Something new I learned this week: anti-fouling (boat) paints do not have ANY limits on their lead content. In fact, historically, red lead primer was used on them, which contains… wait for it… a whopping 80% lead! Yeah so remember how we all thought lead paint was banned? Well, surprise! That’s was only residential paints. Boat paints have still been allowed to be lead paint all this time.
And not only lead… boat paints have historically had an incredible amount of super toxic stuff in them, because that stops stuff growing on them. Last year a decade-long-coming ban went into effect which banned a bunch of toxic components. And that also means that all current boats likely have these toxic components in them. Boat painting is such a toxic endeavour that the EPA has a whole info sheet detailing how to do it without poisoning yourself and the environment.
Sounds like something that would make a good toy for kids? Ha! Well then you might be surprised to learn that schools, daycares and playcentres all across the country love to throw old boats into their outdoor play areas! Even the Auckland Zoo had one until recently. And all the old real boats I’ve personally seen in playgrounds have had chipping deteriorating paint. 
So please spread the word on this one. Old boats are NOT safe for kids to play on. Please dispose of them responsibly.