Working with Boaters and Marine Trades for Cleaner Washington Water

Clean Boating Foundation is Tracking the Performance of Non-Copper Bottom Paint

As we’ve mentioned earlier on our blog, copper-based bottom paint is being phased out for recreational boats in Washington state. While this first-in-the-nation legislation has some Puget Sound boaters concerned about whether the alternatives can really do the job of inhibiting fouling growth, the fact is that there are currently non-copper paint products on the market that can perform as well as the traditional copper-based paints.

But we don’t want you to just take our word for it. We want you to hear it directly from other boaters. We are collecting and sharing – on our Boat Owner Resources tab – the experiences of boaters who have chosen to take the lead in transitioning to non-copper paint.

We want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly about the various products so that we can all, as the boating community ofPuget Sound, make the paint transition in an informed and efficient way.

So if a bottom paint job is in your near future and you’re thinking about environmental responsibility and what you can do personally to improve the health ofPuget Sound, check out our Boat Owner Resources page for information – photos and anecdotes, along with individual boating habits and locations – on what’s working and what isn’t. You can be proactive about your choice of paint. You can also be smart about your research.

If you’ve already taken the step towards non-copper paint, take part in helping others make a more informed decision. Did your paint outperform the copper stuff you used to use? We want to hear about it and spread the word. Did your paint prevent slime but allowed out-of-control mussel propagation? Tell us about it – that’s also helpful information for others to know.

Photos during haul-out and anecdotes from on-the-water boaters will go a long way in helping other boaters make an informed decision about what to put on the bottom of their hulls. Check back in for new and updated stories – we hope to track as many boats through the years as possible.