Applying an antifouling paint at the bottom of your boat will not only stop algae from growing, but will also go a long way in preventing the spread of harmful marine species from one water body to another. The most common ingredient in most commonly used boat bottom paint is copper oxide.

An antifouling paint that contains copper oxide works by releasing the copper over time. This copper that is released from the bottom boat paint destroys hitch hiking marine life at the hull of your boat. The effectiveness of the antifouling paint you use is not based on the quantity of copper oxide it contains. What really matters is the rate at which the copper oxide is released into the water. This rate is determined by the binder used in the bottom boat paint, the kind of water conditions you are boating in and how regularly you apply boat bottom paint.

An antifouling paint that releases the copper oxide too quickly will require more regular repainting of your boat’s bottom. It is for this reason that a paint that contains more copper oxide with a longer release time is mostly preferred. Applying boat bottom paint every season is the best way to ensure that there is sufficient copper remaining at the bottom of your boat.

Most of the boat bottom paint available in the market is soluble. The copper in the antifouling paint percolates out of the painted surface slowly when the boat is in water. Copper is mixed properly into the paint and it starts dissolving immediately the boat hits the water. As the copper dissolves, a barrier for marine life is formed on the hull when the water around it picks up all the dissolved copper. Eventually, water enters the boat bottom paint as the copper dissolves mixing with other copper molecules which spread into the water. Soluble antifouling paint stays intact even when all the copper has run out.

Contrary to the soluble boat bottom paint, the ablative paint erodes all the paint once the copper fades away. This would mean that you will have to repaint the bottom since there is no remaining paint left.

Whichever type of antifouling paint you choose to apply on your boat, make the right decision and make sure you choose paint that will be durable as well as easy to maintain. It would be better to spend a lot on buying and applying a good quality of boat bottom paint than to have a poor quality which would eventually require more maintenance and end up taking much more of your money.

The way you apply your boat paint is also another factor that will determine how long it is bound to last. A well applied boat paint will last much longer and produce a more attractive result than one that has been applied haphazardly. So make sure you take note of that. Good luck in choosing good ablative protective coatings for your boat.

Danny Ohara is the author of this article on Bottom Paint. Find more information on Boat Bottom Paint here.