Has Anyone Used Copper Coat Antifouling ?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Capitain Mike

So Where do you think the savings are Time (hall outs and cleaning is the same time) and it has to be burnished after the cleaning so if copper coat lasts 10 years

Maybe where you live, but in much of the world in-water hull cleaning is a regular, frequent part of boat maintenance. On the west coast of the U.S., one would not not haul the boat to perform a simple hull cleaning, unless one wants to pay for 4-15 haulouts per year. That being said, the savings related to an anti fouling coating like Copper Coat are realized when you only have to haul (supposedly) every 10 years to repaint. In California with typical anti fouling paints, you will be hauling every 2 or 3 years. So assuming Copper Coat works as advertised, you would save the cost several haulouts and bottom jobs over the span of that 10 years. I'd say that probably adds up to $5K-$6K minimum.

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by perchance

I thought copper was the traditional bottom coat. Didn't they sheet the bottoms of sailing vessels with copper plates?

They did but it became but it was not very ecological and very expensive

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Capitain Mike

They did but it became but it was not very ecological and very expensive

Still see yachts with copper sheathing every once in a while.

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Maybe where you live, but in much of the world in-water hull cleaning is a regular, frequent part of boat maintenance. On the west coast of the U.S., one would not not haul the boat to perform a simple hull cleaning, unless one wants to pay for 4-15 haulouts per year. That being said, the savings related to an anti fouling coating like Copper Coat are realized when you only have to haul (supposedly) every 10 years to repaint. In California with typical anti fouling paints, you will be hauling every 2 or 3 years. So assuming Copper Coat works as advertised, you would save the cost several haulouts and bottom jobs over the span of that 10 years. I'd say that probably adds up to $5K-$6K minimum.

If it does I will buy you a beer because by then I will be 80 LMAO
So are you saying that you haul out 4-15 times a year just to clean the bottom how long is your sailing season?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Capitain Mike

So are you saying that you haul out 4-15 times a year just to clean the bottom how long is your sailing season?

No, I'm saying we DO NOT ever haul out to simply clean the bottom. That is done by divers like myself, 4-15 times per year (or more) depending on location. Our season is all year long.

[SaucySailoress]

Hey, has anyone had any positive experiences with this stuff in the last few months? We were contemplating it, but don't see the benefits when, if I read correctly:

1. We'd need to haulout every year do do a scrub, whereas we can scrub the bottom every few months with scuba now anyway, without the need to haulout
2. Three layers of regular antifoul has lasted us three years - so why change to coppercoat which would need an annual haulout in order to do that gentle absrasion thing....?

[edboat]

You do not need to haul out every year to do a scrub. I clean my bottom while in the water to get the slime off with a hookah rig. The only thing that comes off is slime.

[Capn Morgan]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

Hey, has anyone had any positive experiences with this stuff in the last few months? We were contemplating it, but don't see the benefits when, if I read correctly:

1. We'd need to haulout every year do do a scrub, whereas we can scrub the bottom every few months with scuba now anyway, without the need to haulout
2. Three layers of regular antifoul has lasted us three years - so why change to coppercoat which would need an annual haulout in order to do that gentle absrasion thing....?

You don't need to haul out every year just for that, but if you do, you will find some slime and the odd barnicle, which come off very easily as you touch them.
I calculated that if the copper product lasts 2 or more years I am quids in. The earlier antifouling lasted just that and it was about 75 percent of the cost. A friend of mine got 7 years out of it and it could have been longer but he had to treat the hull for moisture.
The gentle abrasion thing can be done with a scotchbrite pad, also while in the water if you need to.
I'm well into 18 months and it is doing what it says on the tin.

[Wotname]

SS, my experience to date is the same as edboat and Capn Morgan

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

Hey, has anyone had any positive experiences with this stuff in the last few months? We were contemplating it, but don't see the benefits when, if I read correctly:

1. We'd need to haulout every year do do a scrub, whereas we can scrub the bottom every few months with scuba now anyway, without the need to haulout
2. Three layers of regular antifoul has lasted us three years - so why change to coppercoat which would need an annual haulout in order to do that gentle absrasion thing....?

