Boat Painters in Texas Recommend Bottom Paint for Your Boat

October 20, 2016 5:37 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Bottom paint, also known as antifouling paint, is applied to the bottom of your boat to discourage weeds, barnacles and other parasites from attaching to your hull. Boat painters in Texas frequently recommend taking this step due to the nature of our environment and the warm weather. If you are attempting to decide whether to apply bottom paint to your boat, here are five reasons why you may find it helpful:

  • It works: Bottom paint is effective. There are gentler varieties made of tar, sulfur and brimstone, and stronger ones with tin, arsenic, and pesticides. Once, it was made of copper, but that was linked to environmental damage, so it is used much less frequently. Your choice of bottom paint depends on where you boat and the types of problems you have with parasites. We can recommend the most effective version for you based on your experiences. There is no shortage of choices in this department.
  • You are in the water frequently: If you keep your boat in the water most of the year, bottom paint is essential. When your boat is parked and still, that is when the weeds and parasites will find a ready opportunity. You can usually skip this step if you only take it out two weeks a year and put it in dry storage most of the time. Even then, it is a good precaution if you grow weary of scrubbing off barnacles.
  • Controls invasive species: If you boat in several different areas, including out of state, you run the risk of bringing invasive species with you. Since these can be devastating to environments, adding bottom paint can prove helpful in avoiding these impacts. Even if you remain in the state with all your boating recreation, there is still this risk. Sometimes, this carelessness results in fines, so bottom painting is a safer course of action no matter where you boat.
  • Enhances performance: Parasites do more than compromise appearance and risk ecological disasters. They can also slow down your boat by making it heavier or encouraging the parasites to invade your outboard engines and compromise acceleration. Without the bottom paint, you will need to clean frequently so your boat continues to offer power and speed. Bottom paint prevents the problem before it slows you down.
  • Protect a wood boat: No one wants to put in considerable effort to restore a wood motorboat, only to have it eaten by parasites. While barnacles, weeds and other pests will only leave a fiberglass boat unsightly, for wood boats, the impacts are more devastating. These parasites will compromise the hull, and your classy cruise can turn into a sinking disaster. Many wood boat owners skip this step because bottom paint dulls the finish. It may be wise to make this investment, though, because a dull finish beats a damaged boat any day.

If you are looking for boat painters in Texas, Northwest Fiberglass Inc. is here for you. We offer many boat surface repair services, including bottom painting. Call us today for an estimate and an appointment.

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