coppercoat?

silverdawn

Member
Joined
30 Jan 2005
Messages
379
Location
mountnessing essex
Visit site
Hi All, I have just finished ( 20 hours) manually scraping the many layers of antifoul from my 28ft boat, not a process i would ever repeat, the question now after all that hard work
is... do I prime and re antifoul £120 or do I coppercoat £ 560.? if i expect to keep the boat
4/5 years money wise I break even, plus no annual antifouling, but due to unforseen circumstances if I need to sell in 2 years I would lose money, I know the amount of money loss is small but so is my disposable income (pension),and there are always other things to buy or maintain.
However would having a coppercoat boat be a good selling point,I think it would what do you think? I would welcome your thoughts.
I would still have the boat lifted out each year so no money saved on that .
 

Gwylan

Well-known member
Joined
31 May 2007
Messages
3,651
Location
Moved ashore
Visit site
Go for the CopperCoat - we did it in 2006 and do not regret it. Quite a felling of quiet superiority as you bring the boat out and just give it a pressure wash and go home. Also have a sense of environmental superiority - not using anti foul or having to clear up.
As you get older the scrubbing and painting gets harder not easier.
Prepare well, have a dry not too hot day and some chums to mix and get the stuff correctly and roller it on in a reasonable time
 

Canopy Locked

Well-known member
Joined
5 Dec 2006
Messages
1,043
Location
Nth East Scotland
Visit site
Go for the CopperCoat -
As you get older the scrubbing and painting gets harder not easier.

Agree... had copper on my last boat and was excellent. Currently getting the old a/f off mine (very slow), because there are a few minor repairs to do to the hull. Once rubbed down and ready I plan 2 coats of epoxy and 4 coats of epoxy copercoat. Should be job sorted for many years to come.
 

Sans Bateau

Well-known member
Joined
19 Jan 2004
Messages
18,957
Visit site
Another vote for Coppercoat, but to ensure a successful application, good preparation is essential. Application is best tackled by two of you.
 

silverdawn

Member
Joined
30 Jan 2005
Messages
379
Location
mountnessing essex
Visit site
coppercoat.

Agree... had copper on my last boat and was excellent. Currently getting the old a/f off mine (very slow), because there are a few minor repairs to do to the hull. Once rubbed down and ready I plan 2 coats of epoxy and 4 coats of epoxy copercoat. Should be job sorted for many years to come.

Hi, thanks for the replies, so far unanimous for coppercoat which from my research is not surprising, but to confirm coppercoat is an epoxy resin which copper powder is mixed into and applied to a clean and abraded hull so why would would you put two coats of epoxy then four coats of coppercoat ? four coats is the recommended covering using the copppercoat, what is gained by applying the two epoxy base coats other than the obvious
answer four coats are better than six! but are you actually gaining more protection surely the coppercoat on its own is enough protection.
Just checking in case I have misunderstood the concept or perhaps the six coats are a personal belt and braces job which gives peace of mind. ( regards stuart )
 

Sans Bateau

Well-known member
Joined
19 Jan 2004
Messages
18,957
Visit site
We applied 2 coats of epoxy then 4 coats of Coppercoat, but only because the hull was very dry (according to the surveyors readings). The Coppercoat epoxy is, I understand, not a barrier, it gradually erodes to expose more copper. This was told to me by someone from Coppercoat.
 

silverdawn

Member
Joined
30 Jan 2005
Messages
379
Location
mountnessing essex
Visit site
coppercoat

We applied 2 coats of epoxy then 4 coats of Coppercoat, but only because the hull was very dry (according to the surveyors readings). The Coppercoat epoxy is, I understand, not a barrier, it gradually erodes to expose more copper. This was told to me by someone from Coppercoat.

Hi galadriel, thanks for the above information I thought coppercoat was a barrier plus an erroding antifoul all in one, if not then it makes sense to apply an epoxy barrier especially
after all the hard work getting to the gel coat!
 

Sans Bateau

Well-known member
Joined
19 Jan 2004
Messages
18,957
Visit site
Search out an epoxy coating called ME100, much cheaper than 'branded' products and I understand the same as one of the expensive retail products.
 

macd

Active member
Joined
25 Jan 2004
Messages
10,604
Location
Bricks & mortar: Italy. Boat: Aegean
Visit site
Coppercoat is great stuff but absolutely not a barrier coat. I believe AMC (the Coppercoat company) used to claim that it had some barrier effect, but no longer do so. The Coppercoat epoxy is strange stuff: 50% water. It dries as well as cures.


2 coats of epoxy before the Coppercoat puzzles me. If it's simply a a primer, then surely one will do; if a barrier coat, 2 is too few. The general view is that 500 microns (0.5mm) should be applied. Depending on viscosity, that means 3 to 5 coats.
 
