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In the previous blog we sang the praises of the ECO53 antifouling paint, which is the latest and greatest at Würth. Today we are going to see this in practice. What does it take to apply a decent coat of antifouling paint on the most common materials?

The process is the same for all three materials, Wood, GRP and aluminium. Unless this is a brand new boat, usually boats will have had more than their fair share of paint coatings throughout their working life. So it would be good to sand down well. It is not necessary to bring this down to bare wood. A decent sanding down, until the surface is rough enough to accept a primer that is suitable for your boat.

Primers are a tricky lot. The right primer would make your paint look good whilst the wrong primer and the right paint would be the initiation of a disaster waiting to happen. As with all primers, the science behind it is for the primer to act as a good enough base for the paint that follows to adhere to it, whilst providing adhesion to the previous coat and act as a barrier in between. Article number: EP907040 is one such two pack primer which acts both as a primer and as a barrier coat which protects your fibreglass hulls against osmosis.

Since we are talking about Würth antifouling paints, particularly the ECO53, there are two ways you can go with his product. They are both ‘two-pack’ products and both epoxy based. Whether you go for one or the other is just a matter of personal choice since they are both excellent for the job. In all the materials that we will mention in this blog the process is the same.

Step 1. Strip and sand away all previous paint.
Step 2. Clean surfaces of all extra materials like dust, oil and other undesired stuff
Step 3. Apply at least two coats of article number: EP907040 epoxy based primer, leaving a 24hour window between each coat.
Step 4. Apply the first coat of ECO53 antifouling paint.
Step 6. Leave to dry for at least 24hours.
Step 7. Apply the second coat of ECO53 antifouling paint.

To apply a third coat just repeat steps 6 & 7.

A word of warning; Once the antifouling is dry, it is extremely important that the boat does not exceed 48hrs out of the water, as all the properties that make it effective against marine growth would start to fade away and become ineffective once it’s in the water.

Happy boating!

Starting a blog is always an exciting thing. In this blog I am hoping to bring you the latest and greatest plus, some old favourites. Some insider information and some researched information. At Würth we are always striving to inform and educate, because an educated audience will always come to reasonable conclusions. DIY’ers and hands-on ‘dilettanti’ are what this blog is all about.

Although it’s spring, everyone knows that in Malta we only think in two seasons, namely summer and winter. Right now we’re at summer’s doorstep, so everyone who’s got the sea bug will be at the height of preparation season. If you’re anything like me, you would have spent your winter dreaming about the improvements you would install on the boat for the following season. With this comes all the planning, starting from the date you would like to launch your boat, working backwards to the present. People who had thought about this all winter long would be well under way right now. Even if you have no big projects, getting ready for launch involves, cleaning, replacing old stuff, fixing and tidying of stuff that was undone during last season and last on the list would be sanding and refreshing your antifouling paint.

At Würth you’ll be able to find the finest stainless steel fittings for your boat, whether it’s a small ‘frejgatina’ or a pleasure boat right up to professional fishing boats and superyachts. The philosophy behind Würth stainless steel products is to install once a let it do its job without a hint of worry as to the quality of the fittings that were installed.

Below the waterline, Würth antifouling products are as good as they come. This year, Würth has introduced the ultimate antifouling paint, the ECO53. This is a self-polishing, copper free antifouling paint, that has an outstanding performance in almost all conditions as it is suitable for boats operating at high speeds, medium speeds and low speeds. ECO53 is really ideal for boats with long stationery periods. It is designed to protect hulls made from GRP, wood or light alloys. One of the most important features is that there is no discoloration for paint which is situated above or below the waterline. It has an excellent abrasion resistance also during towing.

When applied on suitable primers the paint has excellent adhesion and undesirable sea creatures will be a worry of the past, letting you enjoy the summer of your life.

Happy boating!

What separates screws from other screws, and why must it be so complicated? This is an attempt at a quick introduction to the classification of screws and expressions used in the field.

First we separate wood screws and metal screws; wood screws and machine screws. Machine screws are either screwed into threaded goods or used together with a nut to clamp two or more parts together. Wood screws are used primarily in wood. Screws are classified, among other things, according to the firmness of the material (tensile strength), type of head and type of thread.

Hexagon head screws and hexagon socket screws larger than 5 mm are marked with the screw tensile strength and manufacturer's characteristics. The tensile strength class is stated with two numbers, for example 8.8. The first number says something about tensile strength. The second states that the yield strength is 80% of the tensile strength. The main rule is that a screw should be used together with a nut of the same, or higher, tensile strength class.

The dimension of a screw is measured in diameter and length. However, screws are also measured in different ways: Some lengths are measured under the head, sometimes the total length is measured. There are several standards out and about, but the two you see the most are:
ISO - International Organization for Standardization
DIN - Deutsches Institutt für normerning
The differences between the different standards are in many cases small, but still enough for professionals to be aware that there are some differences.

MATERIAL SELECTION AND SURFACE COATING - Screws must be selected according to the environment in which they are to be used and which other materials they are in contact with. Steel screws have other mechanical properties than "stainless" screws and the corrosion resistance of a steel screw depends on the surface coating the screw is protected with. Electro-galvanized screws, have a layer thickness of 5-8µ and glossy surface, and hot-dip galvanized (vzn) screws, the coating thickness of hot-dip screws varies between 45-100µ.

YES, STAINLESS RUSTS! - It is a widespread misconception that stainless steel does not rust. Climate and galvanic corrosion are factors that also allow "stainless" screws to corrode. There are numerous types of stainless / acid-resistant steel with different properties, which are used for different purposes.
Stainless steel (A2) - Can be used outdoors in inland climate
Acid resistant steel (A4) - Can be used outdoors in coastal climate
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH SCREW TO CHOOSE?
Even when you know the different technical characteristics and dimensions, the choice of screw type can still be a real tough nut.

Just remember to consider the material in which you are driving the screw, and if it’s wood, choose wood screws, and if it’s metal, choose metal. Whenever you need fasteners, think Würth.