230px|right 200px|right 200px|right anti-fouling paint or bottom paint is a specialized coating applied to the hull of a ship or boat to slow the growth of organisms that attach to the hull and can affect a vessel's performance and durability. hull coatings may have other functions in addition to their antifouling properties, such as acting as a barrier against corrosion on metal hulls, or improving the flow of water past the hull of a fishing vesselare foul-release paints for you? coating calculator, national fisherman or high-performance racing yacht. ==history== in the age of sail, sailing vessels suffered severely from the growth of barnacles and weeds on the hull, called "fouling". thin sheets of copper or muntz metal were nailed onto the hull in an attempt to prevent marine growth. one famous example of the traditional use of metal sheathing is the clipper cutty sark, which is preserved as a museum ship in dry-dock at greenwich in england. marine growth affected performance (and profitability) in many ways. *the maximum speed of a ship decreases as its hull becomes fouled with marine growth. *fouling hampers a ship's ability to sail upwind. *some marine growth, such as shipworms, would bore into the hull causing severe damage over time. *the ship may transport harmful marine organisms to other areas. the inventor of the anti-fouling paint was captain ferdinand gravert, born in 1847 in glÃ¼ckstadt (schleswig-holstein, now in germany but then denmark), who sold his chemical formula in 1913 at taltal, chile. captain alex gravert has valuable documentation about this. ==modern antifouling paints== in modern times, antifouling paints are formulated with toxic copper, organotin compounds, or other biocidesâspecial chemicals which impede growth of barnacles, algae, and marine organisms. "hard" bottom paints, or "nonsloughing" bottom paints, are made in several types. "contact leaching" paints "create a porous film on the surface. biocides are held in the pores, and released slowly."ecofriendly boating, antifouling paint hard bottom paints also include teflon and silicone coatings, which are too slippery for growth to stick. sealcoat systems, which must be professionally applied, 
Fouling Paints Shipbuilding