Here are the Connecticut panels just after being hauled out and laid out flat. The wet weed adhered to the unpainted strips was carefully scraped away with a putty knife before the panels were evaluated.

About the only thing that's predictable about them is that they're unpredictable. That's what the experts say about sharks and twisters, and we've always said the same thing about anchors and bottom paints. There are so many real-world variables affecting their performance that it really takes years of observation, and in many circumstances, to learn which ones to bet on in the long haul.

This year's bottom paint experiment was as full of little surprises as it has been in the past, so at least things are consistent in the unpredictability department. …