Coppercoat

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brians

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I am about to buy a boat which has coppercoat. I understand that it needs to be 'burnished' or something to activate the copper.

What do I need to do and how? scourer, sandpaper? How often does this need to be done?
 
brians said:
I am about to buy a boat which has coppercoat. I understand that it needs to be 'burnished' or something to activate the copper.

What do I need to do and how? scourer, sandpaper? How often does this need to be done?
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3M pot scourers, green pads. A lot of elbow grease or a slow polisher.
Practice slowly and carefully to avoid unnecessary damage.

Just before she goes back in the water. So probably annually.
 
Gwylan said:
3M pot scourers, green pads. A lot of elbow grease or a slow polisher.
Practice slowly and carefully to avoid unnecessary damage.

Just before she goes back in the water. So probably annually.
Click to expand...

There is absolutely no need to burnish annually, or perhaps even ever. I have had two applications of Coppercoat on my keel and have never burnished either of them. The coatings worked effectively for ten years each until rust got beneath them and flaked them off.

Coppercoat say in the link provided by VicS: Correctly applied Coppercoat will continue to deter marine fouling for many years. The annual chore of repainting associated with conventional anti-foulings is no longer necessary. If, over the months, a slight accumulation of slime does appear, this can be removed by pressure washing or brushing. An annual wash or brush is recommended. Eventually, usually after several years, the surface may benefit from being lightly abraded with a fine grade of “wet and dry” paper or a burnishing pad to expose fresh copper.
 
This is interesting. I've been scraping the blue antifoul off my Merlin (for the first time, I've only had it a year), finding a good solid layer of copper stuff underneath, about 0.5mm thick, which the receipts that came with the boat indicate was applied in 2005. It's stuff made by the company now called Reactive Resins. There are a few places where it has come adrift - notably on the keels (none left, really, rust got underneath) and on the hull between the keels (a few big flakes a few inches across have come right off); otherwise it's all there.

I was wondering whether to just patch up the copper coating (and abrade it a bit?) and not bother putting antifoul over the top; or what?

The boat is at Wicor (upper Portsmouth harbour), where another owner I was chatting to said that "copper doesn't work very well here"... I'm not sure why that might be.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated!

Steve
 
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sgr143 said:
This is interesting. I've been scraping the blue antifoul off my Merlin (for the first time, I've only had it a year), finding a good solid layer of copper stuff underneath, about 0.5mm thick, which the receipts that came with the boat indicate was applied in 2005. It's stuff made by the company now called Reactive Resins. There are a few places where it has come adrift - notably on the keels (none left, really, rust got underneath) and on the hull between the keels (a few big flakes a few inches across have come right off); otherwise it's all there.

I was wondering whether to just patch up the copper coating (and abrade it a bit?) and not bother putting antifoul over the top; or what?

The boat is at Wicor (upper Portsmouth harbour), where another owner I was chatting to said that "copper doesn't work very well here"... I'm not sure why that might be.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated!

Steve
Click to expand...

Hi Steve - I may be that boat owner...

CC proved to be of no use berthed at Wicor: much of the water is brackish with the river water from Fareham and there is also a high level of 'natural nutrients' in the water.

CC also went brown rather than green at Wicor, indicating that the wrong chemical is being produced by the brackish water to deter growth. Using CC found me scrubbing 3 times a season, each time with at least 3" of weed (very little shell though). Whilst scrubbing at Hardway I also spoke with other owners that experienced similar performance with CC in Portsmouth harbour.

The best performance I've achieved was with International Micron Extra 2. Launched in March, slight slime by late August. Scott can advise of other good antifoulings (the effectiveness of which can vary by colour). Wicor is a great place. Probably see you on the pontoons or in the coffee shop where they sell the finest chocolate brownies that money can buy.
 