Joined
26 Nov 2009
Messages
13,406
Location
everywhere
Visit site
Hi, thanks for the replies, so far unanimous for coppercoat which from my research is not surprising, but to confirm coppercoat is an epoxy resin which copper powder is mixed into and applied to a clean and abraded hull so why would would you put two coats of epoxy then four coats of coppercoat ? four coats is the recommended covering using the copppercoat, what is gained by applying the two epoxy base coats other than the obvious
answer four coats are better than six! but are you actually gaining more protection surely the coppercoat on its own is enough protection.
Just checking in case I have misunderstood the concept or perhaps the six coats are a personal belt and braces job which gives peace of mind. ( regards stuart )

No, the coppercoat alone is some protection but not really enough. After all, the copper in the coat has to be available to the water in order to work so that suggests that the coppercoat alone isnt sufficiently waterproof to prevent pox.

I have coppercoat. I wouldnt suggest its quite as effective as antifoul but then thats rather top be expected since antifoul contains both copper and biocides. But its worth it for the labour saving alone.

As for re-sale price, how would you ever know? For identical boats, the spread of achieved selling prices would likely be much more than the cost of copper coat - you could even find a boat with antifoul selling for more than one with copper coat. Just look at the price spread for identical items on ebay to see what I mean. So just look at the question in terms of its value to you.
 

dslittle

Well-known member
Joined
7 Jun 2010
Messages
1,691
Location
On our way
Visit site
Thumbs Up for Coppercoat

Hi All, I have just finished ( 20 hours) manually scraping the many layers of antifoul from my 28ft boat, not a process i would ever repeat, the question now after all that hard work
is... do I prime and re antifoul £120 or do I coppercoat £ 560.? if i expect to keep the boat
4/5 years money wise I break even, plus no annual antifouling, but due to unforseen circumstances if I need to sell in 2 years I would lose money, I know the amount of money loss is small but so is my disposable income (pension),and there are always other things to buy or maintain.
However would having a coppercoat boat be a good selling point,I think it would what do you think? I would welcome your thoughts.
I would still have the boat lifted out each year so no money saved on that .

Got mine Coppercoated in 2009 and lifted out in Nov 2010. Quick pressure wash and looked as good as when it went in (I did post some photos of the lift out back in Nov) As you, I still intend to lift annually (as prices go up that might change) but absolutely happy with the Coppercoat. If you work out what 20 hours x 10 years (their predicted lifetime) is worth to you, it is a no brainer for me.

In relation to resale, I would definitely go for a boat with Coppercoat at the same or slightly greater price as a result of my experience so I think it would be a good selling point personally.
 

youen

Member
Joined
3 Jan 2005
Messages
679
Location
Brittany
Visit site
coppercoat

How dirty was your boat when you get it out of the water.Because on mine who is also copper coated I need to get her out of the water 3 times a year.After 3 months she become dirty with slime particulary near the waterline and the rudder.Before with conventional self eroding antifouling the hull was kept clean during 6 months
 

Talbot

Active member
Joined
23 Aug 2003
Messages
13,610
Location
Brighton, UK
Visit site
Coppercoat seems to be gaining a reasonable reputation for northern waters, but less so for warmer climes. I wonder if a combination of ultrasonic and coppercoat would be the real answer for long distance cruising.
 

macd

Active member
Joined
25 Jan 2004
Messages
10,604
Location
Bricks & mortar: Italy. Boat: Aegean
Visit site
Coppercoat seems to be gaining a reasonable reputation for northern waters, but less so for warmer climes.

Coppercoat seems popular with UK liveaboards in the Med, and all I've spoken with believe it works well. Galicia, mentioned by youen, is reputedly a particularly high-fouling area, although I've no long-term experience of it myself.
 
Last edited:

dslittle

Well-known member
Joined
7 Jun 2010
Messages
1,691
Location
On our way
Visit site
A year in the water

How dirty was your boat when you get it out of the water.Because on mine who is also copper coated I need to get her out of the water 3 times a year.After 3 months she become dirty with slime particulary near the waterline and the rudder.Before with conventional self eroding antifouling the hull was kept clean during 6 months

Keel coming out after 13 months on the South Coast. The bottom of the keel was not Coppercoated...
 

silverdawn

Member
Joined
30 Jan 2005
Messages
379
Location
mountnessing essex
Visit site
coppercoat

Thanks for all the replies,very informative plus not a negative report with regard to coppercoats performance.I have come across a one coat copper antifoul system manufactured in germany very effective according to the web page verometalmarine.com.
I have e-mailed them for more infomation plus cost/postage etc.I dont think this one coat system can match coppercoat but it could be a compromise for me due to reduced cost.
I will update when I receive the information.
 
Joined
3 Jan 2011
Messages
64
Location
South East
www.maplemarine.com
I would echo the need for good preparation prior to application.

I have seen boats with large blisters in the coppercoat layer where it has not stuck to the original gelcoat where preparation was not up to scratch.
 
Top