Copper Coat

[ewan clark]

Hi Thomas,

Unfortunately your friend has his wires badly crossed! It is TBT that is banned in anti-fouls, not copper. In fact, virtually every anti-foul coating currently on the market uses copper in one form or another as its main biocide.

The difference with Coppercoat is that the copper is held within an epoxy base, so the leach rate is far lower than is the case with the standard anti-foul paints found on chandlers shelves.

You may be interested to learn that we even won the "Most Eco-Friendly Marine Business" at the 2011 China (Shanghai) Boat Show - which is no mean achievement for a company that manufactures anti-fouling!!!

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Originally Posted by ewan clark

The technical editor of "Motor Boat and Yachting" magazine (Greg Copp) tested it on his 13m Sunseeker last year, and the early results were published in the Feb '12 issue. His boat gained 2 knots at top speed, and 1 knot at cruising revs.

Similarly we had Sunseeker Middle East test Coppercoat on a brace of 82ft Sunseekers in Dubai, and again recorded a 2 knot increase in top speed. And even though it costs a fair amount to lift and repaint these big boats, it's a lot cheaper to gain speed this way than it is to fit bigger engines!

Granted it may add a knot or 2 on an 82ft boat where there is considerable drag, but scale that down and it makes little or no difference to a 6m rib (IMHO).

Coppercoat is certainly smarter looking (250kts boat looks great) and much lower maintenance than antifoul, certainly worth considering if you intend owning an expensive boat for a long time. However it is costly as opposed to few tins of antifoul which perhaps make more sense on the typical boats owned on here.

In terms of advertising the benefits, claiming top speed improvement is stretching the technical facts a little far in my view.

[ewan clark]

You are quite right Paul - the advantage is indeed far more noticeable on a larger boat with a greater wetted surface area. And although the principle remains sound (a low friction, smooth, non-absorbant epoxy coating provides less drag and allows for more speed than a rough, absorbant paint surface), the difference on small RIB may well be slight.

[alystra]

Originally Posted by thomas

I can't be an environmentalist, I drive a 4x4 and a RIB when I could be a raggie with a Golf although I do have a heat pump.

Since posting I did some research and found copper antifoul is more friendly, but my mate was told it would kill the fish and copper's not used anymore, something's different these days as it used to be shunned upon so was wondering how it;s different as it clearly has changes.

Yeah! Not easy being a RIBnetter and an environmentalist.

I just wonder if your pal was ill informed. Copper has indeed been used for hundreds of years as antifouling. In the 1960's or 70's a new, more effective antifouling paint was introduced, based on organo tin compunds. TBT (Tri Butyl Tin - I think). This was also far less reactive when applied to steel boats and ships (copper makes them rust) and a great success.

The paint manufacturers had test sites around the coast where samples were tested for effectiveness in differing conditions. AFAIK, one of these sites was a mussel/oyster farming area. The shellfish started to die off (I think because the TBT made one gender change sex.) .

Eventually TBT was banned for use on small boats because they spend much time moored in shallow shellfish areas. It was still allowed on big ships, fishing boats etc. Ironically, salmon farmers were allowed to dip their net cages in highly concentrated TBT until quite recently.

The only alternative was to revert to paints containing copper compounds. I think the idea of the 'ablading' or 'self polishing' paints now is that they don't flake off at the mooring or in the marina, thus creating a high concentration of toxins in a small area, but are worn away gradually (to expose fresh layers and keep the bottom clean) while under way, spreading the copper over a large volume of water where it will be below toxic levels.

Copper and its salts are 'natural'. There will be millions of tons of it dissolved in the worlds oceans. Obviously, fish cope with it.

Of the antifouling methods available, I think Coppercoat, or similar, is probably the best and most environmentally friendly. I suspect very little leaches out into the surrounding water and it only kils things that try to attach themselves to the hull.

I just wish I could afford it.

PS I am not an 'expert', or a chemist or toxicologist, so the above may not be 100% accurate. It's just what I've learned over forty years of professional and semi professional seafaring.

Ah. I see Ewan got there first. Must type more quickly.

[Jacek]

I've just ordered 7l to my 9m Parer Baltic - we shall see how it will be works.

[Shog69]

I'm going to order 3 Litres to do my Osprey Eagle, it's not that expensive at around £270, just need to find someone local to apply it for me

[Steve_B]

Just an update.

As the weather has been so crap (again) today, decided to use the crew to have the boat lifted and power washed/scrubbed down. This is the first time since early March.

