Sacrificial hull panels for composting

A boat that spends a lot of time in the ocean has to have it's hull coated with anti-fouling paint to keep sea life from growing on it. Of course no coating is perfect and life finds a way to attach itself and survive. This means that you are scrubbing your boat on a regular basis, with your latitude determining more or less often. In addition, the coatings have to be removed so that a new coat of anti-fouling paint can be applied. This is an awful job that is harmful to everyone involved. But there can be a better way.

Instead there should be thin wood panels with a non-poisonous coating that can be vacuum sealed to the hull. When attached they mold to the exact hull shape and protect the original hull, while only adding a small amount of weight. Of course they need to be scrubbed on a regular basis, but they keep the sea life on the outer skin rather than poking through to the fiberglass underside. Then, on a bi-yearly or yearly basis, they are removed, ground up with all the creatures that attached themselves to them, and fed to the compost/fertilizer heap. These animals would add all sorts of nutrients to the composting and keep a bunch of toxic chemicals from polluting our waterways. Not to mention the number of boatyard workers that end up dealing with the dust from boats being sanded when they are on the hard. After all, the person sanding is wearing all the PPE but the anti-fouling dust ends up in the dirt of the yard. Not good for anyone.

Now these are not made for racing boats or anyone worrying about weight penalties, but for trawlers and cruisers. Or even self-sufficient seasteaders that are plying the open seas. These panels could use a fast growing wood, or a grass like bamboo, so that the wood can be produced in an ecologically sensitive manner and be ready for each new season of paneling.