Self made Copper-Epoxy-mix as Antifouling? - And the 'same' ready made products?

[Angélique]

Hello all,

I read this Dutch article about an experiment with a self made copper epoxy mix. It should work as antifouling for ten years, even in salt water! And it would be legal in the Netherlands where many antifoulings are prohibited now. The site claims that its cheaper, simpler, more effective and environmental friendly.

Dutch:
http://www.water-experience.nl/jooml...cten&Itemid=10

Google translation, Dutch > Enlish:
http://translate.google.com/translat...state0=&swap=1

Are there any experiences here with copper-epoxy as antifouling?

If it's already discused here please give a link.

Regards,

Angel

P.S. added the title a bit (10-24-2009)

[TeddyDiver]

http://www.coppercoat.com/
Should be good I've heard..

[simon]

Would be interesting to hear from someone with experience. All I have read, until now, is about applying the copper epoxy, but no recounts about how it worked over the years.
My boat had copper epoxy applied by the first owners and they wrote on the their website that they needed to clean the hulls way to often.
They also thought that it makes a good base for antifouling. A rather expensive primer.

[AndrewK]

About 15 years ago copper epoxy was being promoted in Australia, I tried two different products on my keel and rudder. One was based on fine copper powder and the other so called coloidal copper flakes. Performance of both was well below convetional self polishing antifoul paints.
Water temperature here is 19 - 26'C.

[Ad Hoc]

Whatever you do, do not use it on aluminium..!!!

[masalai]

It is on my boat, and many other Oram designs and some others too... I will launch in April 2010 so ask me after then... fine copper spheres (dust - almost like heavy talcum powder applied in a mix of about 50% by volume to mixed epoxy/hardner and applied by roller in several layers, almost continuously as the mix goes off quickly so make small batches, mix and apply then move to the next portion to be done... 3 or 4 layers and about 4kg per 40 ft hull for a lightweight cat. - - - Also becomes quite hard and IS NOT sandable and will cut your hand if there are any "sharp bits" where you rub your hand against the cured area... only use on glass/epoxy built boats and be cautious or electrolysis on through hull, prop-shaft, outboard/alloy legs etc... and add one or more of these, on advice, for electronic earthing "Moonraker-eplate-1.pdf" or another version to meet your other electrolysis/earthing needs...

[simon]

but, anyone used it for years with success?

[masalai]

Varying levels, seems related to copper exposed to oceans, earlier commercial products were small flakes, for me the "powder" seems best and "Schools Out" is cruising now, and I think it was on their previous (smaller) cat as well... The "urination" test left a copper oxide "green/blue" stains indicating effective leaching, so it is effective there...

[Snabb]

Hi,
I am aware that this thread is quite old, but still want to shre my experience. I applied the 'Dutch' epoxy-copper three years ago and had very good results. Unfortunately, I had to do some repairs last year and found out that the company stopped production due to family circumstances. I was lucky to find one of the last liters of Ecoline coating at a shipyard.
At the time there were different types of coating depending on the type of water, the fresh water kind worked very well. Just had to clean it with a high pressure water jet, a brush and cloth.
Since there is no (0,zero) emission of copper into the water, it is locally (in The Netherlands) not classified as anti-fouling.

[HakimKlunker]

It appears that there is no one-for-all. It depends much WHERE your boat is located.
I had a boat on the Baltic once, with a copper antifouling (von Hoeveling). It worked extremely well. Needed only a little cleaning from slime every now and then.
I am now in the tropics and here copper is seemingly less efficient.
Some local fishermen use dispersion paint with mixed-in chili powder. Sounds weird, but it works. Less durable of course, but extremely cheap.
with winter approaching, you have a good chance to inspect boat bottoms on the dry. Their condition and growth status will give you a good indication of what works well in your region.

[Herman]

At this moment I am starting some tests with Copper Powder in different epoxy systems. A solvent free system with very good resistance against water, and a water based system which seemingly would expose more copper.

Will only start in a couple of weeks though.

At this moment I am selling the stuff with solvent free epoxy, which seemingly does work well. However, I would like to do some testing myself.

[Chuck Losness]

The yard in Puerto Escondido has been applying a copper epoxy bottom paint for the past 2 years with very mixed results. I don't know the brand name. It is $500 per gallon and you have to completely strip everything off the bottom down to bare fiberglass/gelcoat. Very expensive to apply. Didn't work at all on one boat until they hauled the boat and sanded the bottom to expose the copper. Somehow the epoxy glazed over and no copper was exposed. They now sand the bottom just before launching to make sure the copper is exposed. Several boats have had major electrolysis problems both in thru hulls and the paint itself.
I did a google search and did not find one boat owner that kept the copper epoxy bottom paint. All had gone back to regular antifouling. But it was a pretty small sample and maybe not representative of other boat owner's experience. The only positive reports I found seemed to come from the people selling the stuff. From a common sense point of view epoxy is pretty waterproof and does not wear away so how does the copper in the paint every come to the surface to provide antifouling. Do you have haul every year just to sand the bottom to expose more copper. I don't know. This stuff has been around for awhile and if it was as great as the salesman are claiming, then everybody would be using it.
IMHO the jury is still out.

[MikeJohns]

I saw a paint patch trial with Epoxy base coat and copper powder on a slow coastal steel vessel with several different approaches.

From memory the best result was using a water based 2 pack epoxy and the copper powder was blown into/onto the wet paint surface with a sand blasting type arrangement.

That worked much better than the loaded pre mixed in copper with the paint which was sanded after application.

That makes the application expensive and it's also hard to obtain reasonably priced copper powder. It worked very well and I saw the patches after 5 years and they were clean and they were scrubbed with a pad but not sanded.

[Chuck Losness]

Mike
I recently bought 2 lbs of very fine copper powder on Ebay for $13.50 per pound plus shipping. I don't know if that's expensive or not. I added it to my Comex bottom paint. Just got out of the yard 2 days ago. Good to be floating again.
Interesting application to blow the copper powder onto tacky epoxy. I wonder if there is a lot of waste or if the copper readily stuck to the epoxy without much waste. Do you remember how much copper they had to use or how thick it was? Is that process similar to powder coating?
Chuck

[pauloman]

google copper powder epoxy