Copper Coat - sail drive?

[TiggerToo]

Does anyone have a copper-coated boat with a "saildrive"? What happens then? They are made of aluminium and can't be coated, right? Do you have to lift and antifoul anyway?

 

[scottie]

Yes
We have C/C with a yanmar sail drive and kiwi prop this means that we can lift out and hold in slings whilst we power wash the slime take the prop of and replace drive zinc if required and oil grease the prop touch up drive A/F and drop back in over a lunch break if we have to but over night is better.
Worked this way for approx 8 years

 

[scottie]

Does anyone have a copper-coated boat with a "saildrive"? What happens then? They are made of aluminium and can't be coated, right? Do you have to lift and antifoul anyway?

Yes

But we find that we can lift last lift of the day and relaunch next morning or even do a lift and hold over lunch if we are pushed

All we require is to service the kiwi prop change drive oil and zinc if required this needs to be done annually in any case.
then spray on A/F on leg and back in
This has worked for last 8 years except this year we were out longer to sort out rudder top bearing.

 

[maby]

Coppercoating the boat does not mean you can launch it and forget it for the next 10 years - it still needs a good clean up every year, anodes need to be checked and replaced, skin fittings need to be checked etc. etc. It does mean that you can expect that the maintenance each year to be limited to a couple of hours, not several days.

 

[Tranona]

Does anyone have a copper-coated boat with a "saildrive"? What happens then? They are made of aluminium and can't be coated, right? Do you have to lift and antifoul anyway?

No problem Coppercoating a saildrive. The copper is suspended in the epoxy so does not affect the aluminium. Just having my new boat done.

 

[maby]

No problem Coppercoating a saildrive. The copper is suspended in the epoxy so does not affect the aluminium. Just having my new boat done.

Yanmar recommend against it - if there are any problems, they would not honour any warranty.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Coppercoating the boat does not mean you can launch it and forget it for the next 10 years - it still needs a good clean up every year, anodes need to be checked and replaced, skin fittings need to be checked etc. etc. It does mean that you can expect that the maintenance each year to be limited to a couple of hours, not several days.

We not been lifted the last three years altho I do go under and clean now and then , out next spring to change sail drive seals

 

[VicS]

Does anyone have a copper-coated boat with a "saildrive"? What happens then? They are made of aluminium and can't be coated, right? Do you have to lift and antifoul anyway?

As Tranona says it's a non conducting coating

However read all the bumph on the Coppercoat website, including the preparation and application pdfs.

ITYWF that the original coating should be made good first if necessary and/or primed with a two-pack epoxy

 

[Tranona]

Yanmar recommend against it - if there are any problems, they would not honour any warranty.

Manufacturers often advise against doing things when there is no rational reason. Either ignorance or just having another reason to reject legitimate claims - not that they will get any so all rather irrelevant. Any corrosion of the saildrive due to any kind of coating failure is unlikely to lead to a successful warranty claim anyway.