If you stick something in the sea water it does not take too long for it to be covered in furry green marine growth. To reduce the growth special paint is applied to the bottom of boats. Of course you need to take the boat out of the water to do this, and I got to take some pictures before the bottom painting. It was certainly interesting and educational to see the boat out of water.
There are lots of important things under the waterline. They make for some boring pictures, so here are some general pictures:
A few things to notice: You can see the main prop and then the wing engine prop to the port side. You can see the metal shafts where the stabilizer fins will be attached. With the boat out of the water this is also the time the stabilizer fins will be attached. The prop has a cutting system around it so things like fishing lines or perhaps a small net will not wrap around the shaft and stop the boat.
Also you may be wondering as to the color of our bottom paint. We decided on simple black. –Eric
Our boat is white, red & black. Go Aztecs!
It looks great! I assume the red stripe will stay…
What is it about marine paint that retards the green furry marine growth? Is there something in the paint that is toxic to marine growth, or is the paint simply too smooth for the marine organisms to adhere to?
Yes, the bottom paint will start about an inch below the awesome red stripe. 🙂 If they painted over the red we would cry, it took us forever to figure out what color we wanted. Ok, actually it was me, Christi worried less about the color, which she still thinks is funny.
Good question on the bottom paint Ann. It is both toxic (copper mostly) and hard to attach to. It used to be the paints were REALLY toxic, but as you would expect, that was very bad for the ecosystem. So recently they are much less toxic. Thus we do need to spend more time scrubing the boat below the waterline, which is about once a month or so, it depends on the area. We have heard there is recent research that is trying to make even safer bottom paints.
Thanks Christi & Eric for creating the time to maintain your ‘blog’, and sharing your adventures.
May you be blessed with all your heart desires and may all your dreams come true.
Wishing you oceans of love and fortune.
Enjoy your journey,
joe
Hi Christi & Eric,
It was nice to meet you both. We really appreciated your kindness in showing us your dream boat. We wish you safe journey & adventure.
Enjoy Kosmos!
John & Erick
John and Erick it was nice to you meet you two as well. If you have any questions be sure to ask. 🙂