Ain't boats great?

Where else can a bunch of old guys talk about their hairy bottoms (OK, don't answer that!)

About antifouling...

I woke up from a siesta aboard the Phoenix yesterday to the usual Spring sounds of scrapers and electric sanders and curses, etc around the yard as folks get ready for launch.

As a dinghy sailor, dealing with a 32-footer is a whole new experience for me that I really have ignored all these years whether dinghy sailing or crewing larger craft.

So because I am so ignorant, I get to "free-think" outside the realms of reality <grin>

Why not a copper bottom? (ie copper foil laminated to the hull.)

(Hey, it's a heck of a lot more traditional than the g.d.diseasal engine!!!)

Anyway, of course, there is already product out there.

Here, for example:
http://www.cda.org.uk/megab2/corr_rs/pub157/157_lo.pdf
A coupla articles here:
http://www.sailnet.com/search/results.cfm?criteria=copper

The application in my case is a 32-foot wooden hull (glassed outside), restricted to harbour waters ("fresh" Great Lakes water) and slow speeds (6kts.max.) - in fact tied up alongside 99% of the time.

Concerns include pollutions in the water attacking the copper, and adhesives for bonding to the hull (after prev. antifouling paint removed)...

Objectives include reducing bottom work (antifouling removal/replacement) to once every 10 years or so, and fewer consumables used up in the process (masking tapes, face masks, full-body environmental suits, ear drums, etc.)

And the pleasure of working to the music of CDs and birds and bees insteada grinders and sanders, with no dust to go up my neighbours noses...

Apart from any commercial product, it turns out that the stained glass hobby-type folks use copper foil (1.5mil thickness), which can be special ordered in rolls up to 24" wide.

Someone has already suggested soldering the copper sheets where they overlap.

My thought was cyanoacrylics (not foil to hull - just to glue overlaps in foil sheets)... Dunno how "crazyglues" perform L/T under water...

I'm really not interested in using any nails into the hull!

Sooooo.... anyone aboard here with any knowledge or experience with copper sheeting/foils as anti-fouling?

Thx for any replies

Lock
Toronto Harbour

Interesting idea, ships used to be plated in copper to keep marine borers at bay. It would be interesting to see what would happen 1o 1.5 mil copper sheet submerged in water in your area for a year. Glue a sheet to something and throw it in for a year. Groung it to your dock to see if you get any electrolysis loss.

Keep us informed.

Old Houseboater