LL: many thanks for this voice of experience. In fact it was Andy, on the boat you used to own, I was talking to. He advised that I check out your experience with CC at WicorMarine, to be found on the forums... But I couldn't find it on a quick look . Anyway, the loop is now closed (especially if you are actually said Andy under an assumed name and inside leg measurement). See you at Wicor sometime!
Steve
 
sgr143 said:
LL: many thanks for this voice of experience. In fact it was Andy, on the boat you used to own, I was talking to. He advised that I check out your experience with CC at WicorMarine, to be found on the forums... But I couldn't find it on a quick look . Anyway, the loop is now closed (especially if you are actually said Andy under an assumed name and inside leg measurement). See you at Wicor sometime!
Steve
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:-) No, I'm not Andy, I'm Adam.

Both my new boat and I will be at Wicormarine in the spring. Mrs LL and I regard it to be a great place to be based and sail from.

The new boat, Katrina, will be sporting a splendid coat or two of Micron Extra 2 by the time she arrives; I hope Scott keeps us on the same pontoon as before...
 
Sneaky Pete said:
This was a friend of mine's boat just out the water, power wash and onto cradle. Nothing required for next season.
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It's quite impressive, but I get the same performance from cheap (Akzo-Nobel "Nautical") antifouling, which costs me, per annum, around forty quid and ninety minutes.

On the other hand, I'm planning to leave the Clyde this coming summer and stay away for a few years. Is Coppercoat OK without any form of haul-out or scrubbing?
 
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JumbleDuck said:
It's quite impressive, but I get the same performance from cheap (Akzo-Nobel "Nautical") antifouling, which costs me, per annum, around forty quid and ninety minutes.

On the other hand, I'm planning to leave the Clyde this coming summer and stay away for a few years. Is Coppercoat OK without any form of haul-out or scrubbing?
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone has claimed that the performance of Coppercoat is better than that of a conventional antifouling, simply that the time and effort of applying antifouling year after year is eliminated. I budget a complete day to apply two coats each year to the hull, although the reality is that not all of this is spent painting. The keel is Coppercoated and it gives me great pleasure not to have to paint it also.

The performance of the Coppercoat seems to depend very much on where it is, water temperature, presence of contaminants, with major effects dependent upon whether it is in port for extended periods or constantly on the move. We have managed two years without haul out but there are deposits after this time.
 
vyv_cox said:
I don't think anyone has claimed that the performance of Coppercoat is better than that of a conventional antifouling, simply that the time and effort of applying antifouling year after year is eliminated.
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Sure, I appreciate that. At the moment I haul out every year anyway, so the marginal cost of antifouling is simply buying (£40) and applying (90 minutes) the stuff. Coppercoat simply isn't worth it. When the boat leaves home for a bit, as I hope she will this year, I'd need a lift-out to re-paint, so if Coppercoat would let me avoid that for, say, eight years, the economics would change. I'm assuming that to have a 26' hull blasted and Coppercoated would cost around £2k in total and that a lift, wash, hold and launch would cost me about £200 each time on top of the paint.
 
NormanS said:
Mine looks just like that at lift-out, BEFORE pressure washing, using a copper based antifouling. A picture after pressure washing doesn't actually tell us very much. Sorry.
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I am just wander, do you have any photogrphs before pressure washing?
Still trying to decide, Coppercoat or Antyfoul?
Thanks
 
Alas, no pictures.

But realistically, if an antifoul doesn't work where you keep your boat, it isn't worth the money or your time to apply it.

I will continue to use antifoul on my boat, irrespective of how easy it is to pressure wash CC and the fact you don't have to reapply CC afterwards. These add no value to me.
 
April to October 2016. Cruiser Uno. Portchester Creek.

2016 hull.jpg


I'm going to try Greek yoghurt next season.
 
Shamaya said:
I am just wander, do you have any photogrphs before pressure washing?
Still trying to decide, Coppercoat or Antyfoul?
Thanks
Click to expand...
I'm just along from Wicor at the POG/RNSA moorings. I recon my Coppercoat is a good as a cheap anti foil, it gets scrubbed a few times a year on the mooring with a bit of AstroTurf attached to a board and supported by 5liter container.
 
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