Marine growth on boat bottom

[larryrsf]

I have a 1974 Wellcraft V20 Steplift with a 1979 Evinrude 150. I am becoming more and more concerned as I see the ugly marine growth on the other boats in the marina where my boat is-- (San Diego Harbor Island). Wow! Not likely that any boat with that on it can go very fast! And now after a month, undoubtedly my boat will have that stuff on it too!

Obviously it would be almost futile to trailer it and try to clean the bottom. Unlikely I would be able to reach under the bunks and rollers-- And since I just had my trailer rebuilt, new bunks, that stuff would RUIN them!

My boat is fiberglass. Seems unlikely that stuff can damage the bottom, can it?

Larry

 

[jbcurt00]

Leaving your boat slipped & in the water can have other consequences beyond hull build up.

Ablative anti-fouling bottom paint will help w/ the marine growth, but you have to run the boat to allow the ablative anti-fouling to be anti-fouling. How long does it stay in the slip between uses.

 

[larryrsf]

Leaving your boat slipped & in the water can have other consequences beyond hull build up.

Ablative anti-fouling bottom paint will help w/ the marine growth, but you have to run the boat to allow the ablative anti-fouling to be anti-fouling. How long does it stay in the slip between uses.

Thanks! I usually operate it for at least half an hour every few days. But I doubt that reduces the growth on the bottom. Part of my outboard lower unit touches the water and the marine growth on that doesn't diminish! I doubt I could knock it off if I could run 60 MPH! I see other boats in the marina with heavy growth on any portion that touches the water. I may pay the divers to clean my boat periodically.

So my question is what does marine growth really damage long term? Eventually I will pull the boat out and really clean and repaint the bottom. The boat is a 1974, 40 years old. The fiberglass seems pretty solid so far, although the boat has probably been trailered most of its life.

Larry

 

[Scott Danforth]

worse than growth on the bottom is growth on things like props, rudders, etc. I know of a few people in Virginia that took their boat out, had enough propulsion to go with the current and wind, however not enough to turn around and come back. one ran aground, the other threw the anchor in and was towed.

the works toilet bowl cleaner works to remove barnacles.

what ruins the fiberglass is the manual scraping to remove the marine growth. this usually gouges the gel coat.

 

[Chris1956]

Does your boat have fresh antifouling paint on it presently? If so, the marine growth should be minimal, and should be easy to remove as the paint is very soft. If it is not painted, the marine growth will be very hard to get off. Definitely scrape the hull when it is still wet. It will be the easiest.

 

[Woodonglass]

This should be a good read for you...AntiFouling 101

 

[Scott Danforth]

WOG, the link isnt working

 

[Scott Danforth]

WOG, the link isnt working

 

[Woodonglass]

Try it now!!! Sorry bout dat!!!

 

[larryrsf]

I was at the Marina yesterday and arranged for the divers to clean the bottom of my boat regularly. The sailboat owners all have such arrangements, of course, since their boats cannot be trailered easily. They leave them in the water year-around. For my little boat regular bottom cleaning was only $25/month. Seemed like a bargain, especially in comparison with the work and mess of taking the boat out on a trailer, then trying to clean the bottom.

BTW, how would one clean and/or repaint the bottom of a boat on a trailer? How do we lift or move it around to access the areas under the bunks and rollers?

Larry

 

[jbcurt00]

Paint everything you can as it sits, then push it fore/aft on the trailer to get the areas covered by bunks/rollers.

Many tilt the boat to port & paint from the keel to the starboard gunwale, then reverse to paint the port side.

Some boats have a lifting eye on the bow, and the boat can be lifted at the bow & jacked up at the transom. Same deal, paint what you can, reset & paint the rest.

Boat shops often have lots of boat jackstands lying around so they can setup 6 or 8 stands under the boat once it's off the trailer. Then as before paint everything they can, reset & paint the rest.

 

[Scott Danforth]

what jbcurt said. to move the boat back on a roller trailer, let a little slack on the trailer winch, back up and hit the brakes. on a bunk trailer, we dunked it, pushed the boat all the way starboard. pulled it out, drank beer until the hull dried. painted the bottom. next day, dunked it, pushed boat all the way port, pulled it out, drank beer until the hull dried, then painted the strips that didnt get painted the day prior.

most boat shops have really big fork lifts to make their lives easier.