Moonfish,
It has been over a year. Any updates. I am thinking of using coppercoat and would appreciate any info you have.
Thanks
Hi Mike and Sharon -
Good timing on your question! We just hauled the boat about a month ago (we were hit in our slip for the second time in two years and had to be hauled again for repairs...). The project manager at Townsend Bay Marine in Port Townsend was very impressed with the bottom after almost a year and a half. He said the pressure wash was super easy and quick, and there were absolutely no signs of barnacles or other growth on the entire hull.
We did have one issue though, and that was our stainless rudders and prop struts. Those were epoxy barrier coated prior to applying Coppercoat (with an approved epoxy). However, not enough time elapsed to fully cure the barrier coat. Coppercoat recommends a minimum of 72 hours, but the rudders and struts only had about 44 hours. Most of those surfaces were actually ok, but where there was any latent off-gassing, the Coppercoat had lifted in splotches. Lesson learned: Always ensure a barrier coat under the Coppercoat has had enough time to fully cure.
As far as the legality of Coppercoat - especially in my state of WA where the ban on copper PAINT goes in effect starting in 2017 - well, you will hear many opinions. Some informed, some otherwise. As Hollywood already pointed out, in WA the ban starts with NEW boats, in that you cannot SELL a NEW boat after 2017 with copper bottom paint. After 2020, you cannot SELL copper bottom paint. Period. Boats with copper bottoms will NOT have to be hauled and stripped, but are grandfathered in.
The other main "selling" point of Coppercoat vs. bottom paints in this debate (besides its an epoxy coating that will last 10-20 years), is Coppercoat is made with 99.6% pure, atomized copper and is essentially non-leaching. It is NOT cuprous oxide, which is what bottom paints primarily use. Copper is a natural biocide and is even used by hospitals as such. I'm obviously no scientist, but a phone call to Jim Edwards at Coppercoat USA will give you actual facts. Yes, of course he reps the product in the US and Canada, but he will give you real information. I've seen him roll his eyes often enough at the constant barrage of oftentimes baseless objections and even myths...
Lastly, we did shoot video of the boat as it was being hauled and pressure washed. As soon as we get through this current deadline for Cruising Outpost magazine I'll get that video posted to our site and YouTube so anyone can see for themselves how the Coppercoat performed over the last 16 months.
Hope this helps!
- Darren
"Looks like frozen snot" was L. Francis Herreshoff's first reaction...). But if boats are showing no signs of needing a new bottom after 15-20 years, I think that's pretty compelling evidence. And more than 40,000 boats is a decent sample.
