BIOSECURITY - Only half the picture?

[Kurlie1]

Slightly off topic!



First tried to introduce in 2003
ttps://teara.govt.nz/en/cartoon/17915/the-fart-tax


It is only a discussion

Destined to receive the same dismissal



https://modernfarmer.com/2022/07/new...emissions-tax/


Still hoping to hear from any who use a drive-in-boat wash (or similar.
There is a NZ company who is seeking partnership in this system.


https://www.parkermarinegroup.co.nz/...oatwash-system

[valhalla360]

I didn't bother to read the article but just saw the headline for the "cow fart tax" a few days ago, so very much relevant.

NZ seems to take the lead on extreme measures.

Realistically, unless you are scrubbing the bottom with sandpaper (which would be stupid with ablative paint), it's not really a big issue. Mostly, those "rich decadent cruisers" are easy political targets. Who's going to go to the mat fighting for them?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

I didn't bother to read the article but just saw the headline for the "cow fart tax" a few days ago, so very much relevant.

NZ seems to take the lead on extreme measures.

Realistically, unless you are scrubbing the bottom with sandpaper (which would be stupid with ablative paint), it's not really a big issue. Mostly, those "rich decadent cruisers" are easy political targets. Who's going to go to the mat fighting for them?

As I said the feedback I getting from the marina here is that antifoulinc removal will have to be limited to a specific containment area. This area will prevent runoff issues and groundwater contamination.

The issue of course is the containment area will be smaller then the number of boats looking to anti fouling and there are serious extra travel lift costs to move the boat there and back.

€€€€ for the yard , they seem to be happy.

[boatman61]

Welcome to the new era of Careening..

[Wotname]

Fellow cruisers - please check your charts and tack away from the way off topic shoals or else this otherwise interesting thread will have to close...

Marine growth on the hull = ON topic

Cow farts and the like = OFF topic

OFF topic = Closed Thread.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Welcome to the new era of Careening..

Yep with a fin keel and spade rudder , I think careening is now called down flooding !

[rslifkin]

This doesn't impact paint leaching or ablating while the boat is in the water, but at the yard where we store for winter, they have a drain with containment system in the concrete area where boats get powerwashed after haulout. So whatever paint, etc. comes off gets trapped for later disposal rather than being dumped into the water or absorbed into the ground.

For sanding or scraping when painting, you either have to use an effective vacuum system, or tarp and tent under the boat so the residue gets collected and doesn't end up on the ground.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

As I said the feedback I getting from the marina here is that antifoulinc removal will have to be limited to a specific containment area. This area will prevent runoff issues and groundwater contamination.

The issue of course is the containment area will be smaller then the number of boats looking to anti fouling and there are serious extra travel lift costs to move the boat there and back.

€€€€ for the yard , they seem to be happy.

I guess maybe the USA is on the heavy handed side.

Most boats coming out for the season get a blast from the power washer while in the slings and the bottom is still wet to get most of the crud off (made the mistake of saving the $50 one time and it was a bear once it was dried on). If you want to sand or otherwise strip the bottom paint, it's nothing new that you have to tarp and catch the residue.

Yes, the marinas prefer rules that discourage DIY.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Yep with a fin keel and spade rudder , I think careening is now called down flooding !

Your choice.. your pain in the wallet..

Long and bilge keepers rool..

[Tupaia]

We (they) should be more worried about the effects of microplastics than the tiny amount of antifouling from yachts. What shampoo do you use on board? What domestic cleaning products do you use on board?



In fairness there are currently only 15 countries, including NZ who have banned microbeads but only in rinse off cosmetics. They also exist in a myriad of other products particularly cleaning products and paint. Pretty sure the amount of sunscreen containing microplastics consumed by charter guests is massive.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Kurlie1

Greetings all.

I'm interested in your thoughts on this topic. Here in NZ .. and I'm sure in many other parts of the world .. the boating population is currently under intense pressure to up it's game relating to the environment. All marinas and many cruising destinations are deanding recent paperwork relating to hull cleanliness before allowing access.

https://www.marinepests.nz/


Whilst I applaud the move in this direction I feel the pressure is not focussing on enviromental solutions.
Vis-a-vis "paint poison on your hull to kill the pests" ??

Our club/marina is currently investing big dollars to upgrade haul-out and cleaning facilities but still the ablative antifoul bottom paint is the "general" solution ..

