The importance of bottom painting a boat cannot be over-emphasized. From preserving the integrity of your vessel to keeping the creepy-crawlies off, there is no downside. Here is why.
Protection Against Slight Collisions
Bottom painting a boat encapsulates the hull in a protective coating. That means if you graze an underwater obstacle like a rock or piling, the core of your boat will have a basic protective coating. While you cannot repeatedly hit bottom obstacles and if you do, you should probably consider taking to boating lessons, the occasional scrape will usually not penetrate beneath the paint coat.
Protection Against Water Damage
There is always a risk of damage when you immerse a boat in the water. If you put it in saltwater, that threat becomes profound. Saltwater corrodes just about everything it touches, especially if the corrosion is due to long-term immersion. While you should always wash your boat when removing it from water, if you leave it in the water for any period of time, especially in saltwater, the toll it takes will be visible, unless you protect it with a bottom coat.
Unwanted Critters
There is a lot of stuff that lives in water that we do not see and usually do not think about. Many times, we do not want to think about it. Without protection, your boat is inundated with all sorts of stuff that can damage its surface. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Slime causing bacteria
- Algae
- Acorn barnacles
- Zebra mussels
Each of those can increase your fuel costs, lower boat speeds and if you ever want to sell your boat, can reduce the value, especially if there is staining because of them.
A protective coat of paint can ensure repel all of them and make it much easier to clean up. Additionally, you will get better fuel economy, less overall growth and your boat will run more efficiently.
Appearance
You want your boat to look its best. Having a thick coat of muck attached to the bottom detracts from that appearance and image you strive for. A protective coat of paint, because it makes it harder for stuff to grow or attach to your hull, only helps you in attaining that look you want to achieve and maintain.
Plus, a fresh coat of paint always makes a boat look better. It does not matter what type of boat. Fresh paint gives the boat sleek lines and a new life that it will not have with an old paint job.
Finally, you want to make sure you get your hull painted by experts. Having just anyone paint your hull can lead to the wrong type of paint being applied or cheap paint being used, which can lead to corrosion problems down the line.
Make sure when you have your boat painted that you work with a reputable group of professionals that will be able to assess what you need and want and match your paint job and the paint used to your expectations.