Why should I use antifouling?

As active boaters, we are all concerned about how our activities may impact on the environment. Fuel consumption and engine efficiency can contribute to smog: waste tank discharge can pollute waters and boating in sensitive areas can affect the balance of aquatic life. Fortunately, these effects can be controlled and minimized, ensuring a clean, safe environment for all of us to enjoy our boating passion. By taking steps to minimize your potential impact on the marine environment, you can contribute towards keeping it clean and safe for all of us to enjoy. 

Three key reasons fouling growth should be prevented: 

1. Safety Heavy fouling growth will reduce the responsiveness of your boat as well as making it sit lower in the water, due to the extra weight. Fouling can also grow unevenly across the bottom, throwing your boat off balance, potentially making it dangerously uncontrollable. This can have serious implications in challenging weather conditions. 

2. To prevent hull damage Fouling can burrow into hull coatings, opening up the surface and allowing water to come in contact with unprotected metals and fiberglass. This can cause corrosion to metals and blisters in fiberglass through osmosis. These problems are expensive and time consuming to repair. 

3. Speed & Efficiency Fouling causes drag – drag reduces speed. Therefore, more fuel or energy is needed to drive the boat through the water to maintain the same speed. For racing boats this can make a big difference when competing. However, an increase in fuel consumption will not only cost more, but will also have an environmental impact due to increased air pollution.