Portuguese
Guru
Cheers
Has anybody here ever used Copper Coat? Is it good as they say?
Thank you in advance.
Regards
Has anybody here ever used Copper Coat? Is it good as they say?
Thank you in advance.
Regards
Experiences with Copper Coat?
- Thread starter Portuguese
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psneeld
Guru
mixed reviews.... may depend on a lot of things like all bottom coatngs.
I believe fstbottoms the resident professional bottom cleaner diver does not believe it works for what it is worth.
may look him up and PM him....
I believe fstbottoms the resident professional bottom cleaner diver does not believe it works for what it is worth.
may look him up and PM him....
FF
Guru
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Copper coat seems mostly for the racing sail skippers , who will haul , burnish the bottom and launch before a race.
IF the haul and launch prices are cheap where you are , the old (CHEAP) soft bottom paint has many advantages.
A once a year haul with a power will usually remove any growth with no other effort , so you just roll on the new coats ( 2 ,3 at the water line) and you are done. EZ to check the zincs too.
A great ablative paint works in high labor areas as the paint will be cheaper than an annual haul.
We use Micron , with the first layer RED , and the top layers in white (supposed to be less whale strikes).
A bunch of coats gets 3 years in salt water in FL , and you know its time to haul when the RED shows.
IF the haul and launch prices are cheap where you are , the old (CHEAP) soft bottom paint has many advantages.
A once a year haul with a power will usually remove any growth with no other effort , so you just roll on the new coats ( 2 ,3 at the water line) and you are done. EZ to check the zincs too.
A great ablative paint works in high labor areas as the paint will be cheaper than an annual haul.
We use Micron , with the first layer RED , and the top layers in white (supposed to be less whale strikes).
A bunch of coats gets 3 years in salt water in FL , and you know its time to haul when the RED shows.
OP
OP
Portuguese
Guru
Thank you Gurus.
Hauling here is expensive. There are also few places where I could do it. For a cheap process, I will have to take the boat to a proper place and use moon tides to do the job.
Micron 66 is expensive and not very efficient in warm coastal waters. AT least here. Only the Micron Premium which I will have to pay in paint almost $7K without intermediate coatings, lasts a little longer.
I am 60 but I think I will buy a compressor, learn how to dive with it, and do my bottom work myself after coating it with more economical products. The people I know that does this, is happy with the results. By the way, here to cover my boat with Coppercoat, will cost me 10K
Thank you
Hauling here is expensive. There are also few places where I could do it. For a cheap process, I will have to take the boat to a proper place and use moon tides to do the job.
Micron 66 is expensive and not very efficient in warm coastal waters. AT least here. Only the Micron Premium which I will have to pay in paint almost $7K without intermediate coatings, lasts a little longer.
I am 60 but I think I will buy a compressor, learn how to dive with it, and do my bottom work myself after coating it with more economical products. The people I know that does this, is happy with the results. By the way, here to cover my boat with Coppercoat, will cost me 10K
Thank you
Unfortunately, that is a common misconception about CopperCoat. What FF is most likely referring to is an older product called Copperpoxy. It was available in the US in the '90s, perhaps even earlier. CopperCoat has only been available in the US since about 2010. Copperpoxy was made with copper flakes and had to be burnished at least once a year to "reactivate". I also believe the copper used in that product was primarily cuprous oxide.
CopperCoat does not need to be burnished. It is 99.6% pure atomized copper held in an epoxy stasis. It is essentially non-ablative. We put it on our boat 2.5 years ago (video link below) and we are very happy with it. Our local diver replaced zincs before we went to the Broughtons this summer and said there was zero growth on the hull (last haulout and power wash was 1.5 years earlier). All he did was sponge the hull to wipe off a slime layer and it was good.
I have personally talked to many other CopperCoat owners who are also 100% satisfied. And there are testimonials of owners in Europe and the Caribbean who have had it on their boat since the mid-'90s (it was invented in the UK in the early '90s) and at worst have had to reapply to the waterline. Most just haul, power wash, and go back in the water. So the claims of 10-15 years are actually happening. We fully expect even better performance (15+ years) and do not plan on needing another bottom job.
