Coppercoat in Caribbean, Hot and Very Live Water ?

[filaviasail]

Ciao,
please i need info:
i would like to antitouling with COPPERCOAT the Belize 43 F.P. and will cross in november 2011.
I have read in a italian forum that Coppercoat will not do is job in the Carabiem and Brasil. The problem is the hot water and the strong life of it. A sail boat of a frind have find grass, barnacles shells etc in few days...

Some yacht owners have experience in this matter?

DO YOU HAVE INFO??

Grazie 1000 !!

[GordMay]

Pettit’s “Trinidad SR" may be the most popular anti-fouling in the Caribbean.

➥ http://www.pettitpaint.com/fileshare...ds/1127706.pdf

[filaviasail]

Ok for the product but i need to know about Coppercoat in hot water ...
Ciao

[duncan_ellison]

Can't tell you yet, but I have Coppercoat and am crossing over to Bahamas, Turks & Caocos and Cuba in a few weeks.

Not sure if this was as warm as you will experience.

So far from New England down, I've been delighted.

Duncan

[filaviasail]

This forum is undoubtedly very useful, thank you all sailors who would answer me.

Thanks to the sailor who pointed me to the Pettit Trinidad SR, but how many years does this antifouling? Someone who uses it knows?
And Coppercoat is better lasting then Trinidad SR or not?
I really need to decide ...

By the way I do not find a store or wholesaler of Pettit in Italy or Europe ...

[bruce smith]

You can still buy tbt in BVI.

[sobriyah]

Filavia - coppercoat does not seem to work in the Caribbean. I have no personal experience of it but I know some cruisers who paid a lot of money for it in Europe, but they were disappointed after they arrived here.

The best antifoulings for the Caribbean have a high tin content and you may not be able to buy them in the EU now. Seahawk Islands 44 Plus works well, as does SeaJet (but I think it is a different formula to SeaJet in Europe) you could also try Ameron ABC+ which is ok so long as you are not anchored in mangroves for any length of time.

I have not tried Petit, but they sell a lot of it in Trinidad, so it should be ok, but probably also has tin in the formula.

[filaviasail]

Thanks again for the advice ...

I'm studying carefully what you all write to me.

I look forward to knowing what antifouling has the highest durability, to better explain let me know which guarantees timely paint I do not have to pull the boat dry. The ideal would be at least 4 / 5 years. Can you tell me what is the make and model with these characteristics (for the Seas Caribbean naturalkmente).

Ciao

[Mark Johnson]

I don't know about this product specifically, but assume that it is a copper loaded epoxy / gel coat?

As an environmentalist, this concept appealed to me... I used a similar product in the 90s when building my last boat (A searunner 34 tri), and found it to be totally ineffective after the first month, and the copper surface oxidized. This was in the very high growth waters of Beaufort SC. It actually attracted barnacles, as the surface was electrically conductive! (I assume because the new company had switched from a copper powder to a copper flake)???

I had put this on at twice the usual thickness and then sanded half of that thickness off! IT WAS PERFECT... This was then sanded with 220# to polish the surface to a copper penny look. It was as smooth as gel coat! Nevertheless, the critters stuck like you would not believe, because unlike bottom paint, the surface will not slough off when scraping. (which I had to do once a week, taking all day!) The copper "inside" the coating, unlike bottom paint, is forever sealed away from contact with the water... until you sand to a new surface.

With my SCUBA outfit... I tried wet/dry sanding the surface to expose new copper, but it is impossible, as one can not apply sufficient pressure.

When I later tried to paint over the stuff, the paint failed in the aft half of the main hull, where the underwater metal was. (it was bonded internally, and at the time, the boat had NO electrical system. (AC or DC!)

After several attempts I tried epoxy barrier coating the product in these areas, followed by bottom paint. It also failed! Then grinding it off, taking a week... After several re-painting sessions I ground off enough (far enough back), that the bottom paint would not fail.

It took over ten years and countless thousands of $ to recover from this mistake, but all is well now! These sort of products (> 5 brands), were popular in the late 80s to early 90s, especially with custom multihull builders like myself and many friends. Between them, I knew of the results of several brands. We ALL came to the same conclusion, after about a year, that it was a flawed concept, and painted over it with bottom paint. Among them, only the brand that I had chosen could NOT be painted over in areas, and none of my friends had trouble painting over theirs, so I concluded that it was my brand's copper "flake" VS the others copper "powder".

Now, I have no first hand experience of what is out there now, but the above past experience leads me to believe that while the copper "powder" versions can be painted over and are a good "barrier coat", they are most usefull on drysailors that are then hauled out, dinghies, or boats in such low growth but high tide areas that the boat sits on the bottom half of the time. Then the hull can be resurfaced a bit each week. I wouldn't consider it on the US East Coast, Bahamas, Or Caribbean.

Good luck, what ever your decision... Mark

[bruce smith]

I use Trinidad(petit) on my own boat, but only launch it 6 months a year anymore.
The Seahawk 44 , (TBT) ,will give a year per coat. I have used a similar product in the past, where I put on 4 coats and did not haul for 5 years. I know it is available in Virgin Gorda at the boatyard there. It is a good boatyard for bottom work as they will not bog you down with environmental lip service. I disc sanded my bottom (25 years of paint)there in the open WO any grief.

[sabray]

I have 3 years on my bottom with trinidad Petit SR used on the chesapeake and points north. Its starting to loose some benefit but still very little growth. Ive brushed the bottom a few times in the summer

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by sobriyah

I have not tried Petit, but they sell a lot of it in Trinidad, so it should be ok, but probably also has tin in the formula.

Petit Trinidad has no tri butyl tin, only copper. It is the best anti fouling paint on the planet, IMHO.

There is a reason tin paints are banned worldwide. They are very bad for the environment. Just because you may still be able to buy them in certain places does not mean it's the right thing to do.

[filaviasail]

Soon i will take my decision, i have a contact with a frind that works for a cargo ship company we will provide 25 liters of antifouling self polisching the more heavy for tropical sea. But under international regulations.

Eny of you have used cargo ship antifouling ??

[Mark Johnson]

What you are referring to is an ablative paint with the banned TBT additive. It is indeed VERY effective and legal for ships, as they are still allowed to use the stuff. (I suppose for practical reasons?)

In most places however, this additive is not, legal for pleasure craft.

M.

[boatman61]

I've had good reults with Jotun.... its used by the fishing boats around Portugal/Spain.... though to be honest no way will it last 5yrs... I don't think there's a product that will...