Well its now over seven months since Sun Dog was lifted out the water, had the underside cleaned and new antifouling applied. This was to enable the final “objective test” on the efficacy of the Ultra Sonic Antifouling fitted originally fitted in April 2013. See previous posts on this under “categories“.

Sun Dog has just been lifted out with the bottom completely clear of growth, the only thing on the underside was a coating of slime which washed off easily.

These photos show the boat as she was lifted untouched out of the water….not even rinsed off!

Starboard Side

Port Side

I am now both absolutely convinced and impressed with this product, and the underside of the boat is really clean despite the best efforts of the Mediterranean. I am also delighted that the bow thruster tube that used to foul up really badly (and stop the thruster being effective) is also clean and the thruster is working beautifully. On a long keel boat this is a real boon when allocated a tight berth in a marina.

I would also make the following observations to aid anyone considering fitting this equipment to their boat.

(1) Mistake I made at the outset was not having cleaned and antifouled the hull before fitting, because if I had then this evaluation would have confirmed its benefits to me sooner.

(2) With us fitting the two transponder system the current draw I plan for is around 1 amp and our small solar panels were simply not sufficient enough. Consideration should therefore be given to strong enough solar panel/wind generators. If the boat is kept in a marina connected to shore power and has a battery charger connected, then obviously there are no issues.

(3) We have left this kit running 24/7 but perhaps the manufacturers could integrate (for those on a swinging mooring or at anchor) some kind of timer so that in the hours of darkness the unit could be switched off – thus reducing overall 24 hour power draw. Might also be relevant for yachts on long passages…….

(4) With the hull being clean the boat sails much better through less drag, and when it comes to power boats I would assume there would be a noticeable increase in speed against revs, coupled with a noticeable reduction in fuel costs.

So to all those who have been asking me about this product I can now say with confidence that I am totally convinced on its effectiveness – subject to the above quantifications/observations.

For the sake of clarity: I have no association with the company or any of its agent and the above comments (and those of previous posts on Ultra Sonic Antifouling) are purely my personal observations and experience.