High Performance 10+ Year Anti-Fouling System


Coppercoat USA LLC
e-mail: info@coppercoatusa.com
phone: 1-321-514-9197



That's a hull of a result

3 December 2018

Clipper Yachts with Coppercoat protected hulls are lifted to reveal... almost nothing.

It was about a year ago that Marine Business had the opportunity to spend some time on board one of the yachts taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race while the fleet was visiting Sydney. The day out was organised by Coppercoat, the official supplier of anti-foul to the Clipper fleet, and hosted by the local distributor ABS Technologies.

One of the reasons why Coppercoat was chosen for the 2017-18 race was that it meant the yachts did not have to be lifted in Sydney for cleaning, resulting in substantial savings in time and money for Clipper Race organisers and crews alike - and more time to entertain the media.

Back home and with the race now run, the boats have been lifted after their 40,000 nautical mile journey and 16 months in the water to reveal the results of the Coppercoat protection. This showed almost no loss of coating thickness and, barring a trace of slime at the waterline in some parts, hulls which were virtually spotless.

“This enormously successful outcome understandably delighted us, the crews and the race organisers in equal measure,” said Coppercoat director Ewan Clark, “and we are reviewing our partnership with Clipper for the 2019-2020 event. Look no further for a clear vindication of Coppercoat's efficiency and longevity.”

Coppercoat said the results are in contrast with recent testimony received from sailors involved in other global circumnavigations who reported that the anti-fouling coatings used on their boat hulls lasted for less than six months. By this point, barnacle growth on the hulls was so advanced it was estimated to be responsible for a 0.5 to 1 knot reduction in boat speed for every hour sailed.

“How the yachts perform is critical, not only to racing success, but also to the planning and logistics of a race on this scale,” said Clipper Race director, Mark Light. “Coppercoat has surpassed our expectations, and as our preparations commence for the 2019-20 edition we have every confidence that Coppercoat will allow superb performance of our race yachts for many circumnavigations to come.”


We received this e-mail totally unsolicited.

“We put Coppercoat™ on our boat 4 years ago. It is brilliant; each time we lift out all we do is jet wash and it’s as good as new. We have received many envious comments from those having to deal with traditional antifouling. It is probably the best investment we made, saving us lots of time and lots of money too. I can’t rate the product highly enough. Please feel free to use this in you testimonials section.”

Sue & Brian K.


"As far as CopperCoat, I wholehearted endorse it. I had a Marine Trader 44 trawler that I rebuilt in Salinas, Ecuador. In 2008, just before launching the boat and bringing it up to Florida, we applied CopperCoat to her bottom. We completely sanded the old bottom paint so we applied it to a smooth hull. However, we did not apply the CopperCoat using the recommended roller method; it was sprayed on very thin, and not sanded. Bottom line is this: The boat arrived in Miami in May, 2008 and by June, 2009 I had to haul her because there was growth. I contacted Jim and complained because it was supposed to be a 10-year paint. He suggested we lightly sand the bottom and then we applied two coats of Coppercoat using a roller -- as recommended. Since June, 2009 through March of this year, I did not haul the boat once. I had no growth to speak of. What we had was a bit of a "beard" that would grow in about 30 days but the "beard" would disappear as soon as I took the boat out. I had a diver dive the boat once every two months and he had to do nothing to the bottom, yet I had barnacles growing on my rudder and my bow thruster which had not been treated with Coppercoat. I sold my boat in March of this year to a gentleman from New Hampshire. When we hauled the boat out for his survey, I had no growth. They pressure cleaned the bottom, again because I would get a little beard and a kind of slimy coat which would all come off as soon as you ran the boat. The only thing I had into my sixth year of CopperCoat was some wear around the bow thruster where the Coppercoat had worn off. I am talking about small areas, about the size of a dime, where I could see the hull and the paint had come off, and it was all concentrated in the bow area around the bow thruster. I think the turbulence in that area may have worn the paint off. I contacted Jim and he suggested we could do a "touch up", but the buyer and his surveyor thought it was not necessary because it was so minimal. Moral of the story: As of today, the boat still has the 2009 application of CopperCoat. I just heard from her new owner and he ran her up to New Hampshire up the Intercoastal for the summer and is now bringing her down to Florida for the winter. Her bottom is perfectly fine.