First year I had this done there was considerable growth on the bottom, So I hauled it out and pressure washed the bottom giving it a mild scrub with Scotchbrite

I contacted AMC and this was there reply

AMC REPLY TO 02 June 2010 Antifoul Copper coat Failure Greece and FAQ



How does Coppercoat work?
Coppercoat is the combination of a specially developed two-pack epoxy resin and 99% pure copper. Each litre of Coppercoat contains 2kg of ultra fine copper powder, the maximum allowed by law. On immersion, sea water attacks the exposed pure copper powder, causing the formation of cuprous oxide. This highly effective anti-fouling agent deters growth until the surface degrades further to become cupric hydrochloride. This final copper form is highly unstable, and is washed away by the movement of the yacht, thereby removing any accumulating silt or slime. This automatically reveals a fresh copper-rich surface whereby the process recommences

What colour is Coppercoat ?
Freshly applied Coppercoat dries to a rich copper brown. After immersion Coppercoat oxidises to a dark, verdigris green colour. This colour change commonly takes several months, depending on water conditions. Because of the sheer quantity of pure copper in Coppercoat, it is simply not possible to produce the coating in any other colours.

What maintenance is necessary?
Correctly applied Coppercoat will continue to deter marine fouling for many years. The annual chore of repainting associated with conventional anti-foulings is no longer necessary. If, over the months, a slight accumulation of slime does appear, this can be removed by pressure washing or brushing. An annual wash or brush is recommended. Eventually, usually after several years, the surface may benefit from being lightly abraded with a fine grade of “wet and dry” paper or a burnishing pad to expose fresh copper.


----- Forwarded Message ----
From: AMC Office <info@coppercoat.com>
To: Michael Mxxxxxxxxxx <xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx> (I have removed this for privacy)

Sent: Wed, 2 June, 2010 17:25:08
Subject: RE: 02 June 2010 Antifoul Copper coat Failure Greece [Scanned]

Dear Michael,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the Coppercoat on your boat in Lefkas.

It is difficult for me to be too specific with my advice concerning the Coppercoat on your particular boat as I have not inspected it and am not fully familiar with this particular application. However, I trust that the comments below will be of some use.

It would be standard practice (and advisable) to clean a Coppercoat treated boat once a season, but as you might expect, some people clean their boats more regularly than this while others do it less frequently. It is down to local need and personal preference. Consequently if there is some slime or barnacle growth on your hull I recommend that it be cleaned by pressure-washing or scrubbing.

Clearly the performance of any anti-foul will vary from location to location and from season to season, and indeed from boat to boat depending on usage. So, while a treatment of anti-foul may keep one boat in one location completely clean for one particular season, a treatment of the same anti-foul on a different boat in a different location with different usage will perform differently. Having supplied Coppercoat to dozens of boats in the Lefkas/Preveza area over recent years we know from good experience just how effective it is in that particular location. Indeed, only yesterday we dispatched another batch to our regular Coppercoat applicator there. Of course, it is impossible for any paint company to predict the use and location of every boat, but we can give guidelines as to the expected performance of our products.

Commenting on the performance of Coppercoat in general, we know of owners who rarely need to clean their hulls - and I heard from one owner who did not touch the bottom of his boat for five years! However, at the other end of the scale I know of a client in the Caribbean that dives under his boat and cleans the hull approximately three times a year. There can be no set rules as to how often a hull will need cleaning - but it is sensible to clean the boat as and when necessary to minimize any build up. As I say, for the vast majority of Coppercoat users, a lift and pressure-wash once a season is sufficient to keep the hull clean.

Interestingly some personal friends of mine used Coppercoat on their Gulfstar 36 back in 1995. They kept this boat in the lagoon at Simpsons Bay in St Maarten for three years before sailing widely around the Caribbean and down to South America. They found that they needed to clean the boat approximately every four to six months when moored in the lagoon, but far less frequently when they continued on their trip.

While Coppercoat offers a strong degree of protection against most fouling in most locations for many years - it is not a "maintenance-free" product and periodic cleaning of the hull should be expected. Of course, the benefit is that unlike with conventional anti-foul, once the hull has been cleaned you can simply re-launch and do not need to go through the expense and rigmarole of having to apply yet another coat of anti-foul. There is also the environmental benefit of not washing and scraping off old anti-foul paint every season - as is commonly required.

Please remember that unlike conventional anti-foul (that starts off at full strength and becomes weaker by the day), Coppercoat is actually quite a mild anti-foul when new. Coppercoat increases in potency as the months and years pass. This is because it takes some time for the epoxy to begin to break down and allow the formation and release of its powerful anti-fouling agent cuprous oxide. Consequently it is usual for Coppercoat to perform better in its second year and beyond, than it does in its first year. I predict that you will see a further improvement in the performance of the coating in the coming years.

