EU45 Antifoul

Sailing steve

Well-known member
Joined
4 Apr 2021
Messages
374
Visit site
Anybody used it - or even heard of it?

Made apparently by a Canvey Island company and claimed to contain almost 2kg of Copper Oxide which is rather more than most of the products on the chandlers shelves and an anti slime ingredient too it sounds ideal for the Thames estuary and it's attracted positive endorsements from multiple users.

More in hope than expectation I've bought antifoul from an independent manufacturer before and wasn't impressed either with the product or the company's attitude when I pointed out what rubbish it was.

It's antifoul time again. Is this the golden bullet everybody in the Thames area needs or just another a tin full of overpriced rubbish?
 

oldgit

Well-known member
Joined
6 Nov 2001
Messages
28,478
Location
Medway
Visit site
Shogun 37 last year on my 12M MoBo located on the brackish Mudway. Not impressed with amount of slime visible under waterline a few short months after applying last March
Boat has seen 25 knots.
Day or two ago achieved 23 knots, my AF must have been doing something down under there.
Have heard one or two favorable comments from other boaters as well.
Was the cheapest suitable A/F in my local chandlery at the time as well.
£130.00 for 2 x 2.5 litres. Only ever apply a single coat.
Will be using again this year.
 
Last edited:

ex-Gladys

Well-known member
Joined
29 Aug 2003
Messages
5,238
Location
Colchester, Essex
Visit site
I have heard of it and used it possibly 10 years ago. It was junk on my mooring, barnacles that Seajet Shogun prevented, and needed extra scrubbing. IMHO it was snake oil
 

Billy Blue

Active member
Joined
8 Nov 2009
Messages
124
Location
Kent
Visit site
I've used EU45 for the last few years. I get no barnacles but do get slime which of course is easily jet washed off so when the boat comes out of the water and is jet washed, it is really clean. I do however use my boat very regularly throughout the year which is bound to make a difference. So, for me, it works well.
 

Parabordi

Active member
Joined
22 Apr 2011
Messages
908
Location
Medway
Visit site
Anybody used it - or even heard of it?

Made apparently by a Canvey Island company and claimed to contain almost 2kg of Copper Oxide which is rather more than most of the products on the chandlers shelves and an anti slime ingredient too it sounds ideal for the Thames estuary and it's attracted positive endorsements from multiple users.

More in hope than expectation I've bought antifoul from an independent manufacturer before and wasn't impressed either with the product or the company's attitude when I pointed out what rubbish it was.

It's antifoul time again. Is this the golden bullet everybody in the Thames area needs or just another a tin full of overpriced rubbish?
I have ordered some to try this year in the Medway, will let you know how it goes.
 

Egret

Active member
Joined
15 Nov 2024
Messages
167
Visit site
People at Essex University are doing a study of the effectiveness (and detriemtal effects) of various antifoulings, specifically in the conditions on the River Colne, - although looking at their website it is part of a bigger international study into developing slippy 'bacterial' coatings for bigger ships but the results will be interesting. Academic papers over the past 17 years on how the fouling develops and adheres.

A question - why does more seem to grow on the bottoms of boats than anywhere else?

Someone (seriously) has said use Vaseline as the barnacles can't get a grip,

With the coppercoat, if you leave it long enough the bigger weeds seem to die and fall off,

And I recall a good way in the past was to spend a few days in Heybridge basin where it falls off in the fresh water.

But maybe the way ahead is to go back to the days of having a professional hand to put the boat ashore and give it a scrub every Thursday.
 
Last edited:

PeterWright

Well-known member
Joined
23 Aug 2006
Messages
1,178
Location
Burnham-on-Crouch, UK
Visit site
Coppercoat certainly dies with time as the copper itself is exhausted - that's why they only claim it's good for 10 years, although ours lasted 12 years before its performance faded. However,it should not fall off - if that happens it's an indication of poor preparation of the substrate or possibly poor application. In the UK climate, you're lucky if you get away with outdoor application, particularly if not done in the summer. Even if the application itself is done in dry weather, it's likely to get dewed before it cures in all but the warmer months. In my view, it's best applied in a temperature and humidity controlled paint shop.

Peter.
 

Egret

Active member
Joined
15 Nov 2024
Messages
167
Visit site
Thank you - worth looking out for - Its a bit tongue in cheek saying that, but I was interested to see that the bigger clumps of weed seems to die on our coppercoat when I didn't do the 8 weekly scrub this year and a lot seems to fall off when we move or give a light brush - just leaving a discolouration which comes off with a jetwash later. The coppercoat itself is still intact at the moment. Useful though to be aware and to consider having the boat put inside when time comes for re-coating. I'm assuming we would bring out in the autumn, have someone do a moisture check, and leave until about June before re-coating. A neighbouring boat brought his out in summer, recoated it and put it back quite quickly and doesn't seem to have had any problem so we learn.

Obviously could consider the EU45 but with coppercoat 12 year life I will only need to do it once more.

Have heard suggestion of Silic One but at the moment with no scrubbing and 2 yearly recoating suggested, probably wouldn't work for me. Waiting to see if someone else in the anchorage uses it on a sailing boat as we get the silty coating in a few days.

When your coppercoat died, did it still look coppery or did it wear off completely like eroding antifoul.

I've learned so much in the couple of months I have been looking at fhe forum
 
Last edited:
Top