Tnemec Company, Inc. (Kansas City, Missouri, USA), a leading manufacturer of high-performance protective coatings for the last century, recently announced the launch of their HullClad line of coatings. These coatings are designed to protect the hulls of ships and vessels exposed to harsh underwater marine environments.
“Every boat owner knows the issues marine fouling can cause to their vessel,” says Andy Margarit, marine market director at Tnemec. “If it’s not properly addressed, layers of slime, barnacles, and marine growth can increase fuel consumption, affect top speed, or make the boat harder to maneuver.”
To combat the overall degradation of a vessel’s performance, the HullClad line of coatings is specially formulated for effective fouling prevention. The high-performance coating system includes the Series 190 epoxy primer; the Series 191 HullClad TC, an epoxy tiecoat, and the Series 194 and 195 HullClad CU antifouling paints.
According to Tnemec, the Series 191 HullClad TC is a tiecoat specifically designed to give extended recoat windows for the shipyard or applicator to overcoat with an approved antifoul coating. Series 191 offers contractors up to five days to apply the approved antifouling topcoat. In turn, this helps to properly apply the entire bottom paint system.
Meanwhile, the Series 194 and 195 HullClad antifouling paints are self-polishing coatings. As a vessel travels through the water, a new layer of biocide within the coating is exposed. In turn, this continuously keeps the bottom paint performing effectively and protecting the substrate.
Other features and benefits include a service life of up to 60 months; technical properties of low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) and high-volume solids; easy application by brush, roll, or spray; and a simple reapplication process with minimal surface preparation, according to the manufacturer.
As Tnemec concludes, the full line of antifouling coatings is designed to offer the marine industry a dependable system, and all with the time and money of vessel owners in mind.
Source: Tnemec, www.tnemec.com.