Coppercoat

[longjohnsilver]

Having had my antifoull blasted off so now left with nice clean hull I intend to epoxy it using Gelshield 200. I have a moisture meter and the hull is dry so this seems like a reasonable precaution to take particularly as the boat is normally left in the water all the year round.

What I would like to do is put on some antifouling which will avoid the need for re-applying each year so Coppercoat seems to meet my requirements, particularly as I dive and can and do scrub the hull regularly. My ony hesitation is that I have read mixed reviews of this product and do not want to go to the trouble of applying it only to find it does not adhere properly. I will be doing the work myself and the boat is not under cover and it will need to be done before the middle of April.

Rather then just heresay does anyone have practical experience of having done what I propose to do. Any advice would be appreciated.

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[oldsaltoz]

G'day John,

This stuff seems to work in cold water, but not much good at all here in the tropics.

You have no problem getting it to stick, just wet the area prior to application with fresh water and look for any beading indicating contamination; a rub with a plastic kitchen scourer (No soap) will remove any residue left by the resins.

Don't forget the personal protection gear, and........

Avagoodweekend.



<hr width=100% size=1> Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif Growing old is unavoidable. However, growing up is still optional.

 

[snowleopard]

i did it myself and followed the instructions to the letter. the top coat peeled off the bottom coat in some places and the bottom coat peeled off the hull in others. around 10% of the area is affected which i now paint over with regular antifoul. i now advise people to only have it done professionally with a written warranty.

if you do it yourself and problems arise, you're on your own.

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[Shanty]

Did this job myself. No problems. Very pleased with the end result.

I applied Coppercoat on top of West system epoxy - a coat of primer followed by 2-3 coats of antifoul. The primer coat went on at the end of a long day of epoxying (about 11pm), while the epoxy was just past the tacky stage. The next morning (about 9am), I applied the Coppercoat wet on wet - then took the rest of the day off.

Two points:
I was working in a temperature controlled building at about 20deg C. If you are working outside, think about building a tent over the boat & heating it.

Both the epoxy and the Coppercoat went on wet on wet. This means that I was getting a chemical bond between coats. If you let the stuff cure between coats, you will have to sand it to provide a key, and even then, you will only achieve a (much weaker) mechanical bond.


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[zephyrsailor]

both myself and cartman have used a copper epoxy on our boats. cartman hasn't really left the uk for any extended period and has had no problems with keeping the weed at bay, i spent alot of time in spain and portugal over the summer and the weed started to grow. a good beat to windward in the channel seems to have got rid of most of it tho. as for it sticking to the boat i havn't lifted out yet so i have no idea. a few bits fell of cartman i think but you would need to ask him. he had it applyed by a yard a did it myself.


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[bajo]

Please, what type of primer did you use ,since I am in the process of going to apply west system epoxy now that the gel coat has been removed,I have been told that it is ok to apply the antifoul over the last coat of epoxy while it is tacky.It not easy to get a marine primer here.Thanks,David.

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[macd]

I Coppercoated a 27-footer last March, over a few coats of West epoxy by way of a precautionary osmosis barrier. I wouldn't use West again -- the bloom that develops in cool & slightly damp conditions is a real pain to scrub off. However, after plenty of scrubbing, the Coppercoat stuck well: none came off in 2000 miles of sailing last summer. In fact I'm about to treat the new boat to the same stuff (no, I didn't realise I was going to change boats this time last year).

As I understand it, no primer is required if the Coppercoat is applied directly to (abraded) gel coat. Otherwise, why not use Coppercoat's own epoxy primer, if you need one? Speak to Ewan at Coppercoat. I've found him very helpful. I'm sure he'll be able to tell you how the stuff reacts to Gelshield.

The stuff is supposed to be OK down to 8 degrees C. But since the West epoxy is less temperature-tolerant, I built a tent around the boat from cheap tarpaulins, increasing the temperature by a few degrees and reducing humidity. The Copprcoat went on easily. I found that it needs constant agitation after mixing if the copper isn't to settle to the bottom of the mix. Appoint someone as chief stirrer, if you can. Most of us know someone amply qualified.

In cooler waters (Irish Sea and W of Scotland), it works extremely well in keeping crud off the hull, but I'm not sure how it would work in warmer conditions.



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[longjohnsilver]

Thanks for the replies, now feel more inclined to go ahead.

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[scarlett]

I used it a couple of years ago, in Greece, in April. It was too hot and the stuff became unworkable after about five minutes. This caused all sorts of problems but i sanded off the mistakes and put one last light coat over everything,

Before the Coppercoat I used a Dutch solvented epoxy, name forgotten, bought locally. It went on like a dream, butter on warm crumpets.

The Coppercaot has worked and in Ionian waters, in summer only, nothing has grown.

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[jimi]

Feck aff ye cheapskate, ye've got tae dae it at least silver if no gold. Looking like an auld fartin' wullnae dae yer street cred as a serious pirate any guid!

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[longjohnsilver]

Well if we could grind up some of your gold teeth I'd gladly mix them in with my antifoul. Ye heathen bastard.

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[Shanty]

The primer I used was supplied by Coppercoat for use with their product. It was an epoxy of some sort. It had the advantage of a longer open time than the West system, and this allowed me to get some sleep part way through the process.

I also have heard that conventional antifoulings can be applied over part cured West system epoxy. Never tried this, and I'm not sure whether it would be a good idea. West / Coppercoat you are dealing with similar products - both solventless epoxies, West / conventional antifouling you are dealing with two very different products. Don't know how much chemical bonding you would get. Don't know whether the a/f would inhibit the epoxy. Basically, don't know much about this. Suggest you have a word with the West systems folk.

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[Quartet]

Hi. Our yard applies it, but the painters hate doing it and it is a bastard to get right. If you do it properly, it really does stick, but we're not totally convinced of its performance. There have been some dodgy ones about, and lots of name changing. We are currently using CopperShield 2002 from Marine and Industrial Sealants in Norwich. They have taken over the West product. We always sand blast before applying it, to remove all the old antifoul and key the hull. It really does need to be dry or you effectively encapsulate moisture. We sand the whole hull after sand blasting then apply one good coat of Blakes solvent free epoxy - a brilliant product. We follow that up with three fairly thin coats of the copper impregnated epoxy, following the overcoating times to the letter. We've never had an adhesion problem, but always do it in our heated paint shop ! If outside you really ought to tent the boat unless you are VERY confident about the four day forecast. It is one hell of a job to keep it smooth without runs. One painter stirs the tray more or less continuously to stop the copper dropping out of suspension, and lays off with a brush what his mate is rolling on. We use mohair rollers, they don't shed bits or disolve. You can do it yourself, but don't start off thinking it is a doddle, it isn't.

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