Abstract: The present invention relates to a new method of protecting the hulls of marine vessels from fouling. The inventive method involves the application of thin metallic films to the hull of a boat. The inventive method includes the use of various techniques for application of the film, techniques for preventing the touching of dissimilar metals, techniques for insuring that dissimilar metals are insulated and isolated from one another, insuring that active or passive cathodic protection systems are not on the same surface plane as the attached films and other techniques. The specific materials which are applied to the vessel hull as well as their various parameters in the environment of the present invention are disclosed.