Copper coat on a southerly?

[Bathdave]

I have followed the debates on the value and payback periods on copper coat.

I am buying a 12 year old southerly, and my question is this ..

If she sits on her grounding plate a few times a year in a drying anchorage, am I going to scrape off the copper coat to the extent that she will need to be patched each year, thereby wiping out the benefits lof copper coat?

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I know a copper-coated boat that's on a drying mooring. Doesn't damage the coppercoat but it's not as effective on mud berths I'm told. Nip over to the MoBo forum and ask Elessar - he Coppercoat's boats for a living and is very honest in his replies.

 

[Elessar]

I know a copper-coated boat that's on a drying mooring. Doesn't damage the coppercoat but it's not as effective on mud berths I'm told. Nip over to the MoBo forum and ask Elessar - he Coppercoat's boats for a living and is very honest in his replies.

Cheers OG will answer here

Certainly one or two groundings, or tens of groundings, will not effect it. It is much harder than gelcoat and is hard to scratch.

Fin yachts that dry every tide sometimes (but not always) report less success. It will eventually wear away if continually abraded.
A Southerly is likely to be better as it isnt dragging a keel in and out of the mud but I dont know of one that dries every tide. Southerly coopercoat a lot of boats from new so why not ask them.

Two points, when you get it blasted cover the keel box thoroughly, ideally wrapped in plastic or similar. Sometimes the keel box isnt air tight allowing blast dust into the boat. Secondly will need a yard with a proper way of chocking the boat with the keel down. Not all can.

 

[Bathdave]

Thanks Elessar

 

[aowen]

I'm thinking of having my 14 year old Southerly copper coated. However I remain unconvinced of the likely success of coppercoat to adhere to the ground plate and keel that is already showing signs of rust irrespective of how good the blasting process maybe. Perhaps, like me, you might consider having the hull completed and leaving the rest for conventional anti foul. I accept that for you this may defeat the purpose of having it done anyway. If it was a new boat and keel I would have no hesitation. As Elessar has mentioned, getting a yard to chock it properly with the keel down is also problematic.

 

[Salty.savage]

My cooper coat dose not seem to be working ?
The cooper coat was carried out by a company who have done a number of boats to manufacture instructions and has I witnessed
The boat is in a marina with a river running through it
There are two which have failed and two which have not ?mine is only a year since I had her done ?

 

[Ian_Edwards]

My Southerly was CopperCoated two season ago, the boat was then 6 years old. The keel and the grounding plate were blasted and then coated with Corrotech, then CopperCoat.
The hull was also blasted and coated with ME100 (HYCOTE) and then CopperCoat.
The grounding plate and keel are 100% ok, except where I've dragged the tip of the keel through the mud and worn away both coatings.
The hull is less successful, bits of CopperCoat are flaking off, circular flakes about 8mm to 10mm in diameter.
AMC just aren't interested in helping to find out why.
All the work was done professionally, in a heated indoor facility, by a yard that does a lot of CopperCoat work.
The CopperCoat worked well the 1st season, just a bit of slime, but this year there were quite few barnacles on the hull, as well as the expected slime, which does jet wash off easily.
Compared to International Optima, which I used for many years on previous boats, CopperCoat is NOT as good.
I plan to patch up the CopperCoat this year and see what it looks like at the end of the season. If it doesn't perform well, I'll put International Optima on top.
The boat is kept on a swinging mooring, but takes the ground when necessary, when I'm cruising, probably less than 10 times a year, and this doesn't seem to do it any harm.