How to: Anti-Fouling Paint for Boat

Modern anti-fouling paints contain copper or copper oxide. They either slowly dissolve or wear away in water, releasing a shield of copper oxide around your boat’s hull that’s toxic to the marine wildlife such as fungus, algae or more complex critters such as barnacles, that might otherwise take up residence on the bottom of your boat’s hull. A decent bottom paint job might last through several boating seasons, but sooner or later, all of the copper oxide dissolves or wears away, and it's time to paint the bottom again.

Things You'll Need

  • Pressure washer
  • Paint scraper
  • 2-inch hook scraper
  • Painter's tape
  • 120-grit sandpaper
  • Orbital or palm sander
  • Vacuum and vacuum hose
  • Drill
  • Mechanical stirring paddle
  • Paint roller pan
  • Short-nap paint rollers
  • 2-micron face mask
  • Safety glasses
  • Long-sleeve shirt
  • Gloves
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clean the marine slime and marine growth from the bottom of the boat, either with a pressure washer or with a paint scraper.

    • 2

      Scrape the hull with a 2-inch hook scraper, to remove loose paint. Mask the top edge of the waterline with painter’s tape. Sand the hull with 120-grit sandpaper and an orbital or palm sander, then use a vacuum and vacuum hose to suck up the sanding particles.

    • 3

      Stir the paint with a drill and mechanical stirring paddle for at least five minutes before you begin to apply the paint. Fill the deep end of a paint roller pan half-full of bottom paint. Apply the paint with a paint roller, moving from the waterline down to the keel -- the center of the bottom. Stir the paint before you add paint to the paint roller pant.

    • 4

      Allow the paint to dry thoroughly before putting a second coat on the bottom of the boat. Allow the second coat to dry thoroughly and remove the masking tape.