Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
I’m very used to scrubbing from the water. I have a pair of short fins to assist, and a wetsuit. A line with a fender on the end to stream in the tide, its quite pleasant usually.
Coppercoat. Is it worth it ?
- Thread starter Frogmogman
- Start date
Frogmogman
Well-known member
I can see that is an issue for the lift keel board that are centreboarders, whereas my keel is actually a swing keel that is always outside the hull (apart from the pivot). FWIW, when the boat was lifted in December for scrubbing off, and survey, there was no sign at all of any rust. The early lift keel 349s did have some corrosion issues with the keel, so a whacking great anode was added.
Neeves
Well-known member
The last fleet of Clipper yachts was copper coated. They will not have gone through the expense if they were not sure the product was beneficial.
I inspected the yachts when they arrived in Sydney, roughly half way round the world. They were as clean as whistle. Normally they would need too be lifted and washed (and maybe re coated with traditional AF). Unnecessary with CC. This might also underline, and is also true of conventional AF if you use your yacht frequently - modern AFs and CC remain clean.
We would apply CC if we bought a new yacht - it is simply too onerous and expensive to strip the old AF off on Josepheline. I also don't mind replacing the AF every 2 years. Having a catamaran it is relatively easy to beach and wipe down during the life of the coating. Catamarans are relatively easy to apply conventional AF as the coating is applied without the need for ladders and staging.
It depends on your yacht but you will still need to replace anodes (which may mean slipping). I may be mistaken but If you have a sail drive it will not take kindly to CC and you will need to slip to treat.
Strangely, or not, a successful product usually enjoys copying - not so CC - it stands unique (or I'm not aware of competitors, except AF). There is nothing special about the copper - and would be easily defined, chemistry, particle size and shape.
Jonathan
I inspected the yachts when they arrived in Sydney, roughly half way round the world. They were as clean as whistle. Normally they would need too be lifted and washed (and maybe re coated with traditional AF). Unnecessary with CC. This might also underline, and is also true of conventional AF if you use your yacht frequently - modern AFs and CC remain clean.
We would apply CC if we bought a new yacht - it is simply too onerous and expensive to strip the old AF off on Josepheline. I also don't mind replacing the AF every 2 years. Having a catamaran it is relatively easy to beach and wipe down during the life of the coating. Catamarans are relatively easy to apply conventional AF as the coating is applied without the need for ladders and staging.
It depends on your yacht but you will still need to replace anodes (which may mean slipping). I may be mistaken but If you have a sail drive it will not take kindly to CC and you will need to slip to treat.
Strangely, or not, a successful product usually enjoys copying - not so CC - it stands unique (or I'm not aware of competitors, except AF). There is nothing special about the copper - and would be easily defined, chemistry, particle size and shape.
Jonathan
GHA
Well-known member
Good that they stuck at it ? And full marks to coppercoat for standing by their product. Seems pretty common on google to find application problems arising from company applied coppercoat .
Done properly it could be just great for a cruising boat where even just getting a liftout can mean weeks of sailing then the expense & hassle of actually finding some decent anti fouling paint locally.
Scrub once a month seems to be the way to go, not hard cruising.
Tranona
Well-known member
There have been several "competitors" over the years who have not stayed the course, usually because the products did not work. Many unhappy customers and loss making businesses - at least one crop of failures led to expensive legal action. Coppercoat seem to have cracked it. When you have a dominant player in a tricky product it is difficult for an imitator to enter the market. I have been involved with a similar situation where at least 3 imitators have tried and failed to make any impact on a dominant provider.
Tranona
Well-known member
OK, no reason why you should not coat the keel, although that is a simple job to continue with conventional AF
ColinR
Member
I found my coppercoat fouled quite badly when my mooring was on the Dart, but washed off easily enough with a pressure washer on lift out. A few years ago I sailed to Menai Straits and left her there for a few weeks before lifting out. She was badly fouled when I left the Dart, but when she came out in Bangor the hull was clean. Since then I have had a mooring on the west coast of Scotland and fouling is minimal. I'm not sure if this is due to water temperature, or maybe fertiliser run off on the Dart. But the difference is striking.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
I think the medina is bad, so I won’t be surprised if ours grows a beard. But at least it scrubs off. We had to scrub so hard and so many times on our previous antifoul that the yard barely had any stripping to do, we’d scrubbed her back to bare epoxy primer.
Yngmar
Well-known member
If your keel sinks into mud at low tide, I can tell you from experience that freshly applied Coppercoat will not be able to activate (turn green). Probably due to lack of oxygen. It will turn muddy brown and not work well. We had a shallow berth in famously undredged Brighton marina after launch and our keel would sink up to half a metre into the soft mud. You can see the effect below. We had to abrade that section again and it now works properly after escaping muddy England!
dslittle
Well-known member
Yes. Applied in 2009 and still clean.
