Miracle Bottom Paint Revealed

In the January issue of Latitude 38 you’ll read about this writer’s final haulout in a four-year study on the effectiveness of the biocide Econea in bottom paint. Since the first haulout, we’ve been impressed with only one test paint — a water-based version — that consistently outperformed its fellow test paints and the copper-based control paint. The identities of each test paint’s manufacturer was a closely guarded secret but study coordinator Jack Hickey agreed to ask Econea big wigs to put me in touch with the manufacturer, at the very least so we could effuse all over their paint.

Dave Janus, the Director of Sales & Marketing for Janssen PMP, the company that commissioned the study, worked his magic, and this was the very encouraging email we received from Pettit’s Manager of Product Development, Frank Winkelman:

"The paint is currently in for EPA registration. If all goes well, we should have approval sometime in 2012. I have seen your glowing reports on our water-based Econea product over the last few years — my local sales guys have kept me informed — and I will let you know when we obtain our EPA approval on this exciting new product.

"In the interim, we do have Ultima ECO, the solvent-based version of this product, which is available now. It was not one of the items included in the California testing but performs almost as well as the water-based Econea product, and it does meet all of the existing air quality rules in effect in California. It’s just days away from approval in California, but has been approved in just about every other state in the Union."

The bad news is that we’ll have to wait a couple years before our beloved water-based paint is available, but the good news is that the fresh bottom job we just put on will last at least that long. And as soon as the product is released, our readers will be among the first to know.