Summer always seems to come and go fast, and before you know it, you are preparing your boat for winter. During this time, it’s important to start figuring out how and when you want to antifoul your boat.
Typically, antifouling is vital to your boat’s hull, especially when your boat will be stored in water. Antifouling makes it so that marine life won’t start to build upon the boat’s bottom and running gear. There are nuances to consider with antifouling (salt- vs freshwater, multiseason vs standard paint, etc), but we are here to help you understand all of them.
Why Is Antifouling Important?
If you are planning to store your boat in water, then proper antifouling may just be the most important thing you do. By not antifouling your boat, you allow for things like marine growth and deposits from seawater to build upon the bottom of your boat. This can affect things like your boat’s speed and performance, as well as fuel efficiency. Accumulating high levels of marine growth can slow down powerboats by 5 knots and create a fuel consumption of 30%.
How Many Times Should I Antifoul My Boat?
How often you antifoul will be determined by how often you use and store your boat. If your boat is used regularly and you always keep it stored in water, this could be more frequent than if it was held on land and rarely used.
If you do have your boat in water often, then minimally, it should be antifouled annually. In contrast, if your boat is stored ashore, you would be safe going every other year without antifouling your boat.
For more, see: https://corleonemarinas.com/what-is-antifouling/
