Antifouling Paint Selection Guide

Applying antifouling paint on your boat’s bottom is very important. It makes your boat to be free from algae and it also increases the speed of your boat. Applying boat bottom paint also enhances the efficiency of your boat. Paints which contain copper oxide have been considered a real substitute for other boat paints which have not worked well on boat bottoms.

Different types of boat paints

Copper oxide based antifouling boat paint

This kind of antifouling paint utilizes copper oxide release and makes the hull of your boat to be effective while in the water. Although copper is the main ingredient of most boat paints, it’s actually the percentage that renders it effective; it is how much of the copper that is released from boat bottom paint into the water. The release is usually affected by the binder that has been used in the antifouling paint and also the conditions of the marine water on which you are boating. It is also affected by how frequent your boat is painted with antifouling paint.

Although boat bottom paint with large amounts of copper works well for your boat bottom, too much of its release into the water will force you to keep repainting the boat with boat bottom paint and this becomes expensive. Embark on buying the antifouling boat paint that has less copper but with a longer copper release time. It has proved to be more effective than the boat bottom paint with quick release. However, the boat should be repainted every season so that there is enough of the copper for the preceding seasons.

Soluble boat bottom paints

Copper present in marine coatings seeps out from the painted surface. Copper mixes well into the boat bottom paint as soon as the boat hits the marine water and the one near to the surface of the boat starts to dissolve. As the copper dissolves, the water round the boat’s hull absorbs the copper thereby creating a fatal barrier upon the hull for dangerous marine life. Soluble antifouling paint stays intact after all copper is dissolved.

Ablative boat bottom paint

Ablative protective coatings and paints work the same way as soluble bottom boat paints. Ablative paints are eroded away once the copper in it is carried away forcing you to keep repainting the boat bottoms. It’s one kind of boat bottom paint that is known to be susceptible to boat operation details than the antifouling paint because it is usually eroded as you move the boat on the water.

Boat painting instructions

Ensure that you first scrap off marine life from the hull of your boat using a knife. Special attention should be paid while preparing antifouling paint or any other boat bottom paint; otherwise you will end up with significant failure in your boat painting.

Familiarize with local regulations on boat painting using antifouling paint to ensure that the boat bottom paint you purchase is legal.

Steps in painting your boat with anti-fouling paint

Clean the hull of the boat with a pressure washer.

Remove hardened marine organisms from the boat hull and scrub well

Apply antifouling paint to the hull.

Jeff Hamilton is the author of this article on Ablative Protective Coatings. Find more information on Boat Bottom Paint here.