Sustainable boat life

As a boat owner, you can take care of the environment and what lives in the water with simple means, for example when you are going to paint the boat bottom or buy a boat engine.

Use the engine and energy with care

• Choose the most environmentally friendly engine possible when you buy a new engine, for example an electric engine or a modern 4-stroke engine.
• Ditch the two-stroke for cleaner water. They cause large emissions of harmful substances in sensitive water environments.
• Choose alkylate gasoline or eco-diesel. This is especially important when you are driving in shallow water or water protection areas.
• Charge electronics with solar cells instead of with an electric generator.
• Drive at a lower speed for reduced fuel consumption and fewer emissions. The faster you drive, the greater the environmental impact.

Protect your boat bottom without harmful chemicals

• Do not use boat bottom paint with chemicals that prevent fouling, so-called biocides, which are completely prohibited in lakes and the Gulf of Bothnia.
• Find out if your boat is painted with toxic paint. This can be done, for example, through a so-called XRF analysis or chemical analysis of scrape samples.
• Remove old boat bottom paint that contains the toxic biocide tributyltin (TBT) as soon as possible. Since 1989, TBT has been prohibited on recreational boats.

Protect yourself and the environment when maintaining your boat

• The sanding dust from sanding, scraping and blasting is harmful. Use protective equipment such as a respirator, goggles and gloves.
• Protect the ground when painting, changing the oil and doing various cleaning work. Cover the ground and the entire boat when sanding, scraping and blasting. Use a sander connected to a vacuum cleaner with a good filter.
• Do not wash your boat at the parking lot if it is painted with biocidal paint or if you use environmentally harmful cleaning chemicals.
• However, if you have cleaned your boat and painted it with a hard non-toxic paint, you can wash the boat at the parking lot.

Choose the right boat gadgets

• Replace old ropes and ropes that are starting to weather. Boat gadgets can release microplastics that are spread in nature.
• Use the right kind of tarpaulin, for example thick environmental tarpaulins without heavy metals and harmful phthalates. Thin tarpaulins tear easily and the plastic is spread in nature.
• Ask in the store before buying new cushions, awnings and other textiles. They may be treated with fluorine-containing impregnation agents and flame retardants that can be harmful to both health and the environment.

Take care of chemicals

• Choose eco-labeled products. Many chemical products are used for a boat that risk releasing harmful substances into nature, such as detergents, waxes and lubricants.
• Collect contaminated bilge water, paint residues, oil, glycol and the like and hand them in as hazardous waste to a recycling station. This also applies to brushes, rags and tangles.
• Take care of the glycol after winter storage. Glycol is very toxic, both to people and the environment.

Choose the right kind of boat

• If you are going to buy a motorboat, choose one that is as good for the environment as possible. A small boat is better for the environment and is also cheaper, both in operation and in purchase.
• Probe the second-hand market before buying a new boat. Find out if the boat is painted with toxic antifouling paint.

Do not spread alien species

• It is difficult to get rid of alien species that have established themselves in aquatic environments, but you can actively help prevent their spread.
• Always clean and disinfect the boat properly and let it dry before using it in a new location. The Baltic Sea and the North Sea are considered different places.
• Do not go boating or canoeing in sea grass. Plant parts can get stuck in the boat and spread to new locations.
• Consult the County Administrative Board or the municipality before combating sea grass yourself.
• Report findings of invasive species.

Avoid spreading invasive alien species, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency