Propspeed CEO Marcus Hamilton on protecting props, shafts and bow thrusters from marine growth, plus his IBEX award-winning Foulfree.
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A problem born from a passionWhat growth really costs a boaterMoving up? Ask before you take deliveryLearn moreFrom the City of Sails to Every Waterline: Propspeed's Marcus Hamilton on Protecting What Lives Below
Some boaters fall in love with the water as adults. Marcus Hamilton, CEO of Propspeed, never had to. He grew up on the west coast of Auckland, New Zealand, running through the forest and learning to surf at black sand beaches with his friends.
"We're an island, so we naturally grow up with that island mentality," Marcus told Brian Burns on Dock Talk. "From a very early age, I was considered a water baby."
He and his friends learned to read the rip currents that pull swimmers offshore. A decent surfer, he explained, uses a rip to get out past the break faster "and beat the rest of the boys."
Anchorages, wineries and zero traffic lights
Auckland is known as the City of Sails, and Marcus's godparents had a sailboat. Some of his fondest memories come from Waiheke Island, a short sail from the city.
"Last count there were about 66 anchorages and 33 wineries on the island, and zero traffic lights," he said. "It's a boater's dream. You can sail around it, anchor up, and swim into shore for beaches and wineries."
A problem born from a passion
Propspeed started in New Zealand and is now on boats around the world. Its story began with founder Guy Jacobsen, an avid sport fisherman who, with his family, set light tackle records around the world.
Fishing the Bay of Islands, Guy kept finding aggressive marine growth on his propellers and underwater gear. At the time, boaters had hull coatings, but nothing built for the working parts below the waterline.
Guy was an entrepreneur who owned a paint factory. He brought together that business and a few friends to solve the problem behind his passion. That was nearly three decades ago.
"The problem was deeply connected to his passion, and that supercharged the way he was committed to the business, the vision and the brand," Marcus said. "That passion goes through all aspects of our company."
What growth really costs a boater
For anyone who just bought a first boat, Marcus kept it simple. If it sits below the waterline, it will attract marine growth. In Florida's warm water, that growth comes fast.
Bottom paint takes care of the hull. Everything else needs its own protection. That means metal parts like propellers, shafts and rudders, plus non-metal parts like interceptors, stabilizers, transducers, underwater lights and bow thrusters.
Propspeed covers the uncoated metal. Foulfree, the company's newer product, covers the non-metal components.
Foulfree Multi-Surface won a 2026 IBEX Innovation Award in the Boat Care and Maintenance category.
Marcus described what happens without that protection. Your bow thruster is fouled, and you are making a tight docking maneuver with your family aboard. The thruster fails to deliver, and "your cortisol spikes." Or you start the boat and an alarm sounds right away, because your interceptors "have a reef growing on them."
"It's those things that we're protecting," he said. "Ultimately it's giving boaters comfort, confidence and performance out on the water, so they can spend more time there."
Moving up? Ask before you take delivery
For owners stepping into a bigger boat, Marcus had clear advice: ask for Propspeed by name.
• Confirm Propspeed is specified on the running gear.
• Ask the dealer or yard what coating system they recommend for every other underwater component.
• Get those coatings specified before you take delivery, so the boat is protected the moment it touches the water.
He sees it as protecting your next boat, too. "Our goal is to take your first boat, enjoy it so much, and in a few years you upgrade," he said. Protecting your gear from day one helps your current boat hold its value and makes that next step easier.
Learn more
Visit Propspeed.com, follow Propspeed on Instagram, or stop by the Propspeed booth at any major boat show around the world.
Hear the full conversation on Dock Talk, Wednesdays at 5 PM EST, only on Dock Side Live Radio. Listen free at DockSideLive.com.
We'll see you out on the water.
