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The importance of antifouling!

When a boat is sat afloat for a long time, marine life such as algae, barnacles and coral worm can build up on the hull. This build-up of marine growth can affect the performance of your boat and its fuel efficiency.

Anti-fouling protects the hull with a layer of protective paint, which helps to detach marine life as it moves through the water. Not a standard paint, anti-fouling paint contains anti-bacterial and other chemicals specifically to obstruct the growth of marine life on boats.

Picking up a pot of anti-fouling paint also isn’t as easy as taking it off the shelf! There is a wide variety of types specific to the hull’s materials as well as the type of water your boat is kept in.

We are often asked ‘how often should I anti-foul my boat?' This really is dependent on how often you use your boat and how it is stored.

If your boat is afloat throughout the year and is used often, then we would suggest you get it lifted once a year, cleaned and checked to see whether anti-fouling needs reapplying. However, if your boat is ashore and has had a good clean, then you may only need to anti-foul every other year.

Anti-fouling is a mucky job, but it makes cleaning off the barnacles and marine life easier - and less expensive! So, make it a rule to annually check the hull of your boat and renew the anti-foul when needed.

Anti-fouling is one of the services we provide here at Marlin, so if you'd like to book your boat in with us, please give us a call or pop in when you're next passing us in Chichester Marina.