Coppercoat v traditional antifouling

[kmboxers]

Hi guys

It would be great to get your views on this subject, I am contemplating copper coat but I would very much appreciate views from experience before I spend out on CC.

Thanks in advance

 

[jrudge]

There have been many threads on this in the past. From memory the general consensus is it works, but costs, and falls off if not put on in accordance with the instructions - so get it put on by someone in the know.

 

[volvopaul]

Hi guys

It would be great to get your views on this subject, I am contemplating copper coat but I would very much appreciate views from experience before I spend out on CC.

Thanks in advance

My view is that you need to keep the boat at least four years after to get your money back unless you do a DIY job.

If your on the Hamble you need to make sure your boats in proper salt water as a couple of friends had there boats CC last year and they growth was the same if not worse than with antifoul, they had to have a mid season scrub before there holidays as the speed had gone.

The whole job is also down to who does it as I've heard some horror stories from people who had had it so called " professionally done"

 

[Jurgen]

Try ARC, Ellesar of this parish has an interest in the company. I have his old boat Sealine S37 and the copper coat works well, were in the hamble and apart from a small amount of slime which is quickly washed away we have had no issues of fouling.

Good luck

 

[DAW]

FWIW ... We switched to a self-polishing antifoul (International Micron 77) and are very pleased with the results. The boat is kept in SoF and any growth that accumulates seems to literally wash off whenever it's used - I was sceptical about the manufacturer's claims, but it does seem to work. When it was lifted for other work recently (after 9 months in the water) the bottom was completely clean and they're optimistic we can go another year. Paint cost was about 25% more, but big savings on shipyard fees, preparation and labour.

 

[EugeneR]

If your on the Hamble you need to make sure your boats in proper salt water as a couple of friends had there boats CC last year and they growth was the same if not worse than with antifoul, they had to have a mid season scrub before there holidays as the speed had gone.

The big difference with coppercoat is that, while you may have to have it lifted for a wash or two, you no longer have to scrub, sand, prime, paint and re-paint every year. Which means, a few more March / April weekends on the water rather than on the hard. So, even if you're going the coppercoat route - like we have - you don't get away from having to scrub some bits and replacing others e.g. anodes etc.

 

[Hurricane]

We are just entering our 4th season with Coppercoat.
IMO it isn't quite as good as conventional A/F particularly in aggressive growth areas like the warm seas of the Med
But it is significantly easier to clean/maintain each year.

Here is a link to a report I wrote when we had our boat treated.
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?307750-Coppercoat-%96-The-Complete-Process

If I were to replace the boat, I would definitely treat it with Coppercoat

 

[Denis O]

Mine was done 2 seasons ago and was done by someone who knew what the process was and adhered to it.

After it's first season just one barnacle and some slime which easily washed off with the pressure washer. After second season there were a few more barnacles and the usual slime so again, no major problems.

The boat is moored from April to October off Kommeno in Corfu and then sits on the trailer, in the garage for the winter. Judging by the state of the outdrive when it comes out there's plenty of potential for marine growth.

Having seen fellow boaters here who have to go through a fairly painful process with regular A/F each year, we decided Coppercoat was the way and have not regretted it.

 

[Gwylan]

Hi guys

It would be great to get your views on this subject, I am contemplating copper coat but I would very much appreciate views from experience before I spend out on CC.

Thanks in advance

We had a sailboat done, professional soda blast and then supervised application, in 2007. Currently it sits in a tidal drying mooring in alternately salt and run off water.

Have to abrade the coating to get it to work well. Otherwise we have saved in each of the succeeding years. Do need a lift, wash and abrade most years. Did go 2 without serious problems.

Fixing the odd patch is a bit of a pain. We use West System epoxy with copper powder off the Internet to fill the gaps. Not too pretty, but it works.

 

[gjgm]

Hi guys

It would be great to get your views on this subject, I am contemplating copper coat but I would very much appreciate views from experience before I spend out on CC.

Thanks in advance

As it is copper, it will work ! Personally, I think it depends on how large your boat is and how much of a hassle annual a/f is. For me, one coat of Trilux which is about 1.5 tins,,£150, and takes a few hours. Seasons change the effectiveness a bit, but so does boat usage. This year the hull is so clean it looks like it has just been a/f'd !
So I think it would take 6-8 years to break even financially, and I thought if you lay up the boat, you still need to abrade the CC, so it isnt totally labour free.

 

[MoodySabre]

ARC and Elessar did not respond to my emails or PMs last year. Boat is currently being done at Tollesbury.

Many positive comments here. Enough to make my cough up for it. My old bones are looking forward to not antifouling again.

 

[David_J]

We have seen both sides of the story. We bought our boat at a year old. The original dealer applied the copper coat before the boat was originally launched, which happened to be in January of that year! That treatment did not work. I mean it did NOT work at all. We used to keep the boat in Brighton and one summer the fouling was so bad we had to have a lift out after just six weeks.
After much consideration of the options we decided to have the whole treatment re-done professionally. We had to wait for a spell of warm dry weather but eventually got it done. For the last three or four years it has been fantastic. It just works. We would definitely use it again on the next boat. As others have said though it has to be applied just right, correct mixture, temperature and procedure!

