Important for your boat in order to prevent the growth of organisms like barnacles that attach to the bottom of the hull. This can affect a vessel’s speed and the durability of the hull itself when the boat is kept in water for extended time periods.
The maintenance of your bottom paint is multilayered and requires regular physical maintenance, removal of barnacles by expert divers, and new paint at least every five years. At Cerritos Yacht we apply poxy primer along with the latest regulation approved bottom paint. We use West Marine paint following the latest copper guidelines from California. This includes regulation 3CCR 6190 which governs copper based antifouling paints. For more information on the latest regulations visit the California Website.
New Regulation “3CCR 6190 - Copper-Based Anti-fouling Paints” says that “No copper based antifouling/coating shall be registered over the leach rate of >9.5 µg/cm²/day.
The regulation is already in effect since July 1, 2018
It applies to recreational vessels only. This does not apply to commercial vessels like passenger ferries, excursion vessels, tug boats, work boats, and fishing vessels.
Dissolved Copper (DCu) and associated toxicities have been found through testing to be at excessive levels in many California marinas. This is causing possible damage to water life.
All marinas are potentially affected but tests have shown toxins over the maximum allowed loads in Marina del Rey, Lower Newport Bay and Shelter Island Yacht Basin.
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has the authority to protect California’s surface waters from pesticide pollution and is responsible for continuous evaluation of pesticides. DPR formally put copper under evaluation in 2010 due to copper exceedances and associated toxicity for California Toxic Rue Standards.
While DPR is not enforcing hull cleaning and repainting guidelines, DPR also recommends that boat owners reduce cleaning of boat hulls to once a month. Regular refreshment of pain leads to a spike in passive leaching and so reducing the amount of cleaning and repainting will help protect marinas further.