That last statement leads me to my one caveat regarding the product. It is not cheap. If, like us, you plan on keeping your boat long term then by all means we recommend using it. But if you think you'll be selling the boat in a few years or even 5, well, unless money is no object you may want to think about it.
https://youtu.be/P42RUEah-a0
FF
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To lower costs I have seen boats that dock in a slip use a plastic device.
It has floats on 3 sides and light weights on one end to lower it to allow the vessel to enter.
A huge sheet of plastic is under the boat and pulling up aft seals the "bag".
Simple Chlorox is put in the water and there is no growth, on the hull.
Not for every application , but it does work.
It has floats on 3 sides and light weights on one end to lower it to allow the vessel to enter.
A huge sheet of plastic is under the boat and pulling up aft seals the "bag".
Simple Chlorox is put in the water and there is no growth, on the hull.
Not for every application , but it does work.
OP
OP
Portuguese
Guru
Thank you Darren
Here, putting things in perspective, if it lasts 3 years will be more economical than any other paint. Micron Premium or Micron 66 are nearly as costly as Coppercoat. The only thing is that everybody knows how to apply those Antifouling products. With Coppercoat is different.
Other issue that I have realized with this product is that I haven't found middle therms. The users either love it or hate it
Here, putting things in perspective, if it lasts 3 years will be more economical than any other paint. Micron Premium or Micron 66 are nearly as costly as Coppercoat. The only thing is that everybody knows how to apply those Antifouling products. With Coppercoat is different.
Other issue that I have realized with this product is that I haven't found middle therms. The users either love it or hate it
FF
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Although they are expensive the modern ablating paints can be put on with extra coats , to last extra years.
Far better to operate the boat to get the hull cleaning action than to send someone with a brush over the side.
Far better to operate the boat to get the hull cleaning action than to send someone with a brush over the side.
Count me in the Not-A-Fan camp:
I find that CopperCoat has such a low copper leach rate that it is an ineffective anti fouling coating for California. Depending upon the fouling conditions where you do your boating, your mileage may vary. But based on my experience with it, I wouldn't recommend this stuff to my worst enemy.
I find that CopperCoat has such a low copper leach rate that it is an ineffective anti fouling coating for California. Depending upon the fouling conditions where you do your boating, your mileage may vary. But based on my experience with it, I wouldn't recommend this stuff to my worst enemy.
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That's not what the manufacturer says:
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.
Frequently asked questions about Coppercoat anti-fouling epoxy. Why is Coppercoat better than standard marine bottom paint? And much more!
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True. fstbttms pointed that out before (using the same photo) and I need to remember when addressing the misconception that Copper Coat needs to be burnished "every year", I should be more specific. While it does not need to be burnished annually, I need to say it may benefit "after several years", which in the majority of cases is well more than five (many being 10 or more).
I should also specify to Portuguese that following the manufacturers application directions is essential. The US distributor has encountered a few situations where the product was applied incorrectly and did not perform as expected. And while fstbttms has stated the boat in his photo is indeed CopperCoat and not Copperpoxy, a poorly exectuted application could very well have been the culprit.
OP
OP
Portuguese
Guru
I have read in a British sail forum that climate is essential for a good performance of the Coppercoat. The weather needed is exactly what I have home. Sunny, temperatures always above 80 and humidity around 60-70. The job, well, I would be doing myself with the dealer connected via Sype 10 hours a day.
If I ever come to the decision of using Coppercoat, I will take the old anti fouling and will cover it with two hands of 2 parts intermediate epoxy coatings. Than I will apply the Coppercoat.
If I ever come to the decision of using Coppercoat, I will take the old anti fouling and will cover it with two hands of 2 parts intermediate epoxy coatings. Than I will apply the Coppercoat.