 

[Nick_H]

We have seen both sides of the story. We bought our boat at a year old. The original dealer applied the copper coat before the boat was originally launched, which happened to be in January of that year! That treatment did not work. I mean it did NOT work at all. We used to keep the boat in Brighton and one summer the fouling was so bad we had to have a lift out after just six weeks.
After much consideration of the options we decided to have the whole treatment re-done professionally. We had to wait for a spell of warm dry weather but eventually got it done. For the last three or four years it has been fantastic. It just works. We would definitely use it again on the next boat. As others have said though it has to be applied just right, correct mixture, temperature and procedure!

Did you try sanding down the first treatment to see if that made any difference? It seems that depending on how it's applied, you can end up with a film of epoxy covering the copper dust, and the copper then can't do its work until the epoxy film is sanded off. I had this issue with the first boat I had Coppercoated, when I applied it myself. The first year results weren't great, and I slagged it off a bit on here, but after sanding down it worked much better. The only thing I'd say in my defence (for the slagging off), is that none of the instructions mentioned sanding it down before launch, though that was a while ago and maybe they've changed them now. I think if you have it professionally spray applied there's no need to sand.

Otherwise I agree with Hurricane, in that it's good, but not quite as effective as a good eroding paint. It seems to stop the barnacles OK, but a bit more weed/algae grows on it. The trade off though is less annual hassle, you can have it scrubbed mid season without removing some of the paint, and it doesn't build up over time. I'd have it done on any new boat.

 

[David_J]

Did you try sanding down the first treatment to see if that made any difference? It seems that depending on how it's applied, you can end up with a film of epoxy covering the copper dust, and the copper then can't do its work until the epoxy film is sanded off. I had this issue with the first boat I had Coppercoated, when I applied it myself. The first year results weren't great, and I slagged it off a bit on here, but after sanding down it worked much better. The only thing I'd say in my defence (for the slagging off), is that none of the instructions mentioned sanding it down before launch, though that was a while ago and maybe they've changed them now. I think if you have it professionally spray applied there's no need to sand.

Otherwise I agree with Hurricane, in that it's good, but not quite as effective as a good eroding paint. It seems to stop the barnacles OK, but a bit more weed/algae grows on it. The trade off though is less annual hassle, you can have it scrubbed mid season without removing some of the paint, and it doesn't build up over time. I'd have it done on any new boat.

Yes we did try "dressing" the copper coat. Early on in the troubles a mild rub down then later a much more aggressive attempt. With an aggressive rub down the performance improved slightly but still not up to reasonable standards. The initial application when the boat was new, in my view did not work because it was not done right. The boat was launched in January so the chances are the muppets did it outside in cold wet conditions. Also I suspect they did not use correct concentrations of copper powder in the mix. The re-treatment was done in warm dry conditions in the Spring time. The correct concentrations in the mix and the correct procedure including the initial "dressing" before re-launch. Now there is no need for anything other than a pressure wash!! which is my kind of maintenance.

 

[piratos]

Maybe it works for you

Hi guys

It would be great to get your views on this subject, I am contemplating copper coat but I would very much appreciate views from experience before I spend out on CC.

Thanks in advance

I have no personal experience with CC, but from what others say it may work. Sometimes it doesnt work, and to be honest - its a lot of money to spend on something that might not work. Its a lot of work to prepare hull to CC.

I used to keep the boat in the water all year, and I had the boat ashore on a warm and sunny day early summer for a highpressure wash, new anodes, and fresh AF. Boat was lifted early morning, cleaned straight after, and after drying AF applied twice, and relaunched late afternoon. In other words: its one day's work every year to AF the boat.
Now the boat is stored on the hard during winter, so she is washed when she comes out of the water, and on warm day before she comes back into the water she will get fresh AF.

There is always maintenance to do on a boat - AF is the least of all jobs.

Have a nice season

 

[NoviceRod]

I have had my Nimbus Coppercoated from new. Big plus after first season was just a pressure wash to remove a light layer of slime. This compared with heavy growth on my previous boat which had Cruiser Uno AF. So far second season shows similar growth to first.
A key factor is weather as I had to wait several weeks for a weather window above 6ºC for ARC to do the application.

 

[Vara]

From a raggie perspective, getting on for six years on. It seems to be on a par with conventional A/F in efficacy.

The main advantage is it eliminates the annual (or bi annual) unpleasant antifouling ritual and cuts down on yard costs.

 

[Bandit]

I see a lot of boats that are CC or equivalent and a lot that we or the customer antifoul themselves, I know the dates of last pressure wash and antifouling.

My view is that a boat that had been CC'd or anti fouled at 6 months or 12 months comparing like with like time wise is that there is notably more fouling with CC or equivalent than with a proprietary antifouling.

Fouling = speed drop and more fuel per mile.

 

[Hurricane]

Fouling = speed drop and more fuel per mile.

Yes - but some on here think (me included) that clean Coppercoat performs better (more efficient/faster) than fresh A/F
We pressure wash regularly anyway - saves fuel and - just feels nicer.

 

[kmboxers]

Thanks for all the very useful advice guys. Seems to be a real mixed bag but for me I think I am going to go down the route of traditional hard wearing anti-fouling. I've been recommended to not go for the self polishing as my boat is relatively quick at 37 knots so it would effectively wash away the layers over a quicker period of time. Boat is in the Swanwick area so I suspect that the salt content of the water could affect the effectiveness of the CC slightly as Paul alluded to. From the feedback it seems CC is a good product in the right environment and particularly when applied properly in the right conditions but is not without needing abraiding on an annual basis in order to expose fresh copper and get the most from the protection.

Thanks again!