Coppercoat after 6 months away

[LifePart2]

Five years ago, in Portugal, we had coppercoat applied to our bottoms.

For the first year it looked like it was doing a reasonable job. But after that first year it became increasingly unimpressive. Indeed for the last three years we would have to scrape the bottom every few weeks to remove the growth, which was mostly a very tenacious green weed that would grow to several inches long. To get it properly off took vigorous scrubbing with a scotchbrite. Not easy underwater.

A year ago we had it on the hard and did another thorough rub down to 'reactivate it' as our last ditch effort to make it work. It looks the right color. It is nice and smooth. But it does not impede growth.

Last Christmas LIfe Part 2 was in Simpson Lagoon, St Martin for 2 months. When we got back the growth slowed us down by a full 2 knots.

This time we left her on a mooring in Grenada for 6 months (since March) and came back to a full ecosystem:

We have green weeds, colorful sponges, tube worms, shrimps (including a banded coral shrimp - never seen one before), crabs, a tiny 2-inch lobster, the tiny shrimp/krill/whatever that get in your hair, ears and everywhere esle, lots of different small fish, including some that are living in the water intakes for my toilets - they then get sucked up and smashed up in the intake strainer, thus blocking it. A few barnacles too, but not a huge number.

Fortunately it all scrapes off pretty easily, like a 1970's shag carpet. and then swe rubbed it all down with scotchbrites.

So on our next haulout we are going back to bottom paint. Maybe Island 44 hard?

Yes, these pictures are our boat bottom. The last one is the before and after scraping.

[Afrinus]

As I don't know the product, Is coppercoat - with no movement of the boat that can slough off stuff - expected to keep the bottom completely free of growth?
Even with newer bottom paint - 3 months - I have stuff grow on my boat sitting in the marina that requires a monthly bottom cleaning.

It sounds like it is preventing the hard stuff like barnacles. I'm pretty sure if I leave my boat with Petit SR for 6 months I will have a full barnacle eco system on the hull.

[GreenWave]

I fully believe that any boat left in water without moving for 6 months would have this kind of growth or worse. If it is all soft material I’d say you lucked out.

[madurama]

I'm curious now if ultrasonic antifouling systems works for you.

[LifePart2]

Way back before coppercoat we had Island 44 - and the boat was quite happy to be left for several months without any growth. At least for the first year. The second year was iffy and then, of course, we had to repaint. Which was why we wanted to try the coppercoat.

And even when we were moving constantly we still had to scrape the coppercoat every few weeks otherwise it was progressing to the above. I believe the growth was not really the result of not moving, it was the result of 6 months without scraping.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by LifePart2

So on our next haulout we are going back to bottom paint. Maybe Island 44 hard

Please don’t. 🙄

[dnimigon]

I find this interesting. I was about to order Coppercoat for our boat and use it. What does Coppercoat say about his. I 'd be interested to hear what they have to say. I've been on they're site and read all the reviews and also quizzed on a few sailing sites about it. all seemed good so wondering what is going on here on this one.

[Bill O]

If after sitting/not moving for 6 months you could easily scrape off the soft growth, it's pretty good. Will say a plus was little hard growth during this time.

[LifePart2]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Please don’t. 🙄

Why not? It works. What should I use instead?

I contacted Coppercoat a couple of year ago and they just said to keep 'reactivating it' with scotchbrite. So we did. But no improvement in performance.

And I want to stress that it is not just the problem of not moving. We were already about to give up on the Coppercoat way back when we were moving frequently - and still had to scrap every two to three weeks. I can't imagine that if we just had an ordinary hard paint I would have to scrape any more often than that. Each time we scraped we would gain another knot of speed, so it was not insignificant.

Also it is not zero barnacles. Just not huge numbers. The bigger problem, when we were moving regularly, was that the weed stuff was really hard to scrape off. At least this time it came off quite easily.

As I said, the first year of use was not bad at all (in the Med). See my one-year review on our blog. But after we arrived in the Caribbean in 2017 it all went downhill, and I first wrote to Coppercoat about it in March 2018, just 2.5 years after it was applied in Septermber 2015. They said to rub it down well with scotchbrite, which we did.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by LifePart2

Why not?

Two reasons:

1.- Island 44 uses tributyl tin as a biocide. Tributyl tin is one of the worst poisons ever intentionally introduced into the marine environment and even though its use was banned worldwide over twenty years ago (with only a handful of nations being non-signatories to the treaty), its deleterious effects on marine organisms are still being measured today.

2.- The entire Sea Hawk Paints executive team went to prison a few years ago for the federal crimes they committed against their customers and the government regarding their continued selling of tBt paint products after the U.S. government banned the sale, use and application of anti fouling paints containing tributyl tin.

So not only is using Island 44 morally and ecologically reprehensible, but doing so is helping the convicted felons who produce it to pay their bills.

[mako]

Well is this Seahawk Island 44 TBT paint extremely effective, or does it yield results similar to what was described above?

[Bycrick]

TBT is a very effective biocide. Maybe too effective for some situations. But it’s only been "selectively" banned. Those organizations who had sufficient political clout managed to wangle exemptions. Some legal jurisdictions decided, for whatever reasons, not to sign on to restrictions that they didn’t feel were appropriate for their situation. So, if it’s legal where I’m at to buy and apply it, I can see no reason to apply laws of other jurisdictions. Just because the eco-freaks in California decide that something is good or bad doesn’t mean that their rules should apply world-wide. Note, I can legally buy and apply Seahawk paint. I don’t because I’ve had good results with Petit Trinidad for years. But I’m opposed to the idea that I'm supposed to give up something that’s legal and effective where I’m at, so that you can feel good about saving the world.

The Seahawk people were convicted of selling something that didn’t conform to US law, and apparently misrepresenting that it did. Under US law, they were adjudged guilty. But their actions were "morally" no different than your street corner marijuana peddler or cocaine dealer. A whole lot of "good" people simply ignored those laws. Some got caught and sent to prison. But now, we’re supposed to "decriminalize" drugs because all the laws didn’t stop people from using them. And we’re supposed to let out all the felons who sold illegal grass and coke, and restore their voting rights. Why should we pillory the Seahawk people?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Bycrick

Just because the eco-freaks in California decide that something is good or bad doesn’t mean that their rules should apply world-wide.

The government of the United States of America decreed that Island 44 is illegal for sale, use or application anywhere in this country, chief. It wasn't the "eco-freaks in California." That also applies to any vessel coming into U.S. territorial waters that may have it on the hull, legally or not.

You go to great lengths (and falsehoods) to rationalize your position on this. Says a lot about the kind of person you are.

[LifePart2]

Ok, fair dinkum, so what should I use instead?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by LifePart2

Ok, fair dinkum, so what should I use instead?

I'm a big fan of Interlux Micron 66 and Pettit Trinidad. But I don't know where you do your boating so YMMV.