top layer did come away when washed.
COLOUR FASTNESS: 4/5
With no copper in the mix, the white stayed white even above the waterline, and apart from some slight yellowing from the muddy water on the East Coast, it held its colour well.
WEED/BARNACLES: 3/5
In the Solent and Mediterranean there were no barnacles and no weed growth, however at the waterline at the Solent location, the slime was thick and had some weed-like shape to it.
SLIME CONTROL: 3/5
A consistent dissolving of paint throughout the season helped here as it performed quite well in two locations but there was some build-up of slime around the waterline on the Solent location giving slight cause for concern.
WASH TEST: 4/5
As with the other Jotun paint, a noticeable smudge of paint came off during the finger drag test, but so did all the slime. This showed that after a good blast the boat’s hull should look as good as it did when launched, so long as there is a thick enough layer of paint to last a full season.
VERDICT 64%
This paint is designed to erode away, so it’s important to ensure that a sufficient thickness and/or number of coats are applied pre-season to allow this to happen. Overall it performed solidly with the added advantage of good colour fastness.