I recommend CopperCoat. In South Florida, my boater friends, and my brother who owns a Bertram Sportfish, can't go more than one year without hauling their boats and applying more bottom paint and even then they have to have a diver dive the boat once a month. After I applied the Coppercoat in 2009, I didn't haul the boat once until I sold her this year. I used a diver for my rudder and my bow thruster, and to check her zincs, but that was it.

Juan R. - vessel Coconut
Miami, FL


"Hi Jim,
All is well.   Last summer soft growth really took over, very thick.   My diver had to really work at it. During the summer it needs to be cleaned by a diver every 8-10 weeks.   I had the bottom power washed in the fall.    It is doing well this winter but not sure if it was the power washing or the colder water.   I do need to get touch up's done this summer.  Overall, still really pleased with the product.

Regards, Craig
Craig Kelley, February 23, 2016

"Hey Jim,
This Copper Coat paint is the bees knees.   Wow!   It was almost shiny when it was pulled.   The CSR guys were absolutely flabbergasted when they saw the condition of the bottom.   Crazy!"

Regards, Craig
Craig Kelley, November 25, 2013


"Senior editor Doug Logan is a former editor-in-chief of Practical Sailor, managing editor and technical editor of Sailing World, webmaster for Sailing World and Cruising World, and contributing editor to Powerboat Reports. He is the editor of many books about boats, boat gear, and the sea, and is experienced in both sail and power."

Click the thumbnail above to read Doug's article!

Coppercoat: A Worthy Alternative to Bottom Paint
Doug Logan


"I applied Coppercoat to my sailboat in 2010, a Beneteau First 235, “Ballerina". She’s kept in the water year-round in a dead-end canal in the Florida Keys. I wanted the performance advantage of a hard bottom paint, superior growth resistance for subtropical salt water and ecological friendliness of a non-ablative coating. An added plus has been that the annual haul-out to repaint the bottom is a thing of the past. Too, Coppercoat USA’s Jim Edwards offers ready, willing and able customer support. It’s now 6 years since the Coppercoat went on her bottom; so much better than ablative! Will keep you posted about the next haul out… I would choose Coppercoat, again, and for all the same reasons."

Best, Art K.
2016, Coppercoat in Key West - Update after 6 years
(Note the original 2010 testimonial which appears below)

Last December Ballerina was hauled out and her bottom stripped to bare gelcoat. Next, came COPPERCOAT anti-fouling bottom paint. Coppercoat cannot be applied over other bottom paints.

A relatively new technology, COPPERCOAT is 99% copper powder in a two-part epoxy resin. The manufacturer claims it retains its anti-fouling effectiveness for at least 10 years, Ballerina being the first customer in these parts. It’s a hard bottom paint, faster and more environmentally friendly than ablative types. Ballerina went back in the water in January and was motored to her dock where, unfortunately due to an injury to me, she remained until today, six months later. Her dock is at the bitter end of a long narrow channel cut in a large shallow harbor basin. The water gets hot, as it’s near-stagnant, and topical marine growth loves it. So, on a perfect day for sailing and swimming I was more than curious to don a mask, snorkel and fins and exercise my surgically repaired shoulder to see how the Coppercoat performed.

Wow, it works as billed!—mostly.

Below the waterline was a slight fur that effortlessly wiped away with the scrubby pad I put to it. A rag would have worked. At the waterline there was the merest touch of scraggly algae, forward and on the rudder. One caveat were the barnacles. There were about 3 dozen scattered around, but a plastic scrapper popped them off leaving no residue and doing no harm to the Coppercoat. The best part of the cleaning was putting no poisonous ablative cloud in the water.

