Coppercoat - good idea?

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MBullock

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Hi,
I'm sure this has been discussed more than enough... so excuse me for asking again. I've read in a couple of threads about folk with CopperCoat so thought I'd ask for experiences. We have a 17m boat with 9yrs of old antifoul on her. This coming winter we need to have her hauled and some under water hull cracks ground out and repaired. Therefore, I was considering a complete removal of the old Anti-Foul (any opinions on Soda Blasting v's manual scraping??) - and wondering about replacing with CopperCoat. We are planning on heading away form UK in 2016 with no return date - initially into the Med until we've seen enough then across the Atlantic/Pacific etc. - so Copper coat appears to be good value.

So, a) Does it work as advertised, b) do you need to repair or reapply regularly, c) how many years does it 'last' or do you just 'top up' like traditional anti-foul?

Thanks,
 
We had our boat Coppercoated in 2003. During a circumnavigation 2006 - 2012 we found that there were some high fouling areas where we had considerable growth of calcareous wormy stuff (Chaguaramos in Trinidad comes to mind) but then so did everyone else with conventional antifouling. Occasional diving/snorkelling coped with slime. By then end if our trip, some areas were wearing thin, some of which we retreated, but the cost of Coppercoat would seem to have been recouped in not having to repeatedly antifoul.
 
MBullock said:
Hi,
(any opinions on Soda Blasting v's manual scraping??)

So, a) Does it work as advertised, b) do you need to repair or reapply regularly, c) how many years does it 'last' or do you just 'top up' like traditional anti-foul?
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There are many threads on the subject, especially on the PBO forum. I suggest you try a search.
Elessar of these forums applies the stuff professionally. I feel certain he will respond to a PM.

Your questions:
I would not even think about hand scraping 9 years worth of antifouling from a 17 metre boat. Even our 10.6 metre one took us most of a winter. Blasting has to be the only practicable way, unless you have lots of strong volunteers.

a) For most people, yes. There are some failures, sometimes to do with the way it was applied or some unknown reason.
b) Never. It just goes on working. Advice from the makers is that it may need a very occasional (3-4 years) rub over with a mild abrasive but this has not been our experience.
c) Sarah Norbury, ex editor of PBO, has had Coppercoat on the hull of her family boat for 17 years. We had some for 10 years on our keel, still working but rust beneath forced us to replace it. There are many boats with successful histories of using it for 10 years or more.
 
Thanks, it was first hand experience that I was seeking. I don't think I've heard a really bad comment on CopperCoat yet.

Re the scraping thing. We (Wife and I) did a 32' yacht ourselves and it was *hard* work so the thought of hand scraping the 57' isn't an apprealing one. However, someone mentioned that soda blasting can damage the original gelcoat!? Hence, a quick ask for experiences on that one. Perhaps I should try the PBO forum?

cheers,
 
MBullock said:
Thanks, it was first hand experience that I was seeking. I don't think I've heard a really bad comment on CopperCoat yet.

Re the scraping thing. We (Wife and I) did a 32' yacht ourselves and it was *hard* work so the thought of hand scraping the 57' isn't an apprealing one. However, someone mentioned that soda blasting can damage the original gelcoat!? Hence, a quick ask for experiences on that one. Perhaps I should try the PBO forum?

cheers,
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No. Blasting does not damage the gel coat. It is a proven method of preparing a hull for epoxy coating and Coppercoat. You need to find a specialist to do it and the Coppercoat people will be able to advise somebody in your area. it is perhaps best to get it professionally applied, although it is possible to DIY. Most of the cost is in preparation, blasting, making good, epoxy coating and final application - the cost of the coating is relatively small.

Best approach is to find a contractor recommended by Coppercoat and discuss your requirements with them to get a better idea of the costs of different levels of service.
 
We had our 15m boat professionally Coppercoated in Preveza (Les Woods). He was recommended to us by Coppercoat in the UK. Les prepared the hull and applied the c coat. Great job! Apart from the obvious anti fouling properties your hull benefits from several coats of epoxy. The finished job was a joy to behold. Beware of DIY. We spoke to a couple in Preveza who had DIY'd their hull with c coat some three years earlier and we're suffering from bubbling where their old antifoull had not been thoroughly removed before the c coat had been applied. Each year theŷ haul out to deal with the bubbles but without stripping back they can't make a long term fix. They said that with the benefit of experience they should have had it done professionally. We hauled out in Turkey last October, there was only a thin coat of slime which fell of when blasted.
 
I researched the feedback pretty thoroughly before Copper-coating last year. My personal experience is too short to be of value to you but I did learn two things which may be of interest.

1. Coppercoat is not a 100% effective solution,(but then what is?) you will still get slime and some growth at times, but it relatively easy to to dive and scrub off or have it jet blasted from time to time.
2. Some people have very bad experiences and it is difficult to establish why.

On balance I decided the investment was worthwhile and made the decision to go ahead following detailed and frank discussions with friends and fellow boat owners who had several years of experience with Coppercoat.
 
Many thanks all - interesting replies from all :)

One thought, if it needs an Epoxy barrier then presumably the hull must be completely dry (as per Osmosis treatment?). Therefore, I'm wondering if this is best done outside of the UK or am I being paranoid about the hull moisture levels for an Epoxy coat? thanks all!
 
