Keeping growth at bay - light or dark

[Andy Bav]

Interested to know your experiences. We dont have a swim platform and legs arent antifouled, but I can get to them with a jet washer extension to keep growth at bay. Our finger pontoon is on a north / south aspect.

If we berth her bows in the legs are in the sun for most of the daylight hours, but if we berth her stern in, the legs are in the shadow of the boat all the time. The question is would more - or less - sunlight promote more rapid growth, or do different "fouls" like different (light or dark) environments ?

 

[Griffin Marine]

I always find the sunny side of the boat has more growth bit like plants they grow better in the sun .
Tim

 

[Andy Bav]

Cheers Tim.

Thomas is getting there - enjoying his Sunday afernoon toils. Think I'll have to make a start sometime this year, but I'll have a lot to live up to as he was only "a cable out" on one test answer, not sure I'd be in the right hemisphere ?@!

 

[Griffin Marine]

Hi Andy
Think you may be demoted from captain to first mate
Thomas is doing great on his online Dayskipper .
Take care
Tim

 

[PEJ]

I think it is fair to say that you will get more growth in the light than the dark.

If you keep all the light out of a swimming pool you will get no algae growth at all over the winter but allow even a little light in and it will be green in the spring. I would guess the same applies to marine growth.

 

[AllanG]

I always find the sunny side of the boat has more growth bit like plants they grow better in the sun .
Tim

I agree.

 

[Andy Bav]

Thanks for your replies.

Sunny side seemed the natural answer to me, but before the storms we berthed her stern to for the first time ever (which thankfully made her more aero dynamic to face the gales and we escaped un-harmed) but just before we left her I jet washed the legs and props which seemed to have a more solid "general growth" but when we went back after the storms they seemed to be sporting a more "leggy" hanging growth .. in the shade and the cold, hence my question

But your responses do tie in with my own thoughts so I think when we are on board she will be bows in so we can watch the world go by from the sunpad and then stern in when we leave her ...

 

[Nigelpickin]

Andy
I found that the closer the stern gear to the pontoon, the worse the growth....if that makes sense?
We are on a hammer head now and the stbd rear quarter, (most often tight to pontoon), is slightly heavyer than port.
Probably warmer and a bit less active in those areas but agree light would still be the number one factor...