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[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
Fighting the Freeloaders
Bottom Paints Send Maritime Mooches Packing[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]If you leave your boat in the water for any appreciable amount of time, Mother Nature is going to take up residence on the bottom of your boat's hull, the gearcase, and other underwater running gear in a matter of just a week or two.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Slime, algae, mussels, barnacles, and other aquatic species cling to a clean hull like a magnet. In the world of boating, we call a hull with stuff growing on it "fouled." We're all for letting sea creatures do what comes naturally, but when these critters mess with our boats, all kinds of bad things can happen.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]For starters, a fouled hull isn't slick and smooth, and doesn't move through the water easily, thus requiring more fuel to maintain speed. In cases of extreme fouling, so many creatures and organisms on the bottom can affect the boat's handling.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Additionally, if you let the slime and crud stay on the boat long enough, hull damage could occur from the excretions of your submerged stowaways.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Therefore, it may be in your best interest to fight back by applying antifouling paint to the hull from the waterline down.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Most antifouling coatings contain copper-based chemical blends that boat-attacking aquatic organisms find distasteful. One slurp of a coated boat hull will send 'em packing to find another, more hospitable place to live. It's a lot like squirting on bug spray to keep the mosquitoes away on a summer's night.[/FONT]
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Ablative Antifouling Paints Ablative antifouling paints slowly erode as the boat travels through the water, washing away aquatic build-up, exposing a fresh layer of paint to maintain a constant level of protection. Most ablative coatings do a good job of controlling zebra mussels and barnacles, and many formulations prevent algae, slime, and weed growth.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Standard Ablative Antifouling Paint
For standard ablative paint to work, you need to use your boat frequently. If the boat is tied up to the dock for extended periods, the bottom will become fouled because there isn't any water flowing under the hull to remove the outermost layer of antifouling paint and all the slime, algae, and barnacles.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Most ablative antifouling paints contain copper antifouling agents, and can be out of the water for upwards of a couple of months without adversely affecting the antifouling capabilities. You can trailer the boat if necessary; however, the bunks or rollers will remove layers of paint in the process.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Ablative antifouling paints are usually reapplied annually, so add "paint boat bottom" to your re-commissioning checklist.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Copolymer Self-Polishing/Ablative Antifouling Paints
Advanced resin formulations make copolymer antifouling paints harder than standard antifouling coatings, and if you use the boat a lot, you can usually run the boat for multiple seasons before repainting the bottom.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Copolymer antifoulings release their protective repellants in precisely controlled doses - just enough to prevent fouling on your boat and to minimize a potentially negative impact on the environment.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Although technically an ablative paint, the industry prefers to call copolymer antifouling coatings "self-polishing", due to the extended time it takes for the paint to lose its effectiveness. As with the standard ablative paints, you can trailer a boat coated with copolymer antifouling if you must, and leave the boat out of the water for several weeks; as soon as it hits the water, the copolymer armor will be ready for action.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Copper-Free Ablative Antifouling Paints
In some places, decades of copper deposited from countless vessels' antifouling paint has raised the concentrations of copper in the water to unacceptable levels. Therefore, in certain ports and waterways, copper-based antifouling paints are illegal, thus the need for antifouling paints that use alternative chemicals, rather than copper, to keep boat and ship hulls free from fouling.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]As with standard ablative antifouling paints, plan on repainting the bottom annually.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Hard Antifouling Paints
As the name implies, these types of antifouling paints are hard, that is, the coating doesn't gradually wear off with use, as do ablative coatings. Hard antifouling paints continually leach out chemicals, making them durable and functional bottom paints for stationary or slow moving vessels.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Boat racers love the slick, drag-reducing properties of hard antifouling paints, and the paint's surface buffs out to an amazing sheen that can help the captain find a little more speed while the bottom remains fouling-free.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
Can I Do This Myself?
