The products you purchase to clean and maintain your boat can be harmful
to aquatic life, water quality and human health. When you purchase boat
cleaning products check the labels for words such as “danger,” “poison,”
“warning,” or “cautions” that indicate the toxicity of a product.
WHAT CAN BOATERS DO TO PREVENT DISCHARGES OF TOXIC BOAT MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS?
Save major boat repairs and cleaning for the boat yard where toxic wastewater
is collected for treatment and proper disposal.
Tips for the Topside...
Reduce your use of toxic cleaning products:
- Choose less toxic cleaning products, such as
non-phosphate, biodegradable cleaners.
- Use less product and more elbow grease.
- Reduce the need for boat soaps by scrubbing
and rinsing with freshwater after each trip.
- Use canvas boat covers to keep boat clean between trips and reduce
the amount of cleaning you need to do.
- Contain spills and debris using tarps.
Spill-proof cleaning and maintenance activities:
- Conduct maintenance work aboard your boat, not on the docks or over
the water.
- Always mix paints, varnish, epoxy and other products over a tarp or in
a drip pan to catch spills and drips. Keep absorbents nearby to wipe up spills.
- Tightly seal product containers when not in use to reduce spills.
- Plug scuppers to contain spills.
Minimize emissions from surface preparation:
- Sand and paint large areas only in designated shoreside boat
maintenance areas, using vacuum sanders with dust containment bags and high-density low-volume paint sprayers.
- If performing work outdoors, do not sand or paint on windy days.
- Use tarps or visquine (sheet plastic) to catch and control falling
debris, and vacuum or sweep frequently to prevent discharge of
debris into the water.
- For small jobs conducted in-water, attach tarps or visquine from boat
to dock to catch debris. Reverse boat in the slip to work on the other
side.
- Plug scuppers to contain dust, debris and spills.
On the Bottomside…
Choose less toxic hull paints and antifouling strategies:
- Choose an environmentally friendly anti-fouling strategy (i.e., combining the use of less toxic paints and bottom coatings with mechanical means to control growth). Less toxic bottom coatings provide alternatives to soft sloughing paints that release heavy metals. Talk to your boat yard or marine supply shop about the less toxic alternatives on the market.
- For more information on non-toxic antifouling strategies for boats, consult the
University of California Sea Grant
Program.
Use environmentally sound underwater hull cleaning practices, or select a diver who uses them:
- Don’t clean hulls that are so fouled that cleaning must be abrasive and is likely to result in paint removal and the discharge of toxic heavy metals.
- Perform regular hull maintenance to prevent hard marine growth and hull drag.
- Perform hull cleaning in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations for the type of hull coating or bottom paint.
- Clean bottom paints using non-abrasive methods. Avoid creating a colored plume of paint in the water.
- Take zinc anodes back to shore and recycle or dispose properly.
Learn more about environmental
laws associated with hazardous waste.
