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  2. [Amel Yacht Owners] Re: Copper coat

Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Re: Copper coat

James Alton
 

Ian,

   Thanks for your input.  Perhaps erosion is not the correct term.  I was just reading that the Copper Coat becomes thinner over time and will require touch up and an eventual recoat so at some level material is being lost with time.  I guess that this could be due to  the mechanical abrasion from cleaning and sanding to expose new Copper, or perhaps the water based Epoxy softens some with immersion,  I am not sure.  The 4 coats that we applied seem to be fairly thin once sanded flat but incredibly hard when compared to any antifouling that I have ever used.  i don’t expect to see any Coppercoat smeared up on the bootop as the straps stretch like with some softer antifouling.

   I like what you said about the hull being very smooth and agree about the paint buildup problem.  One of the first things that struck me about my Amel Maramu was how fair and smooth the bottom is.  No bulkheads showing through, just a very fair 29 year old hull with nary a blister.   

  I hope that we cross paths someday, I would like to see “Ocean Hobo".

Best,

James

On May 13, 2017, at 10:20 AM, Ian Park parkianj@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

James
Yes it is water based and rollers are easily cleaned on water. On the third day of applying in Trinidad a big black cloud appeared and unloaded on us. It washed the two coats we were applying to the final third of the boat. The other two thirds applied on the previous two days was untouched. We had enough to complete the job in the end!
I wasn't aware that Coppercoat eroded at all. To bring fresh copper to the surface you have to lightly sand the hull with an 800 grit paper. Check the barrier and eroding facts with Coppercoat - I'd be interested to know.
In the tropics we have a light coat of slime build up on the hull over a couple of months. I use a stainless wire wool to scrub it or a large scraper. I can do most of the hull with just a mask and snorkel. In home waters -Wales and Scotland - the build up was less (this with the old Coppercoat), but it hosed off quite easily with the boat dried out against a harbour wall.
It works for me, and the main thing I like is a very smooth hull, none of the peeled onion skin effect after a few years build up of eroding anti fouling. Oh, and I don't have the messy annual job of reapplying anti fouling. 

Good luck

Ian 
Ocean Hobo SN96
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