Coppercoat - Pros & Cons

Suggest you make sure that those keeping their boats near yours are happy with the performance of CC before applying it.
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In retrospect my earlier comment maybe a little harsh but I speak as I find and I certainly agree with the above.
You only need to look at the Antifoul review in PBO to see that geography makes a huge difference.

The other aspect is obviously how much the boat is used.
We had a customer complain about his self polishing antifoul and the fact it didn't work.
Trouble was he only actually left his berth on four weekends last year for day sails, each time in benign conditions as his swmbo refuses to go out if there are any waves, I doubt he got over 4 or 5 knots.
 
God I started to wish I never kick this thread off again .
Off cause CC isn't for every one , some just love the messy job of cleaning there bottom and painting each year then entering them self for the best smurf competition , other come out every year any way , and others just got so money they pay some one to do it for them .
and has we all know in some part of the world it don't work very well ,
but To us it make perfect sense , has I may have said before it cost us 1000 euros at that time 850 pound , we DIY it out self that was in 2012 , we been in the water ever since .
Taken in account the cheepers haul out around these parts are around 180 each way , not many of them about more like 500 euros for in and out , leaving that to me side pressers wash 60 plus around 90 euros a Tin of paint , which we would need at less two .
Then there the roller , trays , overall cleaner , rubbing paper let alone the entry fee for the Smuft competition . That add up in my books 620 then we have to times that by three years , if my sums are right , that 1860 so in reality we 860 better off in just three years .
We not planning to come out for another three years unless there a problem , In which time it would had paid for it self five fold .
 
sailaboutvic said:
some just love the messy job of cleaning there bottom and painting each year then entering them self for the best smurf competition .
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Hi Vic,
We have just started scrapping ready to Copper-coat. But when you and I discussed my intentions of Copper coating Miyagi Moon you did not point out that I could no longer join the Smurf competition. Now I've got some serious thinking to do. Last time I came second and was hoping to top that when next anti-fouled.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Won't you need that anyway for your annual deslime and burnish?
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No . She get done in the water while having a swim and for further down I dive to do the keel. But then again , it's warmer here , not sure I fancy getting in the East Coast back home :)
something to take into concentration , more and more Marina are now saying you can't work in their yards , so them to antifouling becomes eye watering .
 
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miyagimoon said:
Hi Vic,
We have just started scrapping ready to Copper-coat. But when you and I discussed my intentions of Copper coating Miyagi Moon you did not point out that I could no longer join the Smurf competition. Now I've got some serious thinking to do. Last time I came second and was hoping to top that when next anti-fouled.
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I see your out already , well done , we found a small problem with the sail drive , but sorted now .
Oh and cobs going well , except they won't let us BBQ in the yard .
Thinking of sailing to India with you .
 
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I had my 45' motor boat coppercoated last year. works really well, after first liftout the thin layer of slime easily washed off. the only problem I have is the applicators did not properly prepare [fairing] the shotblasted gel coat. after the application of 2 coats of epoxy and then five coats of coppercoat, I still have pinholes showing through. with such a robust covering [7 coats of epoxy] the continued presence of pinholes will create problems I am sure with either the coppercoat bubbling off or even worse isolated spots of osmosis [water getting behind the 7 coats has no way of getting out now]. i am so angry with the professional i paid thousands to for doing this job but am not really getting the answers from them i need.
 
Way I look at it, my labour is worth at least £100 per hour, the same as a garage mechanic is charged out at. So lift out and relaunch is £140, the antifoul is £90 , the labour on my 35footer is maybe 2 hours so the cost is £430 per season for conventional. 10 year life on my coppercoat meant that the cost is £300 per annum. So on the basis of lazymanmaths, coppercoat wins. And thats ignoring the 10 year chore of scraping off the trad antifoul.

And if you have a bilge keeler it wins x 2 because you no longer have to lie on the ground between the keels scrubbing off and then re-applying paint.

Coppercoat is not a better antifoul but applying it to your boat is IMO a no brainer. FFS who is weird enough to enjoy antifouling?
 
michael fesler said:
I had my 45' motor boat coppercoated last year. works really well, after first liftout the thin layer of slime easily washed off. the only problem I have is the applicators did not properly prepare [fairing] the shotblasted gel coat. after the application of 2 coats of epoxy and then five coats of coppercoat, I still have pinholes showing through. with such a robust covering [7 coats of epoxy] the continued presence of pinholes will create problems I am sure with either the coppercoat bubbling off or even worse isolated spots of osmosis [water getting behind the 7 coats has no way of getting out now]. i am so angry with the professional i paid thousands to for doing this job but am not really getting the answers from them i need.
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Sorry to hear this.

Firstly, are you completely sure the pinholes will result in eventual problems with osmosis (did you have any osmosis beforehand)? Have you had an independent professional opinion?