Contrast that with the Gary Hoyt designed ketch at the next dock which had had an ablative paint applied at about the same time and also sat unused. Four inches of beard stem to stern, thick with barnacles.

The Beneteau 235 uses 4 liters of COPPERCOAT, which cost $130/liter. Jim Edwards, USA distributor practically held my hand through the unusual application process, freely giving phone and email support.

Art Kara - Key West FL, June 2010


This article by Pete Dubler was published in the December 2012 issue of Blue Water Sailing magazine.

Click the thumbnail to read the full article!

Employing Coppercoat in the quest of the perfect bottom job
Blue Water Sailing, December 2012, written by Pete Dubler

Pete, the author of this article, did the refit on his vessel and applied the Coppercoat in Colorado. He has since moved the vessel to Florida, where he and his wife headed out in December 2015 to go cruising. This picture is of Pete’s boat 3 years after the application of Coppercoat, when the vessel was hauled out at Cape Canaveral.


The February 2012 issue of Motor Boat and Yachting magazine contains this article about the speed gain achieved when Coppercoat was applied to a Sunseeker Thunderhawk 43.

Click the thumbnail to read the full article!

Trying out Coppercoat
Motor Boat and Yachting, February 2012

"This is a clear 1-knot gain over the 27.1 knots I recorded with an epoxy-coated hull."


"The Coppercoat has performed extremely well as an antifouling, needing only a light washing down each year to remove the ubiquitous river lichen slime."
"As an antifouling we have been particularly impressed by Coppercoat's performance over the years and we would confidently recommend it."

8 year trial by 'Yachting Monthly' 1999, written by Duncan Kent


"Fast forward about 2 years from my last message, and I am reporting back to you on the performance of the Coppercoat since it was applied to my boat in 2012. I took the boat over to the same yard, and had it hauled to inspect the bottom. The yard people were all extremely impressed. Normally with a coat of, say, Pettit Trinidad, there would be all sorts of growth, requiring that the hull to be repainted – this after only 2 years. Clearly there was no need to even think about doing anything to the bottom of my boat."

"Since the Coppercoat was applied, I have had the occasional diver down to scrub the bottom, and all they have found is very light soft growth. A diver was last down about 7 weeks before the boat was hauled this time, and the condition of the bottom was as described just above: very light coat of soft growth with absolutely no evidence of the bad stuff – hard growth, barnacles, etc. I plan to get the boat hauled again in another 2 years, again to take another look."

Adagio before pressure washing

"I can tell you that I am very satisfied with the performance of your product, and certainly will extol its virtues to the sailing community here on S.F. Bay. Comments which I read on blogs before deciding to go with it suggested that the Bay is an ideal environment for performance of the product, with year-round water temperature of 50 - 55ºF."

Adagio after pressure washing

Mr. Price - San Francisco Bay Area


"I applied Coppercoat some 13 years ago and have been delighted. Please use me as a reference!"

Mr Stainer - London


"I have just sold my Eclipse 33 after owning her for 17 years. I have had COPPERCOAT on her hull for 13 years and have been very satisfied with it’s performance during that time. It has saved a considerable amount of effort and money on the annual antifouling treatment normally required."

Graham's Eclipse 33 undergoing annual pressure wash.

I am about to take delivery of a new Jeanneau 35 and have no hesitation in applying COPPERCOAT to her before she is launched as a first priority.

Graham Pay, April 2006


"We've travelled 40,000 nautical miles on the first application of Coppercoat over a period of 12 years. The protection the product has provided is unparalleled, both for anti-fouling and osmosis protection. Pulling the boat out on the hardstanding we were extremely happy to see no signs of osmosis, especially when you see the other fiberglass boats coming out requiring substantial repairs.

Even though Coppercoat has a slightly higher initial cost over other anti-fouls, its long lifespan and other benefits makes it far cheaper in the long run."

