Bob...

I'm in New Jersey so we may be different, but I use paint with anti-slime and I had it cleaned after about 3 months and it was really pretty clean. It does depend on how often you use the boat.

The real problem is the prop and shaft. Unless someone comes up with a new solution here, there does not seem to be a good solution to keeping stuff from growing on those two items. When you run the engine, it just wears the paint off (if you paint) and particularly if you use abalative paint. I understand California has different laws about what you can use on the bottom.

When I had it hauled to clean, the shaft and prop were encrusted. If you can get under there yourself, its worth scrapping every month or so, at least, depending on your conditions.

Diver service? Doesn't exist in Ohio. We don't have a super amount of marine animals in fresh water, but there certainly is a coat of slimey algae that slows you down. Racers go over the side themselves to clean the bottom.

I did the same in Lake Mead, just wipe off the slime, however in San Pedro, CA we have very agressive bottom hugging stuff that can grow a foot a day (another Asian import). Once they get a toe hold, the hull begins to look like a floating market garden. Bob, my best guess is that you may be able to last 3/4 months with a new coat of paint before you start paying divers bills.

It takes less than two weeks for other critters to foul up my through hull (speed) impeller and stop it working. I have throught of smearing it with vasline however I am open to suggestions and advice from anyone who has another solution (Other than using the GPS).
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135 in the Cabrillo Marina - San Pedro

Here in Southwest Florida on the Gulf I have a diver go down every two months. In the winter when the sea water temp is down to close to 70 bottom cleaning can be stretched another couple of weeks. Two months after a bottom job I have a diver clean the shaft and prop and look at the bottom. In my younger days I used to free dive down on the prop about every month. I was able to clean one blade on each dive so it took a total of three dives.

If I was going on a long ditance cruise I have the diver clean the bottom the day before I leave. For steady customers the diver charges $1.25 per foot plus another $5 if he has to change the shaft zinc.

Of course a lot depends on how often the boat is used. If she is tied to a dock for weeks at a time I would think the barnicles etc would accumulate more. I know some guys, especialy power boaters, have the bottom done every month because they are not out there two or three times a week and a fouled bottom cost gas money. Some more serious racers have it cleaned before every race if they leave it in the water.