has anyone used coppercoat anti-fouling

[anglo_saxon]

i am looking at the pro`s and cons of useing coppercoat multi-season anti-fouling and i`m wondering if anyone has used the product. if it is as good as they claim then why dont other makes use the same principle. any advice would be apreciated..

 

[pragmatist]

Yes - but we haven't been out of the water since so can't really report on progress ! However if you're interested we'll keep you posted when we haul out and see how we've fared. Send me a pm if you'd like to hear - it should be in the next few weeks I hope and we can definitely see that the prop is weedy and there may be some on the hull too (but she was barely used last season).

 

[snowleopard]

yes. 4 years down the line it's still working with 2 large buts-

while in the caribbean we got large amounts of growth. when we go again i plan to overlay it with conventional for the duration.

it has started to peel. after the first season there were large bubbles where the 2nd coat had separated from the 1st. now we have several areas where it has come away from the hull altogether. my advice is to get it applied professionally and get a written guarantee

 

[sailorman]

with the recient rise in copper prices i belive its really expensive

 

[macd]

I've used it on two boats and have been pleased with the results, albeit mainly in relatively low-fouling areas of the UK. There is some suggestion (going from previous posts) that it's less effective in warmer waters. There are indeed other products using similar principles.

Like all paint processes, the key to a good job is in the preparation, which can be laborious. Luckily I've had no problem with peeling or flaking.

Incidentally, your query seems to relate specifically to Coppercoat, although you use lower case. One source of great confusion is that many boaties seem to use the terms 'coppercoat', 'copperbot' or whatever as generics, which can be deeply unhelpful.

 

[scarlett]

I used Coppercoat three seasons ago and it is working fine, after about 12 summer months afloat in the Ionian.

Biggest problem was using in hot weather, when it is designed for UK. West do a suitable temp epoxy for hot countries, which I would use under the same circumstances.

 

[macd]

I may be mistaken, but suspect there's a major flaw in your advice. The epoxy supplied with Coppercoat is "water miscible" (slightly soluble). If it isn't obviously the copper can have no effect since it's shielded from seawater (and sea life). West epoxy, unless you're referring to a specialist one, is manifestly not water miscible.

If anyone's planning to apply it in warm temperatures, I'd advise contacting them direct on info@coppercoat.com. In the past I've found them most helpful.

 

[dk]

It's great stuff if it's applied properly. I was looking at a boat last w/e that has had it for 5 yrs now and, apart from a couple of tiny blisters, it was fine.
For your info - CopperCoat is exactly the same as the original CopperBot (when it worked). I am trying the new Cuprotect next week and will report back after a year on the Atlantic coast of France, Spain. There is also now another new copper coating called CopperPlus I believe. The guy next to me in the yard has just used it and is going my way this season, so i'll try to report back on that as well.

 

[scarlett]

I am pretty sure West do a suitable epoxy system that includes copper in some form. They also sell catalysts that are designed for differnt ambient temperatures. They wrote to me prior to my choosing Coppercoat. The Coppercoat personel were helpful but nevertheless sent out to Greece the epoxy system that went off within five minutes of mixing in 30 C. This resulting in frantic work singlehanded and a mess of a job only mitigated by sanding it back and recoating the whole bottom with a very thin third coat to tidy it up.

But it is working and little attention is needed at the end of the season.

 

[dk]

WEST no longer do it. They bought the name & license to Copperbot in 2000, which is why Aquarius Coatings had to change the name of their original imported product from Copperbot to CopperCoat. Now WEST has dropped the product completely.

 

[pragmatist]

Looking hopeful - we probably won't dry out till next month but took a soft brush to the weed round waterline and on rudder - came off really easily and we can see no sign of barnacles. Crossed fingers !

 

[Viking]

Re: \"The biggest problem was in hot weather ...

..... the boat turned into a saucepan!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[grafozz]

go for it , i had the choice of copperbot or some strange liquid that dissolved in water, on my cat, from new 7 years ago, and have never had a doubt i made the right choice . its simple - do you like laying under your boat , usually in the cold season,up to your elbows in toxic fluid,or would you prefer to give it a rinse at the end of the season then walk round it with a light pan scourer for 10 mins,prior to launch, and go sailing ?? need more time? the only disadvantage i have come across is having to eplain to all the other boatowners on launch day why i haven,t done any work ! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif