LAKESIDE CLEANING & SAVING AT FREEDOM BOAT CLUB: BENNINGTON SX-22 SWINGBACK

September 11, 2023

Lake Wylie, South Carolina

Freedom Boat Club

Hull Pro introduces a significant shift in how we care for our vessels. The 2023 Bennington SX-22 Swingback, powered by a Mercury 150 and affectionately named 'Charmed,' serves as a practical case study. The team at Freedom Boat Club previously coated the logs with Hull Pro earlier in the season. The fouling release of Hull Pro is remarkable, making cleaning and maintenance easier and more streamlined.

The Efficiency of Armus

Coated in February 2023, the Bennington SX-22 was left in the water all season and pulled in September. 'Charmed' was brought ashore from Lake Wylie for an examination of its underwater growth and Hull Pro’s protective coating.

COST-SAVING MAINTENANCE
Cleaning time on the Hull Pro-coated Charmed took half the time it usually takes on uncoated pontoons and tritoons in Freedom Boat Club’s fleet. Not only does Hull Pro save on labor costs during cleaning, but also minimizes a vessel’s downtime out of the water.
QUICK, NON-ABRASIVE CLEANING
The team at Freedom Boat Club was stunned at how simple cleaning was. Using Meguiar’s Ultimate Yellow Wash and Wax and a 3M Final Finishing pad, cleaning 'Charmed' was quick and painless. Hull Pro’s epoxy coating remained undamaged after cleaning also!
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
Unlike other traditional bottom paints or anti-fouling coatings, Hull Pro contains no biocides and will not wear off or create microplastics which harm aquatic environments. Cleaning is also easier without the use of harsh chemicals or acid washes with run-offs which may also harm the environment.
RETAIN A VESSEL’S RESALE VALUE
Post-cleaning, 'Charmed' displayed a clean, smooth aluminum surface. The ability to restore your treated pontoon and tritoon logs to a near-perfect finish helps retain your vessel’s value over time!

Hull Pro offers cleaning & maintenance savings

Another vessel in the fleet was coated with a competitor’s product as a comparison to Hull Pro’s performance on Charmed. Their usually cleaning method for the competitor, while effective, is rather costly and time-consuming when considering the required frequent cleaning of the vessel. The typical acid bath for the competitor’s product took around 3 hours.

Armus Hull Coating eliminates the negatives associated with acid-washing hulls. The environmental impact and the risks posed by handling acid-laden materials are concerns of the past. After coating with Hull Pro, cleaning and maintenance was much simpler. A reset cleaning of Hull Pro-protected Charmed was executed in 1.5 hours---half the time!

For boat owners, adhering to a regular cleaning schedule is imperative to maintain optimal vessel performance and aesthetics. Typically, a cleaning frequency of a week to 10 days is recommended, especially in regions with a high fouling growth rates. This schedule ensures that growth does not reach a point where it adversely affects a vessel’s speed, fuel efficiency, or overall performance.

After Cleaning

Before Cleaning

Unlocking efficiency with Hull Pro

Understanding the importance of regular hull cleaning and selecting the right tools for specific types of growth is crucial for efficient vessel maintenance. In this case study, Freedom Boat Club (FBC) at Lake Wiley harnessed the power of Armus Hull Pro on a Bennington SX-22, leading to significant cost savings and a more streamlined cleaning processes.

The use of Hull Pro not only reduced the cleaning time for FBC but also eliminated the need for costly and time-consuming acid washes. With a focus on eco-friendly and effective cleaning, FBC opted for a 3M Final Finishing pad and a wash and wax approach, avoiding harsh chemicals and abrasive materials.

This case study serves as a testament to the value of Hull Pro's fouling-release properties and the wisdom of understanding the optimal cleaning frequencies and tools for maintaining different vessel types. It underscores how adopting the right solutions can revolutionize hull maintenance practices and deliver substantial benefits for vessel owners and operators.

Save time and money with Hull Pro!

Reducing cleaning time and frequency also results in cost savings over the long term. Traditional cleaning methods often require the purchase of cleaning agents, harsh chemicals, abrasive materials, and potentially even specialized equipment, not to mention the cost of labor for a crew to maintain and clean your vessel.

By cutting cleaning time in half for Freedom Boat Club, Hull Pro demonstrates a cost savings over time. When a vessel owner follows their recommended maintenance schedule, the time saved during each cleaning session begins to add up rapidly. This reduction in cleaning time means more time on the water and less time docked for maintenance.