It seems a little strange to think about antifouling already, but it is a lot better to apply Coppercoat while the boat is upside down than attempting to do it crawling underneath and being dripped on. So, this stage is about Coppercoating!
Coppercoat is interesting stuff. All boats kept in the water need antifouling and most boat owners paint on their preferred gunk every year or two. Coppercoat lasts for at least 7 years. It is a water based epoxy resin with very fine copper powder suspended in it. The copper provides resistance to fouling. A “Complete Treatment” requires at least 4 coats which have to be applied all on the same day, in my case by roller. The Coppercoat supplier tells you how much resin etc. you need for your size of boat – then you keep applying coats until you use it all. That way the thickness is correct.
Not knowing quite how long the process would take, I prepared everything I could the day before. Masking off the area I would not be covering:
And laying out the material, trays, rollers and measuring cups.
I started by mixing enough resin for one coat and then switched to mixing just enough for a coat on one side. Add hardener to resin and mix. Pour in the copper powder and mix (a lot). Add a small amount of thinners and mix even more. Mix a bit more as you apply to stop the copper from sinking to the bottom of the pot – lots of mixing.
I started rolling at 9.45, The two photos below are after the first coat – still very patchy, but then the man from Coppercoat warned me that it would be.
And after 2 coats:
Three coats…
Four coats:
And I had enough to do a fifth coat but not a sixth.
The last coat went on by 16.45. Below is the finished job. A lovely copper brown that will go green in the water. It just needs a very light sanding to expose the copper before launch.
That bit of the boat is ready for the water. Unfortunately other bits are not. At least I am protected if the roof springs a leak!