MBullock said:
Many thanks all - interesting replies from all :)

One thought, if it needs an Epoxy barrier then presumably the hull must be completely dry (as per Osmosis treatment?). Therefore, I'm wondering if this is best done outside of the UK or am I being paranoid about the hull moisture levels for an Epoxy coat? thanks all!
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You can put a separate epoxy coat on the hull before applying the Coppercoat, but this is not a prerequisite. Coppercoat is a water based two part epoxy with copper added. Many boats have been Coppercoated successfully in the UK. Obviously it is easier to arrange a nice sunny day in the Med.

Here is a link the application instructions

http://coppercoat.com/coppercoat-info/application
 
ok thanks again. I had a look at the application instructions last night and also found a couple of local 'slurry' blasters with yacht experience together with a thread in the PBO forum. Sounds good, added to the list (that is already too long for my liking! :))
 
MBullock: if you do decide on an epoxy barrier coat (and if the hull is dry it would make sense although it is by no means a Coppercoat requirement), I'd suggest you discuss this with AMC, the Coppercoat people. They sell an excellent range of barrier coat products and and excellent epoxy primer at far less cost than, say, alternatives from International et al.
 
We had our catamaran slurry blasted in Largs Scotland. Epoxy coated then coppercoated all done in a covered workshop profesionaly (spelling). Every two years we hauled out and had her pressur washed .

Job done.

The important thing is Everything has to be removed off the hull below the water line by a team who know there job. Be critical around skin fittings. Also on leading edges and above below the rudders.

Good luck
 
We C Coated our hull last year , DIY no problem but we have found what I call white worm , not sure the right name for it , on small areas on the hull , and I also notices quite a few other boat that's had C Coat with the same problem just small patches around the water line .
We winter out in Licata this winter , which is horrendous for fouling in 27 years I have never seen it so bad , some boats within months where so bad you couldn't see the rudders , boat had to be towed from there berth in march as there couldn't move , but when we got pulled out in Tunisia to get some work done on the prop all we had is the white worm in small patches , so far we are happy with it , ask me again in five years time .
 
Further to earlier comment, we did experience particularly heavy fouling on and around the sintered copper plate which was the ground for the SSB. I asked Coppercoat about it but hey had no explanation.
 
blenkinsop said:
Further to earlier comment, we did experience particularly heavy fouling on and around the sintered copper plate which was the ground for the SSB. I asked Coppercoat about it but hey had no explanation.
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That's an interesting one, space for a small thread drift? There has been a thread on the forum quite recently about the effects of galvanic corrosion on copper, with several suggestions that having a zinc anode connected to copper destroys its antifouling properties. It may be that the effects of current on your plate are similar. It seems that galvanic action prevents the formation of copper oxide, which is the antifouling compound.
 
Coppercoat on Rampage is now 14 years old. We abraded it slightly 2 years back and it is still doing an excellent job. It is now just starting to show signs of thinning in places so a new coat is on the to do list for next winter or the following one. Advice from the makers on that is simple: power wash, allow to dry and then lightly sand to provide a good key for the new coat. Even in Sant Carles de la Rapita marina last year, a place renowned for the high quality of it fouling, the hull was basically clean (slimy yes but very few animals); it was a startling comparison to the Saildrive leg, which has no antifoul and was deeply covered with mussels and the like.
 
It's not at al a bad idea to consider doing it outside the uk, where (since you're headed south...) the weather is often warmer/drier.

Your aim is to get to a dry and slightly roughened smooth surface before applying. I have used Removall 610 in the past with good results.. but in any event you will likely need a decent power sander - and preferably someone else using the thing, probably with about 80-grit discs.

The stuff turns up in lots and lots of small bottles. Whilst applying it, you need one person dedicated to mixing, and more mixing. Easiest DIY option seems to be to apply out of a tray, with a roller, on a stick. You go round and round the boat as fast as possible, first coat is rubbsh and worrying, then it starts to go nice and copper colouredand the tackiness helps the next coat stick nicely. I had enough to do four coats and maybe five at the waterline

I amguessing that you'll need ooh, say 35packs of the stuff cos that's what i used on 50ft cat. Each pack is a bottle of base, hardener and powdered copper. You mix the stuff up, and you have pot life of say 10-20 mins depensing on the weather.

You need to leave it some time to dry out. They *say* you should sand/scotchbrite the finished surfacef, but it's not really hard enough, I think. I put the boat in the water without any sanding about 2 days after applying it.

The next time the boat is out of the water... then you can sand it - and it is hard as heck! MUCH tougher than any paint. To make any impression we needed power sander and 40grit discs.

You can touch it up, but mine stayed good for over five years and counting.

Yes, there'll be some slime and sometimes there will be some crusty stuff that attaches... but the key thing is that you can jetblast or dive+scrape with almost no damge to the copper coat. As one guy said to me.. putting four+ coats of epoxy on to the hull - how can that be a bad idea, really?

Good luck. No idea bout slurry blasting, sorry.
 
One other good reason why to put copper coat on is, more and more yards have started to stop people doing there own antifouling and the cost of letting someone else do it can be very high . And you will save on hauling fee too
 
Thanks all for replies. I was pretty much set on getting it done but this has helped my thinking and planning for how/when etc. :)
 
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