jac
Well-Known Member
Would love to have been a fly on the wall when you suggested that one.
First time boat owner Antifoul question
- Thread starter BossaNova
- Start date
mainsail1
Well-Known Member
As many have said, you can leave any major work for years if you want. The finish will just get rougher and rougher and hence a little more water resistance when on the move. I found that putting primer on after removing the flaking areas really does make the new anti foul adhere better.
However, when you do have the money for a proper job, have the hull below the waterline shot blasted to completely remove all anti foul and then apply four coats of Coppercoat epoxy anti fouling. I did this six or seven years ago and it is just wonderful. No more antifouling and it paid for itself in three years if you apply it yourself as I did.
In 4 or 5 years time I may have to re-coat the Coppercoat although it shows no sign of needing it at present. If carefully applied to a well prepared surface Coppercoat is a fabulous solution. By the way, I am just a customer and I can be very critical of some marine products such as Torqeedo electric outboard motors which to me are the Austin Allegro of this century!
However, when you do have the money for a proper job, have the hull below the waterline shot blasted to completely remove all anti foul and then apply four coats of Coppercoat epoxy anti fouling. I did this six or seven years ago and it is just wonderful. No more antifouling and it paid for itself in three years if you apply it yourself as I did.
In 4 or 5 years time I may have to re-coat the Coppercoat although it shows no sign of needing it at present. If carefully applied to a well prepared surface Coppercoat is a fabulous solution. By the way, I am just a customer and I can be very critical of some marine products such as Torqeedo electric outboard motors which to me are the Austin Allegro of this century!
Woodlouse
Well-Known Member
Give the hull a rigorous blast with a pressure washer. That should remove the loose stuff then prime any bare patches and reantifoul.
BERT T
Well-Known Member
A chum told me about a local prostitute who he claimed would do anything for a tenner. She wasn't interested in doing my antifouling though.....
Perhaps the shaft on your brush was to short.
tokoloshe
Well-Known Member
"You talkin ta me?"
I recently had a 22 year old Beneteau F285 surveyed. The hull was considered dry.There
was a small amount of wicking which my long time and trusted surveyor mentioned,
otherwise the hull was in good condition.
Epoxying the hull was discussed but with all the caveats that go with such an old boat: epoxy or a
65th birthday charter with the family? Charter won.
My first new boat was Coppercoated but I am now told that Coppercoat does not produce the
same hull protection as epoxy treatment.
Confused of Gateshead
I recently had a 22 year old Beneteau F285 surveyed. The hull was considered dry.There
was a small amount of wicking which my long time and trusted surveyor mentioned,
otherwise the hull was in good condition.
Epoxying the hull was discussed but with all the caveats that go with such an old boat: epoxy or a
65th birthday charter with the family? Charter won.
My first new boat was Coppercoated but I am now told that Coppercoat does not produce the
same hull protection as epoxy treatment.
Confused of Gateshead
maby
Well-Known Member
Coppercoat should be applied over an epoxy treatment. The Coppercoat layer is epoxy based, but the composition is designed to break down - otherwise the copper content would not be able to discourage the fouling organisms.
Iliade
Well-Known Member
Personally I'd pressure wash, prize off the really loose bits, then bung on a coat of self-abrading antifouling. Certainly not scrubbable and I would not prime.
My reasoning being that in a season's time I'd want to get all the stuff off and too good a job now would be counterproductive.
Depending on how long she has been ashore already the old stuff may become less difficult to remove once it has soaked for a season.
I wouldn't stump up the price of a good RIB to have someone else perform all the work mentioned anyway. One needs to have an excuse to visit the boat in the off season, if you believe in such things.
My reasoning being that in a season's time I'd want to get all the stuff off and too good a job now would be counterproductive.
Depending on how long she has been ashore already the old stuff may become less difficult to remove once it has soaked for a season.
I wouldn't stump up the price of a good RIB to have someone else perform all the work mentioned anyway. One needs to have an excuse to visit the boat in the off season, if you believe in such things.
nimbusgb
Well-Known Member
How long does your boat spend in the water each year? If she is dry sailed and only spends a few weeks a year afloat then there is no need to antifoul.
I gave that lark up 2 seasons ago. I think my dad gave it up about 10 seasons ago! Both boats in nice warm Greek waters.
I am going to ( DIY ) coppercoat, maybe next year. If the boat continues to live ashore in Greece and get used perhaps 10 or 12 weeks at most per year I expect that treatment to last 20 years at least.
I gave that lark up 2 seasons ago. I think my dad gave it up about 10 seasons ago! Both boats in nice warm Greek waters.
I am going to ( DIY ) coppercoat, maybe next year. If the boat continues to live ashore in Greece and get used perhaps 10 or 12 weeks at most per year I expect that treatment to last 20 years at least.
aslabend
Well-Known Member
I'm just scraping the old antifoul off my bottom (oo-er) and my advice would be use a primer coat only when you go the whole hog and scrape the bottom completely (priming, not using as a barrier coat between incompatible antifouls). The reason I say this is I've been spot priming the bare patches over the last few years and these spots are now a bugger to scrape off. Do the quick and dirty and just scrape off the loose stuff, antifoul and go sailing. When, Like me now, the madness comes and you think "must do something about that", do it properly with primer.
BossaNova
Member
It is our first full season so we don't have a pattern yet. She will be probably be kept in the water for 5 months give or take a month, or maybe 3 months only if we lift her out between holidays. Coppercoat is in the research list topics for next winter.
mainsail1
Well-Known Member
My information is that the Coppercoat is as good as an epoxy layer bearing in mind it is four coats thick. I understood the copper filings produce a form of corrosion that the beasties don't like and the 'epoxy effect' remains for many years. Perhaps someone from Coppercoat can clarify?
EwanClark
Well-Known Member
The level of protection provided by an epoxy system varies from product to product (as well as total thickness). The epoxy we use to make Coppercoat is deliberately weak - strong enough to contain a high weight of copper over many years, but simultaneously being sufficiently porous at the surface to allow the copper to oxidise and ever so slowly dissipate.
Most of our customers choose Coppercoat purely because they want a cost effective and long lasting solution to fouling. For those that demand a high level of protection from osmosis as well, we recommend that anti-osmosis specific epoxy be applied beforehand. For example, we stock a system manufactured for us by 3M, so some clients chose to apply maybe 3 coats of this, and then the 4 coats of Coppercoat. It's down to the needs and budget of the individual client.
But as a very basic rule, the more epoxy you apply (be it anti-osmosis epoxy, Coppercoat, or a mixture of both) the greater the protection.
Most of our customers choose Coppercoat purely because they want a cost effective and long lasting solution to fouling. For those that demand a high level of protection from osmosis as well, we recommend that anti-osmosis specific epoxy be applied beforehand. For example, we stock a system manufactured for us by 3M, so some clients chose to apply maybe 3 coats of this, and then the 4 coats of Coppercoat. It's down to the needs and budget of the individual client.
But as a very basic rule, the more epoxy you apply (be it anti-osmosis epoxy, Coppercoat, or a mixture of both) the greater the protection.
