Do You Have A Dirty Bottom?

 

 

Nothing will rob our boats of performance and efficiency more than a fouled bottom. On the Gulf Coast marine growth can be excessive especially in areas of swift moving water. Marine growth typically responsible for fouling hull bottoms include algae, sugar coral, barnacles, various crustaceans and in extreme cases oysters.  As a rule of thumb, having the hull surface cleaned once a month is good habit. In the summertime, in areas of extreme marine growth, and for boats that are beyond the typical service life of hull paint, cleaning the hull surface at least twice a month may be necessary.

 

Divers are typically employed to clean hulls here on the Gulf Coast and one can expect to pay similar prices as for cleaning the top sides. Finding a diver you trust is imperative as we as owner’s can only see that the waterline of the boat has been cleaned unless we are willing to jump in and inspect ourselves. The most important components for performance is the running gear. Additionally, divers will inspect all sacrificial anodes or “zincs” both to make sure they are doing their job and that they are not in need of replacement.

 

Signs of a dirty bottom include:

 

1. Poor or sluggish performance

2. Engines will not reach full load RPM

3. Excessive vibration

4. Excessive exhaust smoking*

 

* In boats equipped with pod drives and underwater exhaust black smoke will not be as evident if at all

 

Besides the regular service of the hull bottom, one will need to paint the bottom regularly. Typically on the Gulf Coast, a paint job should last between 12 and 24 months again depending on the severity of marine growth. Regular cleaning of the bottom will also extend the life of the bottom paint. There are two types of anti-fouling paint used which are hard paints and ablative paints. Each have their pros and cons along with many boating enthusiasts who will swear by their favorite. In general terms, each of these types of anti-fouling paints are utilized to provide a barrier between the hull bottom and the environment to inhibit marine growth as well as provide a substrate that can be cleaned without damage to the hull bottom.

 

There are new materials being utilized for anti-fouling applications on running gear. One popular one at this time is “Prop Speed”. This is a separate application to the bottom anti-fouling paint and is typically only utilized on the running gear (shafts, propellers, struts, and pods). This type of anti-fouling is utilized to extend the life of the bottom job as typical paints tend to wear quicker at the running gear than the hull bottom. Application of agents such as “Prop Speed” can be more expensive, yet it will extend the life of the paint therefore paying for itself in longer intervals between paint.