Chichester Yacht Club Magazine December 2017 | Page 22

How to keep a clean bottom, safely! - report by
Tim Walker
As the nights draw in, thoughts will be turning
to annual winter maintenance tasks and the
chore of scrubbing down hulls and applying a
new coat of antifoul for next season. It is timely
that this task has been highlighted recently by
the RYA and also was the subject of the latest
mini lecture at CYC by Tim Bannister of
AkzoNobel.
Increased concentrations of copper can
sometimes be found in the sediment around lift
Antifouling paints are hazardous mixtures that out points in estuaries and rivers, can find their
prevent the build-up of marine organisms on
way into the food chain causing a wide range
vessel hulls. They work largely by releasing
of environmental problems and can also
biocides into the water, preventing organisms increase dredging costs.
from attaching themselves to the bottom of
boats.
In high fouling areas like Chichester Harbour
and the Solent, boat owners tend to use
They are basically poisons that are formulated strong antifouling and this coupled with the
from biocides, resin, solvent and pigment and large concentration of craft in this area is
are made in Hard (contact leaching) for faster producing problems. It appears that the
craft and Soft/Eroding (controlled solubility) for concentration of copper is such in The Hamble
slower craft.
to have resulted in stray current electrolysis in
.
the river and marinas.
While this is good for keeping the hull clean,
improving efficiency through the water and
Boat owners can play a vital role in preventing
preventing the spread of invasive non-native
concentrated scrapings from entering the
species, it does mean that some of the toxic
water by following best practice advice from
ingredients leach into the water.
The Green Blue.
A growing number of marinas,
clubs and boatyards have
installed washdown facilities
which collect residues from
your boat instead of letting it
run back into the water.
Some also recycle the
wastewater for re-use,
preventing pollution and
saving water costs.
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