Keep It Simple

In a world where possessions and aspirations are king, simplicity is profusely underrated.

You’ll know better than any that nothing quite beats the simple pleasure of being alone at sea with a clear sky and an equally clear head. Should you saturate the boat with passengers and unnecessary equipment, your thoughts also begin to clog and underperform.

It’s coming up to one week after the turn of the New Year and, typically speaking, many of us are probably occupied with resolutions to ‘better ourselves’. As fun as it may be to criticise ourselves for not fitting into last year’s wetsuit, or for ‘forgetting’ that you promised to clear out the garden shed, self-punishment isn’t the answer.

One resolution that’s both realistic and rewarding is to make things easy for yourself. By removing the unnecessary from our lives, we are forced to dedicate our attention to the things that actually matter.

To really make things easy, it’s always best to start small.

Take your boat, for example. For maximum enjoyment, you want to spend as little time as possible on maintenance. We want to make it really simple for you. We care like that.

Maintaining your propeller can be an arduous task. When antifouling, you don’t want to spend all that sanding, mixing, and application time, just to dive down six months later to find a small town’s worth of barnacles on the blades.

Propcote doesn’t want that either.

With one simple application, you won’t need to worry for the rest of the season. The formula’s non-stick technology means even the toughest of barnacles will slip off with the push of one finger. Simply grab a squeegee and reveal the mirror-finish you admired on the first day of application.

Now doesn’t that sound better? We certainly think so.

For more information, visit our website, or tweet us @Aquacote.

THE HOW: A Quick How-To Guide To Green Boating

As The Green Blue put it, sailing and boating are reliant on the natural environment being clean and healthy. Keeping our waters well maintained isn’t a difficult job, but it’s one we all need to muck in to.

Follow the folk of Lake Windermere and green up your own boating habits. True trendsetters will lead by example and convert their clubs too!

1. Clean your bilge – a simple tip. If your bilge is soiled with oil, so will be the water it pumps out. Regular cleaning is a very simple solution to this problem.

2. Dispose of sewage responsibly – not a glamorous topic, but certainly a necessary one. Unless local by-laws exist, it is not illegal for boats to empty their toilets directly into the marina. A much more appealing option is using on-shore facilities, and pumping out toilets into dedicated disposal units where available.

3. Plan routes to avoid sensitive habitats – ecosystems often exist in a delicate balance, and disruption can devastate the biodiversity. Protect your local marine wildlife by finding out about the local habitats, and planning accordingly.

4. Don’t litter – this one’s a no-brainer, but it’s too often overlooked. Make sure general waste ends up in a bin, or even better, in the recycling.

5. Be a leader – point your marina manager or harbour master in the right direction and show them the Green Guides to Washdown Systems, and to Pump Out Systems [links below].

 

Washdown Systems: http://goo.gl/AlmjKN

Pump Out Systems: http://goo.gl/yDGP2u

6. Responsible antifoul maintenance – annual cleaning and touching-up can be a pain, but without proper planning, you may be harming the local wildlife too. At the very least, a heavy rope surrounding the boat is needed to collect paint runoff. Or, you could make your life easier and switch to a low-maintenance foul release system. The choice is yours!

Let the Windermere Reflections Programme show you more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1GIXM-cKY0

Want to find out more? Visit our website or tweet us @Aquacote.

THE BASICS: What is a 'Foul Release System'?

Even when the water looks clean, seawaters are home to thousands of microorganisms. In fact, these tiny creatures and plankton make up 90% of ocean wildlife. This is good news for nature, but bad news for your boat.

Unprotected vessel surfaces make great homes for microorganisms, and the rough hull attracts larger organisms, like barnacles and seaweed. All of these tiny hitchhikers are referred to as ‘foul’.

Traditional antifouling paints stop this from happening by emitting biocides to prevent these marine organisms from growing on the boat. However, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has expressed concerns about their effect on marine environments.

This is where we come in.

Foul release systems provide a smooth surface (on a microscopic level) that means micro-organisms and the like will simply wash off. Often, travelling at around 10 knots is enough to remove any build-up. In most cases, an annual cleanup is necessary, but a quick brush down is all you need, and your boat will be good to go.

The slippery smooth surface a foul release system provides is also great news for your fuel efficiency. It’s good for the environment, and good for your pocket.

Want to find out more? Visit our website or tweet us @Aquacote.