Due to water shortages, we couldn’t pressure wash her last time out. After three weeks, I just gave the water line a quick rub down with a Scotchpad (others are available…).
I can’t recommend it enough - no connection etc etc
Due to water shortages, we couldn’t pressure wash her last time out. After three weeks, I just gave the water line a quick rub down with a Scotchpad (others are available…).
I can’t recommend it enough - no connection etc etc
mattonthesea
Well-known member
That would explain why my anecdotal research found that it seemed to work for half the boats that had it done.
Note: had it done; not did it ?
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
As Yngmar said it's not hard to apply,
We done two boats now and been happy with the results on both , the hardest job is getting it back to clear 100% GRP .
Our latest boat we brought three months ago was also CC professionally , when I hauled it out to survey it we found in three places an large heap of mussel hung underneath,
East group started at a hull fitting ,
Considering the boat hadn't been out for three years I didn't think it was too bad .
We have met people who have had problem with CC , non was a DIY job .
Some People get it in their head that CC will stop all fouling , and when it doesn't they very disappointed,
The fact is there places where CC won't work as well as others , what doesn't help is if you leave slim on the hull , as it can act like a barrier.
On the positive side even if you do get some fouling a quick pressure wash will soon remove it .
So yes CC is well worth it .
We done two boats now and been happy with the results on both , the hardest job is getting it back to clear 100% GRP .
Our latest boat we brought three months ago was also CC professionally , when I hauled it out to survey it we found in three places an large heap of mussel hung underneath,
East group started at a hull fitting ,
Considering the boat hadn't been out for three years I didn't think it was too bad .
We have met people who have had problem with CC , non was a DIY job .
Some People get it in their head that CC will stop all fouling , and when it doesn't they very disappointed,
The fact is there places where CC won't work as well as others , what doesn't help is if you leave slim on the hull , as it can act like a barrier.
On the positive side even if you do get some fouling a quick pressure wash will soon remove it .
So yes CC is well worth it .
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
Well-known member
Coppercoat is great, no more annual antifouling painting. But, it has to be done properly. The hull must be dry, very dry, as per manufacturers instructions, if not, the trapped moisture between gelcoat and coppercoat will result in blisters, lots of them.
greeny
Well-known member
Preparation and application are the key. Mine was 10 years old when I sold the boat last year and the new owner is going to top up with a couple of new coats this winter ready for next year. I was bit disappointed after the first year so I lifted and abraded the surface quite aggressively with coarse green panscrub type cloth. I then lifted every couple of years and pressure washed when i did anodes etc. Cost me 2.300 euros 10yrs ago. No brainer at 230 euros a year and no appreciable fouling all year round after the first years hiccup. I don't think it was abraded sufficiently after application.
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
Funny you said that , I remember the first one I CC and spoken to CC CEO re how dry it needed to be incase I trapped water and he said there always be water in the hull so not to worry about the amount of moisture as long as the hull was dry .
Six years on when I sold it there was no sign of any problem , we become good friends with the buyer and up to when he sold it 5 years later it was still working but no as well .
Elessar
Well-known member
It takes a few months to get to full strength so first year is always the worst. Sometimes in warm water slime can build before it corrodes and if that happens you just have to do as you did.
I read tales of people who abrade every year. They then get a first year, every year. Then they moan! You did right.
Cariadco
Active member
CC'd my boat 4 years ago, here in Corfu.
Killed me, rolling it on by myself. Needs at least 2 or 3 of you.
Applied nearly 5 full coats.
It works really well and very happy with it, providing I use the boat regularly, otherwise lots of slime (nothing else to talk of, though, but slime easily brushed off))
I gently abrade with Wet&Dry P180, every winter.
We'll see how long, before I've worn it out..!
Killed me, rolling it on by myself. Needs at least 2 or 3 of you.
Applied nearly 5 full coats.
It works really well and very happy with it, providing I use the boat regularly, otherwise lots of slime (nothing else to talk of, though, but slime easily brushed off))
I gently abrade with Wet&Dry P180, every winter.
We'll see how long, before I've worn it out..!
harvey38
Well-known member
I first used CC in the late 90's and applied it myself, the boat was based on the Thames and just got a coating of slime that washed off with a hosepipe. We inherited a boat that was done in 2010 and it's still doing a fine job in Ramsgate but patches are just starting to fail so I've just payed for 15l of CC plus a few litres of barrier epoxy. CC were happy to take the order and hold the product until I need it next year so I don't need to worry about the epoxy shelf life.
Elessar
Well-known member
Don’t abrade it! It doesn’t say that in the manual. The internet made that up!!!
You are doing needless work and wearing it out.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Our yard told us that too. Abrade every 3-4 years, they thought, or less if you’re not fouling badly.