You bet. According to our sources, over half the antifouling paints sold are for do-it-yourselfers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]The actual painting process isn't nearly as difficult as preparing the hull to accept the antifouling paint. Antifouling paint isn't cheap, so you have to make a commitment to prep the hull, step-by-step without succumbing to cutting corners.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Think about where you'll do the work, how to protect the boat from the elements, and if you're truly willing to put in the hours to do the job properly.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]If you're really into hands-on boat maintenance, bottom painting is right up your alley. However; those who don't derive satisfaction from such activities should have no problem hiring a professional.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Thankfully
On the majority of boats, the outboard wells are big enough to trim your Yamaha outboards completely out of the water, away from fouling organisms. Antifouling paint is readily available for Yamaha midsections, gearcases, and propellers if the setup won't allow raising the outboards sufficiently to avoid marine growth.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif][EDITOR'S NOTE] Shop iboats.com for savings on boat antifouling bottom paints.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
Article courtesy of Yamaha motors. For additional information on Yamaha boating, visit http://www.yamaha-motor.com/boat/products/lifestylehome/home.aspx.[/FONT]

Bottom Paints Send Maritime Mooches Packing[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]If you leave your boat in the water for any appreciable amount of time, Mother Nature is going to take up residence on the bottom of your boat's hull, the gearcase, and other underwater running gear in a matter of just a week or two.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Slime, algae, mussels, barnacles, and other aquatic species cling to a clean hull like a magnet. In the world of boating, we call a hull with stuff growing on it "fouled." We're all for letting sea creatures do what comes naturally, but when these critters mess with our boats, all kinds of bad things can happen.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]For starters, a fouled hull isn't slick and smooth, and doesn't move through the water easily, thus requiring more fuel to maintain speed. In cases of extreme fouling, so many creatures and organisms on the bottom can affect the boat's handling.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Additionally, if you let the slime and crud stay on the boat long enough, hull damage could occur from the excretions of your submerged stowaways.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Therefore, it may be in your best interest to fight back by applying antifouling paint to the hull from the waterline down.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Most antifouling coatings contain copper-based chemical blends that boat-attacking aquatic organisms find distasteful. One slurp of a coated boat hull will send 'em packing to find another, more hospitable place to live. It's a lot like squirting on bug spray to keep the mosquitoes away on a summer's night.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Standard Ablative Antifouling Paint
For standard ablative paint to work, you need to use your boat frequently. If the boat is tied up to the dock for extended periods, the bottom will become fouled because there isn't any water flowing under the hull to remove the outermost layer of antifouling paint and all the slime, algae, and barnacles.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Most ablative antifouling paints contain copper antifouling agents, and can be out of the water for upwards of a couple of months without adversely affecting the antifouling capabilities. You can trailer the boat if necessary; however, the bunks or rollers will remove layers of paint in the process.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Ablative antifouling paints are usually reapplied annually, so add "paint boat bottom" to your re-commissioning checklist.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Copolymer Self-Polishing/Ablative Antifouling Paints
Advanced resin formulations make copolymer antifouling paints harder than standard antifouling coatings, and if you use the boat a lot, you can usually run the boat for multiple seasons before repainting the bottom.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Copolymer antifoulings release their protective repellants in precisely controlled doses - just enough to prevent fouling on your boat and to minimize a potentially negative impact on the environment.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Although technically an ablative paint, the industry prefers to call copolymer antifouling coatings "self-polishing", due to the extended time it takes for the paint to lose its effectiveness. As with the standard ablative paints, you can trailer a boat coated with copolymer antifouling if you must, and leave the boat out of the water for several weeks; as soon as it hits the water, the copolymer armor will be ready for action.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Copper-Free Ablative Antifouling Paints
In some places, decades of copper deposited from countless vessels' antifouling paint has raised the concentrations of copper in the water to unacceptable levels. Therefore, in certain ports and waterways, copper-based antifouling paints are illegal, thus the need for antifouling paints that use alternative chemicals, rather than copper, to keep boat and ship hulls free from fouling.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]As with standard ablative antifouling paints, plan on repainting the bottom annually.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Hard Antifouling Paints
As the name implies, these types of antifouling paints are hard, that is, the coating doesn't gradually wear off with use, as do ablative coatings. Hard antifouling paints continually leach out chemicals, making them durable and functional bottom paints for stationary or slow moving vessels.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Boat racers love the slick, drag-reducing properties of hard antifouling paints, and the paint's surface buffs out to an amazing sheen that can help the captain find a little more speed while the bottom remains fouling-free.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]

You bet. According to our sources, over half the antifouling paints sold are for do-it-yourselfers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]The actual painting process isn't nearly as difficult as preparing the hull to accept the antifouling paint. Antifouling paint isn't cheap, so you have to make a commitment to prep the hull, step-by-step without succumbing to cutting corners.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Think about where you'll do the work, how to protect the boat from the elements, and if you're truly willing to put in the hours to do the job properly.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]If you're really into hands-on boat maintenance, bottom painting is right up your alley. However; those who don't derive satisfaction from such activities should have no problem hiring a professional.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]Thankfully
On the majority of boats, the outboard wells are big enough to trim your Yamaha outboards completely out of the water, away from fouling organisms. Antifouling paint is readily available for Yamaha midsections, gearcases, and propellers if the setup won't allow raising the outboards sufficiently to avoid marine growth.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif][EDITOR'S NOTE] Shop iboats.com for savings on boat antifouling bottom paints.[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Lucida Grande, Arial, sans-serif]