What are we doimg to the overall marine environment by leaching toxins?

Yes .. I know of Coppercoat .. and have used it on a previous boat

I see some evidence of (overseas) opperations the use hull cleaning systems - NO antifoul paint allowed

Help me out here.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
What does your club/marina/Council (marine authority) promote as a solution to the MAJOR issue of maritime hygene?

I feel guity everytime I dive on my hull - or beach clean (ablative paint) to brush off the accumulating film of mud (The river where my boat lives has a very high sediment-in-suspension content.

thanks

Kurlie1, It was a little hard for me to grasp the nub of your post. (and the link you gave was a book, no, several books, and I just don't have the interest, or time, to sort through all of that).

But I guess you are concerned about use of ablative antifouling paint and wonder what we think of it or what have been our experiences.

In the first place I don't even know whether the paint I'm using is hard or soft. It does not say on the can or the data sheet. But I'd use a hard paint if I could choose since I think it leaves less antifouling toxins in my wake. Is that true? I used to use Regatta Baltoplate which was definitely a hard paint. It is not available where we are now.

So the first thing that could be done is to boil down a lot of disparate information into something that makes sense and is readable for us boaters: What is best for the environment, how effective is it, and what does it cost? I'd like to have a better handle on those issues.

Secondly regarding cleaning, or regular automated cleaning in lieu of antifouling paint? Is that a workable solution and is it economically viable for a boater like me?

Finally, I think we could use some help from some of the boating organizations. We need to communicate to governmental organizations (and to ourselves) some commons sense facts:

• Relative to commercial shipping and runnoff from farming, are boaters a significant part of the problem?
• If antifouling paint is no longer permitted, and other methods are impractical, is our society ready to ban boating altogether?

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Long and bilge keepers rool..

Oh no, he only bought the base model, whilst the delux models come with twin keels

Questions for Kurlie and others.

Q1 is this a real problem? After all what percentage of boats in NZ are trailer sailors or speed boats that don't need antifouling.

Q2 Do NZ power boats generally use hard antifouling rather than ablative?

Q3 Does this mean only the few yachts that do use ablative paint are a problem?

Q4 How does this fit with NZ people being one of the most travelled nations. Would it be better if New Zealanders sailed in yachts with copper coat or hard paints rather than fly everywhere.

Pete

[Calif.Ted]

They are concerned about invasive species in the SAME ocean on the SAME island on boats ? I'm not seeing how that can be a threat or even exist.

[Opie91]

Containment areas for pressure washing are pretty much the rule in Connecticut, USA due to local clean marina regulations.

In the past the pressure washer run off would flow back into the water but now there are washdown areas with drains that go to a holding tanks. The waste material is pumped out and taken to a hazardous materials processing center (no idea how they make it ok)

The cost to get pressure washed has gone up about 50% over the past 10 years. That doesn't seem like such a big deal to me.

[Tetepare]

Part of my research includes tracking of invertebrates, which invariably includes (must include) doing likewise for plants and pollutants.

OP asked What does your club/marina/Council (marine authority) promote as a solution to the MAJOR issue of maritime hygene?

Wingsail said Relative to commercial shipping and runnoff from farming, are boaters a significant part of the problem? And Pete7 rather echoed this.

The answer to a question is often another question, which in my research field drives me insane, but it's merited.

The answer to OP's question is: NOTHING.

The reasons are inferred by the other questions asked.

In Lake Ontario the ecological damages arise from, in order:
1. Agricultural nutrients
2. Urban areas dumping billions of gallons of raw waste every time it storms
3. Introduction of non-native species by container ships
4. Spreading of non-native plants by small fishing boats

#1 and #2 nothing is being done. Agriculture is the big tax payer, and it's only growing, so the problem will get worse. Raw sewage from cities, well it's illegal but who's prosecuted? Nobody. Nor will anyone invest the money to fix it.

#3 has been mitigated by dumping ballast water before entering the lakes, and #4 by education of fisherman and providing standards for dumping bait tanks and cleaning the boat, though it continues to be a problem.

These problems may not be unique to our area, but they probably don't reflect the situation in every port. So one must evaluate at the local level.

In any event, the impact of pleasure boats would be astonishing IF we were to see suddenly what it looked like 300 years ago, and then snap into today. However, compared to the damage done, and currently occurring, pleasure boats are nothing.