For the last 2 years we have had if lifted out every 5/6 weeks and a power washer has not even touched the build up of growth. Therefore it has taken 3 big guys 90 mins to hand scrub it with abrasive pads.

Today they observed nothing more than a slime and the power washer took it all clean off in under 20mins. The boat was out of the water for less than 30mins in total. They have said that next time they would happily "beach it" let the tide go out rub it down lightly by hand (go for a food/drink) and then wait for the tide to refloat.

I would estimate we have already recovered the cost of the Coppercoat in savings made.

Steve

[kubcat]

Originally Posted by ewan clark

Hi Thomas,

Unfortunately your friend has his wires badly crossed! It is TBT that is banned in anti-fouls, not copper. In fact, virtually every anti-foul coating currently on the market uses copper in one form or another as its main biocide.

The difference with Coppercoat is that the copper is held within an epoxy base, so the leach rate is far lower than is the case with the standard anti-foul paints found on chandlers shelves.

You may be interested to learn that we even won the "Most Eco-Friendly Marine Business" at the 2011 China (Shanghai) Boat Show - which is no mean achievement for a company that manufactures anti-fouling!!!

Evan, we have a product with a similar name here but I suspect it is a different product. Is yours available in Australia and if so, who is your supplier?

[Paul Cannell]

Originally Posted by GJ0KYZ

I put Coppercoat on my hull four years ago and it's still working fine.

C'mon Paul, your Rib spends more time on Land than it does in the water It'd be growing Tatties if it wasn't copper coated

[Razorbill RIBs]

On the back of these positive reports have just orerdered some Coppercoat for the Pac.....

[GJ0KYZ]

Originally Posted by whisper

Small world!!!

Here's some pics I took of your rib in 2009 when we went to France in our VW camper.

Awesome holiday, and an awesome rib

My dream is to take my own rib there one day

Sorry, I've only just noticed your post; thanks for uploading the photos. I was lucky that day that the boat dried out as it did; two metres off that spot would have been a bit iffy. Let me know if you do want to go to Mt St. M at some point; I'll give you some directions or even come along myself.

[ewan clark]

Just a quick note to say thank you to those on here that ordered Coppercoat from us this season - please do stay in touch and report your findings. Certainly we are seeing an increase in interest in Coppercoat from RIB owners and it makes a nice change for us to be supplying goods to such craft.

[willk]

Ewan, how does coppercoat cope with regular trailering?

[ewan clark]

Coppercoat is a mix of copper metal powder and two-pack epoxy resin, and is the toughest anti-foul available. In fact it's tougher and less porous than gelcoat. This means that it can stand up to the rigours of being lifted out, and certainly will be damaged far less than a conventional anti-foul paint would be in similar use. But, when all is said and done it is only a coating of approximately 0.25 mm in thickness and repeated lifts or stoney beachings will breach the coating eventually.

When an area is finally worn through, simply apply a new patch of Coppercoat. The repair would be localised - you would not need to re-treat the whole boat.

[ewan clark]

Sorry - I forgot to add this. Coppercoat is not adversely effected by being out of the water. So you could lift your boat out every week and launch it every weekend if you wished. Or you could leave the boat in for 6 months and then have it out for 6 months. Whatever suits you is fine. If you think of it as copper-filled gel-coat you'll have the right idea. So it's not like a conventional anti-foul that oxidises and dies if the boat is taken out for any length of time.

[m chappelow]

Just a thought ! wonder if copper based coatings have any long term galvanic effect on boat fittings ,outboard legs , props , ect or if theirs any rapid corrosion of sacrificial anodes more than normal. .

[telcowilliam]

how much copper coat would be needed to cover a maxum 2700 scr? 28 foot, and what would price be delivered to wales, sick of anti-fouling every season and having to haul boat out in june to do it again

[ewan clark]

Hi Telcowilliam,

Sorry for the late reply! (For future reference, the quickest way to obtain a quote is to contact us via www.coppercoat.com or by callign 01258 861059.

But to fully treat a 28ft motorboat you would need about 6 litres of Coppercoat. At the current r.r.p this would be £420 plus delivery and Vat. And all being well this treatment would increase the boats performance slightly, decrease its fuel consumption slightly and continue to work as an anti-foul for approximately a decade.

But if you come to see us at the Southampton Boat Show (stand D005 in the Windward Hall) you could claim a discount!