Coppercoat Treatment

Developed in the 1980's and available to the public since 1991, Coppercoat™ is possibly the most powerful and long lasting anti-fouling available to the modern yachtsman. This hard wearing densely copper filled epoxy resin is successfully protecting tens of thousands of boats the world over, saving their owners the time and expense of annual re-antifouling. Many users have now enjoyed more than 15 years continual protection from a single treatment!.

Coppercoat™ is the combination of a specially developed solvent-free epoxy resin and high purity (99%) copper. Each litre of resin is impregnated with 2 kilos of ultra fine spherical copper powder, the maximum allowed by law, making Coppercoat™ the strongest copper based anti-fouling available. Indeed no other anti-fouling exposes as much active copper to unwanted marine life.The combination of high copper content and a unique blend of biocides ensures ultra low growth rates and a clean hull.

Motorboat owners report increased speed at lower revs, meaning a lower rate of fuel consumption and less engine wear. These benefits are not simply derived from hull cleanliness (after-all, a new coat of conventional anti-fouling will be clean for a while), it comes from lower drag.

Conventional anti-foul paints absorb water (allowing them to leach their biocides) and in so doing swell and increase in weight. This adds friction and drag and slows the boat which explains why dry-sailing (i.e. sailing without anti-foul) is a faster option. Coppercoat™, on the other hand, is epoxy based and does not absorb water. It does not swell, does not increase in weight, and does not add drag to the boat. Coppercoat™ provides the ideal solution – the high-performance associated with dry sailing and the protection of anti-fouling.

On immersion sea water attacks the exposed pure copper powder, causing the formation of cuprous oxide. This highly effective antifouling agent deters growth until the surface degrades further to become cupric hydrochloride. This final copper form is highly unstable, and is washed away by the movement of the yacht, thereby removing any accumulating silt or slime. This automatically reveals a fresh copper rich surface, whereby the process recommences.

With an average thickness of at least 200 microns of Coppercoat™ being applied in a treatment, and a typical corrosion rate of 5 microns per year, it is easy to appreciate how this coating offers such long lasting and effective protection.

Furthermore, the inherent waterproofing qualities of the epoxy ensure that a treatment of Coppercoat™ will help prevent osmosis in GRP craft and offer extra protection against corrosion in steel vessels.

All works are carried out in accordance with the BMF. (British Marine Federation) terms and conditions.