Secondly, if it is going to be a problem, its not surprising the 'pro' you paid has gone all quiet! It might be something you'll eventually only resolve through legal action, but this is stressful and costly (small court claims if applicable limit damages to £5k if I recall correctly) and there's no guarantee.
 
Babylon said:
Sorry to hear this.

Firstly, are you completely sure the pinholes will result in eventual problems with osmosis (did you have any osmosis beforehand)? Have you had an independent professional opinion?
Secondly, if it is going to be a problem, its not surprising the 'pro' you paid has gone all quiet! It might be something you'll eventually only resolve through legal action, but this is stressful and costly (small court claims if applicable limit damages to £5k if I recall correctly) and there's no guarantee.
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he lesson I've learnt from this and my advice to anybody else doing it to an older boat, is the accept gracefully "the extra' cost of fairing but to inspect that fairing prior to the application of any other coverings. The company i used obviously did not quality control the subtrate prior to application of coverings - that's where i went wrong.
 
Hello Michael,

The problem lies with the folks who did the job; the coats they applied were too thick. This is easily avoided by diluting the product up to 20% as stated by CC. Take a bit longer to dry off but the result is no pinholes I've done CC on 2 boats now and frankly, I will dilute to 20% in all cases from now on... need to do a bit of a repair next month due to incompetence of the initial applicators.

GL
 
Monique said:
Hello Michael,

The problem lies with the folks who did the job; the coats they applied were too thick. This is easily avoided by diluting the product up to 20% as stated by CC. Take a bit longer to dry off but the result is no pinholes I've done CC on 2 boats now and frankly, I will dilute to 20% in all cases from now on... need to do a bit of a repair next month due to incompetence of the initial applicators.

GL
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Hi Monique, having already repaired around the scum line where the lazy gits did not sand down the scum and numerous other repairs, mu bottom is looking like a patchwork quilt. I worry about re-sell time, so I will probably haul her out next year and give her another five coats all over after a thoroughly good sanding. It just pithes me off these those responsible won't stand up to the plate and help. It beggars belief that 2 epoxy plus 5 coppercoat couldn't be manage to cover up these pinholes - reality is they should have been faired before the epoxy went on.
 
Norman_E said:
The jury is out on mine. Launched with new Coppercoat in April last year, but plenty of hard fouling visible now.
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Its getting worse. After 14 months in the water I now have almost double the hard fouling I used to get in two seasons with Hempel antifoul. A diver is going to scrub it and attempt to activate it properly. If that fails the boat has to come out after the end of this season and either have it re-done or have it replaced with ordinary antifoul. At the moment it looks like a very expensive mistake.
 
EwanClark said:
I just want to add one thing to this thread. We don't publish exact pricing for Coppercoat, as a successful application is very much dependant on applying the right volume of paint. As I'm sure you can understand, two "35 foot fin keel yachts" can have very different underwater areas and will therefore require different amounts of Coppercoat. If you need a price, you can fill in details on our website and we will email you back. Alternatively you can call us. Coppercoat currently retails at £70 per litre plus VAT and delivery.

We do have indicative pricing on our website. It's under FAQ's Anti Fouling FAQ's | Coppercoat

Tim (on behalf of a holidaying Ewan!)
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Sorry , I cannot be bothered to chase a ferret down that hole. Just put the price next to the tin or whatever like most others do. We can all work out the surface area and cost by ourselves seeing as we may have anti fouled before and worked out the surface areas.. I am a big boy and have left the confines of the harbour.
 
Norman_E said:
Its getting worse. After 14 months in the water I now have almost double the hard fouling I used to get in two seasons with Hempel antifoul. A diver is going to scrub it and attempt to activate it properly. If that fails the boat has to come out after the end of this season and either have it re-done or have it replaced with ordinary antifoul. At the moment it looks like a very expensive mistake.
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On my old boat we had Coppercoat for 12 years, and it was awesome. When I first applied it, I had the same trouble and I was furious. I took photos of the fouling and the bill to the SIBS and marched up to the CopperCoat stand ready for a fight. They were very helpful, and told me what I had done wrong (I prepared the surface wrong post application) - they gave me a red scotchbrite, I rubbed it down, and everything was peachy after that. If in doubt, talk to them - they are helpful, it does work.
 
dulls said:
Sorry , I cannot be bothered to chase a ferret down that hole. Just put the price next to the tin or whatever like most others do. We can all work out the surface area and cost by ourselves seeing as we may have anti fouled before and worked out the surface areas.. I am a big boy and have left the confines of the harbour.
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Copper coat will give you a price per lt if you ask for it , but as some one who copper coated two boat , it just as easy to give them the size and make of boat and they will tell you had much you need .
What can be easier, big boy :)
 
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