What Causes boat hulls to look like paintings?

As boats remain tied to docks or moorings the interaction of; sun, water, ocean chemistry, currents, tides, reflecting light, algae, pH, boat paint and other elements combine with other natural and man-made additives to form a horizontal stain across the boat’s hull at the water-line. This stain develops as the season progresses and results in the formation of complex imagery and colors. (Some boaters refer to this as a scum-line.) I prefer to call them HullScapes!

My First HullScape

My first experience with boat hull photography occurred unexpectedly as I walked past the boat in this photo. From a distance I thought an artist painted a beach scene on the side of this skiff. It looked exactly like the tidal marsh along our river.

As I got closer, I realized his boat had not been painted, I was observing, for the first time, a collaboration between nature and ocean chemistry.

HullScapes(TM) introduce you to the unseen world of boat hull art. After looking at these photos, you may never look the same way at a dirty boat hull.