Coppercoat antifouling

I will be stripping of the old antifouling on my 411-40 Wotan this spring. I am pretty sure that she has not been epoxied before. I have been thinking about applying Coppercoat rather than International Gelshield 200 (epoxy paint)and Micron Extra (polishing antifouling). Has anyone experience of Coppercoat? Should I also treat the lead keel with Coppercoat as well?

Anthony Fawcett

Wotan 411-40

Anthony,

I talked to the US distributor at the San Diego boat show about it and it sounds great however on Google I've read many contrary comments. It has just been OKed for use in California but I have no first hand knowledge. I've been interested in trying it on my 43' REBECCA.

Here is some information from PracticalSailor.com concerning Copper Coat in a test they did. This was from Practical Sailor in 2010.

Copper Coat

"Promoted as a powerful paint that can last up to 10 years, Copper Coat showed no sign of barnacles at six months, but it had more slime than the majority of the other panels. This three-part, high-solvent epoxy coating, requires careful application and cannot be applied over previous coatings. The product is relatively expensive, and whether it is worth the extra expense will depend on whether it lives up to its claims. The makers call for regular hull cleaning to prevent the buildup of slime."

Perhaps someone from Europe can offer more information as I understand it has been used there for some time.

John McKay
43 REBECCA