Coppercoat bottom paint

[mcerdos]

I ate lead paint chips as a kid (hey, at least I have an excuse) - I think the fish can handle a little copper

Mark

www.creampuff.us

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Mark Johnson

The concept of totally encapsulating copper powder in epoxy resin, so that the vast majority can never come in contact with the water, and then expecting this small amount of powder on the surface to act as an antifouling, is a totally flawed concept, and scientific "dead end street"!

In case you missed Ewan's explanation of how Coppercoat is different from previous incarnations of copper-loaded epoxies:

Originally Posted by Ewan Clark

...Coppercoat is different - the epoxy base is "weaker", for want of a better word. It slowly dissolves away, at a rate of about 5 microns per year, and constantly exposes fresh copper.

[sv Shearwater]

Mark,

You do realize that CC has been around for something like 10 years and has 100's, maybe 1000's of satisfied customers? It is not the latest fad. There is clear evidence that it does work for some locations. That point is irrefutable.

Boat owners, particularly in northern Europe, seem to love the stuff.

[lateral]

Originally Posted by sv Shearwater

Mark,

You do realize that CC has been around for something like 10 years and has 100's, maybe 1000's of satisfied customers? It is not the latest fad.

You mean coca cola? Surely Its been around longer than that?
I know it can be used for all sorts of things but didn't know it was a good antifoul.

[Ewan Clark]

To Mark - you make perfectly valid points about your experience with the copper/epoxy system you used (and indeed these comments remain valid for several other versions available a decade or two back). But, what you say does not hold true for our particular system.

We launched Coppercoat in the early 1990's precisely because we could see, simultaneously, the merit in the copper/epoxy concept and the technical flaws with their execution/production. We addressed these flaws by creating a far more appropriate resin binder and by using a different morphology, purity and density of copper. The use of a blend of biocide additives also differentiates Coppercoat from earlier systems.

The results given by Coppercoat are markedly different and speak for themselves. We have been manufacturing and supplying Coppercoat for nearly 20 years now, and approximately 50,000 boats across the World are using it very happily. Indeed, some of the the earliest treatments (now 19 years old) are still going strong!

I appreciate that it is easy and convenvient for you to think (and tell others) that Coppercoat is to all intents and purposes the same as the failed system you chose, but the scientific realtiy is that it is not.

By all means talk about the failure of the particular system you picked, but please refrain from making inaccurate generalisations. Please understand I am not trying to start an argument (!) but on behalf of our thousands of satisfied clients (and the company staff) I must point out that Coppercoat is different to your system and that the product results and our company history demonstrate this.

[Capt Phil]

Wow... I've learned more about bottom paint than I ever thought I would from this forum! It never ceases to amaze me how much knowledge is collectively contained from professionals and just the average boater who use the various products. The good, the bad and the ugly of just about every bottom paint is thoroughly reviewed and done in an entertaining, though not necessarily polite, manner but the facts get out and it is fun to follow the dicussion. Kudos to all... Phil

[tomicante]

Hi, does anyone have experience using Coppercoat combined with Sonihull ultrasonic antifouling?

Thanks!

[Ewan Clark]

Interestingly the owner of NRG Marine (the manufacturer of the Sonihull ultra sonic system) uses Coppercoat on his own boat, a 50ft Hanse which, the last I heard, was in Croatia.

Here in the UK the owner of Symblast Ltd (Paul Hockey) tried Sonihull on his Coppercoat treated Bavaria, as did the owner of ARC Ltd (Mark Tugwell) on his Coppercoat treated Sealine. Both of these boats are based in Southampton.

I'm not sure that either of these marine trade professionals visit this particular forum, but you could contact them directly via their business websites (www.symblast.com and www.arcantifoul.co.uk).

As Coppercoat can not be applied to running gear (props, shafts etc.) they wanted to see whether the ultrasonic system would protect the parts that the Coppercoat couldn't. My recollection is that the results were not encouraging, but for first-hand information it would be better for you to contact these people direct.

[tomicante]

Hi Evan,


The boat will be launched in a few weeks and I already bought the Sonihull, but haven't decided on the antifouling yet.
I will talk with the guys at NRG Marine...

I'm a cruiser so I don't mind cleaning the hulls 2-3 times per year, but I'm looking for a solution so I could haul out every 3-4 years only, instead every year as I always did before...

Thanks!

[Ewan Clark]

The best person to speak to at Sonihull would be the owner, Domonic Findlow. As mentioned, he has the combination of Coppercoat and Sonihull on his own yacht.

With Coppercoat being a rigid epoxy, Dominics theory is that it transfers the vibrations more efficiently than a soft paint anti-foul.

If you are planning an extended cruise and don't wish to lift for 3 or 4 years (and are happy to dive under and scrub the hull 2 or 3 times a year if necessary), a cocktail of Sonihull and Coppercoat should fulfill the brief nicely.

[tomicante]

That's what I thought too!

I will let you know the result... Although I hope that only several years from now!

Thanks!

[stillbuilding]

Originally Posted by Ewan Clark

The results given by Coppercoat are markedly different and speak for themselves. We have been manufacturing and supplying Coppercoat for nearly 20 years now, and approximately 50,000 boats across the World are using it very happily. Indeed, some of the the earliest treatments (now 19 years old) are still going strong!

Hi Ewan
I have a largish yacht approaching painting and would love to think that Coppercoat would be a valid choice for me. I reckon i have followed Coppercoat's history in magazines over the years and have not found any substantial evidence either for or against its use.

If you do have a large number of boats using CC would it be possible to place some evidence here so I/we can be persuaded. Pics or independant assessments must be at your fingertips.

I think we are a mature enough audience to treat the material sensibly.

As noted, i would love to find it useful and am a potential customer for your product.

Respectfully
Richard

[wingNwing]

Just had a the diver's report on our newly-CopperCoated hull. He said the finish was "perfect." It took him literally about 15 minutes to do us stem-to-stern. He had just done two other boats in our marina that are on a monthly schedule; we've been in the water for almost 7 weeks and he said we were much cleaner than those other two. (A lot of variables I can't answer, such as whether those boats had gone sailing at all in the past month (we've taken 3 weekend trips in the 7 weeks) and what kind of paint they've had on and for how long. Still, I'm very encouraged!!!!

[Exile]

Originally Posted by wingNwing

Just had a the diver's report on our newly-CopperCoated hull. He said the finish was "perfect." It took him literally about 15 minutes to do us stem-to-stern. He had just done two other boats in our marina that are on a monthly schedule; we've been in the water for almost 7 weeks and he said we were much cleaner than those other two. (A lot of variables I can't answer, such as whether those boats had gone sailing at all in the past month (we've taken 3 weekend trips in the 7 weeks) and what kind of paint they've had on and for how long. Still, I'm very encouraged!!!!

Great news. If not too much trouble, I'm sure many of us would love to hear how it does as more time goes by. I'm also on the Chesapeake, btw. Thanks for the update.

[wingNwing]

Originally Posted by Exile

Great news. If not too much trouble, I'm sure many of us would love to hear how it does as more time goes by. I'm also on the Chesapeake, btw. Thanks for the update.

Sure, we'll keep you posted. There's another guy in our marina who's still happy with his coppercoat and he's in year 8 or 9.