If/when the boat is out of the water you may benefit from lightly but thoroughly burnishing the surface of the Coppercoat, using a fine grade of wet-and-dry paper or a finishing sanding pad. This will expose fresh copper and increase the rate at which the copper oxidizes and becomes more active (in an anti-fouling sense). Do not use anything coarse, as the idea is to burnish/polish the surface, not abrade it to give a good key for marine life to cling too!!! This process is mentioned in the application instructions but I have to admit that most our clients do not bother. In most locations this burnishing (best completed either before or immediately after the first season afloat) is unnecessary, but is a process that you may be beneficial to your particular boat in your particular location.

I hope that this proves useful and please feel free to contact me again should your require further advice.

With best regards,

Tim.


Aquarius Marine Coatings Ltd.
multiseason antifouling 10 years protection hard wearing copper filled epoxy resin copper antifoul
info@coppercoat.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1258 861059
Fax: +44 (0) 1258 861220

It is now a year later 197 engine hours and 850km later the boat has been in the water all that time and there is hardly any growth at all though there is slightly more on the sunside which is to be expected. I hope this helps.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by SaucySailoress

Hey, has anyone had any positive experiences with this stuff in the last few months? We were contemplating it, but don't see the benefits when, if I read correctly:

1. We'd need to haulout every year do do a scrub, whereas we can scrub the bottom every few months with scuba now anyway, without the need to haulout
2. Three layers of regular antifoul has lasted us three years - so why change to coppercoat which would need an annual haulout in order to do that gentle absrasion thing....?

You left off, for many of us...

3. Dive in damn cold water, between October and May.
4. Dive with jelly fish in August and September.

June and July are OK, though.

[SteveT]

I've got coppercoat as manufactured by Aquarius in the UK and after 4 years I am not impressed. My boat is steel and had been coated previously with anti-corrosion but never anti-fouled. We thought we'd use copper coat because of the 10 years etc. We have lifted out every 2 years and on each occasion we found the hull heavily slimed and with a few shells etc. More worrying we found on each occasion the coating had completely detached over about 5 % of the hull and as the boat dried out on the hard more started just flaking off. Contact with the manufacturers was not particularly helpful and blamed incompatibility with existing epoxy coatings which is possible. However you still have to lift every 2 years at least to remove slime and clear / check all through-hulls. We are now changing over to an International product supposedly good for 2 years.
On the plus side copper coat looks good when first applied and if professionally applied with some kind of a guarantee and to a wholly new 'virgin' hull I may consider it again but so far I have not been happy with the product.

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by SteveT

I've got coppercoat as manufactured by Aquarius in the UK and after 4 years I am not impressed. My boat is steel and had been coated previously with anti-corrosion but never anti-fouled. We thought we'd use copper coat because of the 10 years etc. We have lifted out every 2 years and on each occasion we found the hull heavily slimed and with a few shells etc. More worrying we found on each occasion the coating had completely detached over about 5 % of the hull and as the boat dried out on the hard more started just flaking off. Contact with the manufacturers was not particularly helpful and blamed incompatibility with existing epoxy coatings which is possible. However you still have to lift every 2 years at least to remove slime and clear / check all through-hulls. We are now changing over to an International product supposedly good for 2 years.
On the plus side copper coat looks good when first applied and if professionally applied with some kind of a guarantee and to a wholly new 'virgin' hull I may consider it again but so far I have not been happy with the product.

I had problems similar with Wests pulled out and it was coming off in strips.
Ground off the loose down to the epoxy and some of the epoxy also was no good so carried on until the GRP, Coppercoat goes STRAIGHT over Epoxy and GRP I have had no real problems since. you dont have to pull out to clean go in the water with a scotchbrite works well.

[SteveT]

Going into the water with a scotchbrite is not so good when the water temperature is 12 Celsius or liquid mud like the Bristol Channel!

[Capitain Mike]

Originally Posted by SteveT

Going into the water with a scotchbrite is not so good when the water temperature is 12 Celsius or liquid mud like the Bristol Channel!

That's warm for the uk.

Met Office: Regional Climate: South West England

To cold? try a scuba diver.

scuba diving BRISTOL (1) cLUB - Google Search