We bring you another episode of “What’s shaking?”… the continuing saga of availability and efficacy of bottom paints. In our last report we told you how Irgarol, the slime reducing ingredient in many bottom paints, was banned by the European Union and as a result of this no longer being produced, and the supply of such paints are limited and coveted.
In the short term, KKMI has a supply of paints with Irgarol but this inventory will be depleted very soon. Given the lack of Irgarol, the paint companies decided to produce paint only in their most popular colors, which is blue and black. Accordingly, Trinidad SR Pro or Interlux Ultra with Irgarol is not available in red or green. The point being if you want the “old formula” you need to be flexible in terms of paint colors.
In terms of ablative paints, there is still some Micron Extra with Irgarol in stock, but this product is also not being manufactured any longer and will be gone by the end of the year, if not sooner. We still have availability in black, blue, and red.
In the long run, Pettit will continue marketing their Trinidad line of modified epoxy paints, but with no Irgarol. In addition, Pettit is developing new ablative antifouling paints, which will soon be on the market. We will report on those products when they become available.
Interlux will continue to produce their Micron line of ablative paints, and their Ultra Kote modified epoxy paint, but with, you guessed it, no Irgarol.
The reality of antifouling paints is this, by their very nature, they are less than ideal for the environment which inherently creates issues. We continue to investigate and test other products that we feel provides you the best value in protecting your boat (and your wallet). We will also keep you updated as new options that become available but, in the meantime, you now know what’s shaking!
