Wax your bottom (April 2006)
We sail in the Pacific Northwest and use our inflatable dinghy year round. We had a real problem with marine growth on the dinghy’s bottom until we tried waxing it. We’ve found that waxing the bottom lets us keep the dinghy in the water for up to four weeks without problems. Then all we need to do is lift it out, wash it clean, and, after it dries, rewax the bottom. I prefer to wax the bottom of my inflatable, in case I need to patch it, rather than paint it with antifouling. For longer-term wet storage, though, you might have to consider painting the bottom. Jim Karch
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