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Why do I need to get my boat Hull cleaned?

      Boats that remain in the water are exposed to all kinds of marine life and many of those will colonize the surface of your boat hull. even with anti fouling paint these barnacles, oysters and other small copapods will grow and build their homes. This build up will cause drag on your boat and will decrease you boats performance. Even when you have little growth on the boat hull itself the animals will grow on your propellers and other metal parts that are under the water.

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My boat looks clean should I have it cleaned?

       Even when you can't see growth from the surface there is often growth on the metal parts of your boat you cannot see from the surface.

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I have brand new paint, do I need to have it cleaned?

       Depending on the growth rate in the area that you keep your boat, it is recommended to have your boat inspected within the first month of being put back in the water after paint. This is because often problems like paint chipping or delamination from improper surface prep will occur in the first month and video of these issues can allow you to have any issues fixed by the painting company. Your diver can then recommend the proper cleaning schedule for your boat based on the inspection. 

 

What are anodes?

       Boat anodes are an essential part of the boat maintenance cycle as they protect underwater metals from galvanic corrosion. Also known as sacrificial anodes, boat anodes generally come in three metals - aluminum, magnesium and zinc.

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What are zincs?

       Zincs are one of they types of anodes, most boats require zinc anodes and so they are often referred to as zincs.

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Should I be using zinc, aluminum or magnesium anodes?

          In recent years, aluminum has dropped in price, making it a more attractive choice for manufacturers when installing sacrificial anodes onto their new vessels, engines, strainers, heat exchangers, etc. Zinc anodes protect well in salt, fair in brackish and a little in fresh. Aluminum anodes protect well in salt, good in the upper levels of brackish waters, but not so good in the lower levels of brackish, and decent in fresh. However, aluminum passifies (films over with oxide coating) quicker than zinc. If cleaning occurs on a regular basis, aluminum will work. If not, the aluminum anode can become “passified”, rendering it useless.​

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My last bottom painting job did not last very long, why

       The lifespan of your bottom paint can be effected by a few factors. First of all by the thickness and proper application, we recommend having the paint applied in several coats and have additional coats to areas like the waterline and bottom of the keel. These areas have the most growth and are thus cleaned more vigorously. We also recommend having the paint at the waterline raised up by several inches to ensure the bottom paint properly protects your boat. Another big factor in the lifespan of your bottom paint is how it is cleaned. Cleaning on a regular schedule will prevent the growth from removing paint as it is removed. This occurs because the longer growth occurs the more tightly it becomes adhered to your boat. In addition to this cleaning often will allow your diver to be more gentle with your paint and ensure they are not removing paint in an attempt to remove growth.