The performance of timbers used in the construction of traditional boats in Kuwait was assessed and marine fungi occurring on treated and untreated test blocks studied. Twenty-two fungi were recorded from untreated and treated timbers submerged at Doha port, Kuwait and from collections of driftwood at various locations along the Kuwaiti coast. All are new records for Kuwait and for the Gulf region. Many of the fungi encountered are typically tropical to subtropical species, e.g. <i>Halosphaeria salina, Antennospora quadricornuta, Lulworthia grandispora</i> and <i>Cirrenalia</i> species while others are cosmopolitan in their distribution, e.g. <i>Zalerion maritinum, Ceriosporopsis halima</i> and <i>Corollospora maritima</i>. Species diversity on the treated test panels was low. The most common species were <i>A. quadricornuta, Didymella</i>-like species, * 2Ceriosporopsis halima*1 and <i>H. salina</i>. The geographical distribution of marine fungi is discussed, along with their frequency of occurrence on marine substrates. -- AATA