Mailspeed Marine's blog

Boat Antifouling Guide


Boat anti fouling is extremely important for the maintenance and lifespan of a boat. Antifouling paint is great for protecting and keeping the exterior of your boat strong and tough. Threats from the elements are put at bay when antifouling boats. This must be done safely though, as chemicals involved can be harmful. For more tips on boat anti fouling, see the following advice.

You Will Need:
• Antifouling paint/marine paint (such as International Paint)
• Primer (suitable for your choice of paint)
• Paintbrush, roller or spray (such as Harris brushes and rollers)
• Sanding equipment
• Protective gloves and respirator mask (extremely important for safety)

Antifouling Boats – The Paint
The type of antifouling paint that you will need depends greatly on your individual boating use. Faster boats will need hard epoxy paint. The paint also differs depending on the material you use it on. Aluminium and fibreglass have separate paints.

Antifouling Boats – The Preparation
When painting, make sure you are in a very well ventilated space and wear protective gloves and a mask. Keep the area protected from possible spillage as it is extremely difficult to remove this kind of heavy duty paint. Make sure you use a brush that you do not mind throwing out as antifouling paint can ruin brushes.

Boat Anti Fouling - Surface
If your boat was painted with marine paint before, you should try to remove as much of this as you can. You could do this by:

• Using heat paint remover (eg. Sand blasting)
• Chemical stripper and then sand it down manually

The idea is to get the primer and new coat of paint to bond nicely as this will last much longer.

Boat Anti Fouling - Primer
If you are using a paint that does not include primer then you will need to put on primer first separately. Every antifouling paint works differently so be sure that your primer is compatible. Before applying primer, some prefer to use a self-etching acid first with a spray gun.

Paint
After you have put your primer on you are ready to apply the first coat of paint. Use a sprayer, or a roller and brush combination. Make sure your fist coat is thin: too much could ruin the surface of your boat. Apply your second coat of antifouling paint the following day as it will take a while to dry due to its oily base.