Capt.Bill11
Guru
"We use Micron , with the first layer RED , and the top layers in white (supposed to be less whale strikes)."
Between how rare a whale strike is and the fact so few hulls have white bottom paint on them I'm betting that last statement is statistically true.
Between how rare a whale strike is and the fact so few hulls have white bottom paint on them I'm betting that last statement is statistically true.
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READY2GO
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- 1989 Sea Ray 380 Aft Cabin
We applied Coppercoat 13 months ago. So far we are pleased. We spent the first 10 months after application in Boot Key Harbor, which is the worst place I have seen for fouling. We would still get slim on the bottom, but not barnacles. You could just scrap it right off with a plastic putty knife. It is not magic but I still think it is worth it. We did it ourselves. The Coppercoat for our 36 footer was about $1,800. It is critical to follow the instructions. Also it you do not sand it like the instructions say it will not work. You have to follow the instructions period.
As a follow up to the question of whether Coppercoat works in California or not, the US distributor just sent these shots. Here's what he said: "Attached are 2 pictures of Adagio who was just hauled in San Francisco after 3 years. In the before picture you can see how little growth was on the bottom and after pressure washed she looks about perfect." Photos taken by Adagio's owner.
Attachments
READY2GO
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- 1989 Sea Ray 380 Aft Cabin
It's not just about cleaning. If you want something that never needs cleaning keep dreaming. It is about not having to do a bottom job every other year. If they came up with something that never needed cleaning you would be out of a job.
It's about accurately representing what the product is capable of. And that pic doesn't reflect my experience with an uncleaned Coppercoat bottom.
And here's another tip for you- any high quality copper-based hard anti fouling paint will perform well for 3+ years, properly applied and maintained.
FF
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"It's not just about cleaning. If you want something that never needs cleaning keep dreaming."
ctually there was a product that was a US Navy soin off that went for a decade.
NO Foul
It was a rubber that looked like a skin divers suit and was epoxied to the hull.
Sadly it contained Mercury , so the Water Police went nuts.
OK for a USN boomer , not OK for a TT.
Perhaps someone could do more research?
ctually there was a product that was a US Navy soin off that went for a decade.
NO Foul
It was a rubber that looked like a skin divers suit and was epoxied to the hull.
Sadly it contained Mercury , so the Water Police went nuts.
OK for a USN boomer , not OK for a TT.
Perhaps someone could do more research?
Capt.Bill11
Guru
The sink applied to submarines has other properties other than antifouling that your average pleasure boat has no need for.
There are bottom paints that behave like Prop Speed.
There are bottom paints that behave like Prop Speed.
These are called "foul-release" coatings (the are not paint) and are non-toxic and are designed to create a surface so slick that fouling organisms cannot readily attach. On pleasure boats, they typically require very frequent cleaning.
Capt.Bill11
Guru
Yes that's correct. Except the boats I've seen with it were pretty much self cleaning as the boat moved.
Have you worked on any boats that were coated with it?
That has been my experience. I do have a diver regularly service my boat.
Someone asked me a question recently and I didn't know the answer so maybe you can answer: What do they do on bigger boats that can't be easily hauled for bottom painting? Or "ships"?
FF
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Or "ships"?
Ships move far more than pleasure boats , so their anti fouling works with the more rapid water flow.
Time is $$$ so when a ship is painted it is swarmed by workers with 30,000 psi pressure washing gear , and in some yards the task of cleaning , surface prep and painting is done by robots.
Ships move far more than pleasure boats , so their anti fouling works with the more rapid water flow.
Time is $$$ so when a ship is painted it is swarmed by workers with 30,000 psi pressure washing gear , and in some yards the task of cleaning , surface prep and painting is done by robots.
Commercial shipping and naval vessels are (as mentioned) typically underway much more than most pleasure boats and they tend to stretch their anti fouling's lifespan to around 5 years or so. But they do (just like our boats) require regular in-water hull cleaning and periodic haulouts (or in this case, dry-docking) for new paint.