Mr Co Zwetsloot - Holland


"Since applying the Coppercoat system I have been delighted with its performance. There's been much less weed build-up than in previous years, and what did appear has been easy to remove. It's quite a high initial outlay, but a lot of money will be saved over the years and it seems to work as a very effective anti-fouling with the bonus of offering good hull protection."

Article from 'Sailing Today' 2002, Editor - John Goode


"He set sail from Shamrock Quay for the Caribbean, visiting Grenada as well as crossing the Atlantic to Portugal where his yacht is now at Villamoura.

He has told me that he is delighted with Coppercoat and that there is no growth of seaweed or barnacles on the treated part of his hull, but there is some barnacle growth on the boat topping which he did not cover with Coppercoat"

Mr Hatcher - Boat Builders, Southampton


Moody 44 in Swanwick Marina, Hampshire. Treated with COPPERCOAT in 1992.

Lifted after 9 seasons. Hull showing only light slime.


"The best performing anti-foul I have used even now in it's 7th season. Considering how inexpensive it is, I don't understand why everybody doesn't use Coppercoat."

Mr Kendjian - Cannes, France


"Needless to say it was a simple decision for us to continue using Coppercoat, and we were happy to find the product sold in New Zealand. Traveling in remote regions, many people carry extra anti-foul with them to re-do their boat as they go. Coppercoat gives us the confidence that we won't run into these issues."

Article from 'Trade A Boat' 2007, Written by Rowan Spinks


Having treated my boat with coppercoat in 1995 I must say how pleased I am, with the coating still performing well 8 years on."

Mr Beltrani - Rome, Italy


Motor boat "Listavon". Berth - Cobbs Quay, Dorset
Treated with COPPERCOAT in March 1993.

As lifted in 2005 - the COPPERCOAT still performing well after 12 years of continual immersion.


"My conclusion is that after 8 years afloat, Coppercoat seems to have the same anti-fouling properties of the best anti-fouling paint. The advantage is that the job does not need renewing. "

Mr Norbury - Hampshire, UK


"The main advantage of Coppercoat is that it is lower maintenance than ordinary paint, and owners in the Med have told us that they need less frequent haul-outs to deal with waterline weed and general slime. Owners in the Caribbean have told us that their hulls stayed cleaner for much longer."

Article from 'Practical Boat Owner' 2006, written by Jake Kavanagh


"Coppercoat has kept my Thames based boat free of fouling for the last 6 years"

Mr Smy - Herts


"The Copper coat was applied 8 years ago. The coating has stood up well, with no loss of anti-fouling properties. A pressure wash when the boat is lifted is sufficient to remove slime build-up."

Mr Mitchell - Aberdeen


"As far as I am concerned, it really does work. John Burges has much the same experience as me. He reports that he is delighted with the product"

Article from 'Multihull International' 1994, written by Malcolm Turner


"The hull was beautifully clean - a little better that the usual condition after a season using conventional anti-fouling. All that was needed was a pressure wash and we were ready for launching in the spring."

Rival-Bowman Owners Newsletter


"My client reports that his 80ft aluminium yacht in the Caribbean is perfectly clean after 3 years afloat. You can't say fairer than that!"

Mr Sharatt - Southampton


"Copper epoxies tend to be favoured by environmental groups as they do not leach their metallic content in anything like the quantity that the popular self-eroding antifouls do, thereby reducing the build up of copper on the seabed, and equally importantly, continuing to be effective with little or no maintenance for ten or more years. Now must be the time to consider whether Coppercoat could be the answer to your fouling problems, both economically and environmentally."

Article from 'Captain's Log' 2002, written by Duncan Kent


"Over the last 10 years my yacht has sailed the Med, Caribbean, Florida Keys and UK waters and it's still looking good."

Mr Connell - Liverpool


"After 9 years of heavy use I would now like to apply this fantastic product again."

Mr Rowe - New Zealand


"Since her launch almost seven years ago 'Zest' has never been out of the water for more than 18 hours. Our experience is that copper epoxy, (Coppercoat) is a great success. We never have any weed or barnacles on the bottom, just a thin layer of slime that is easily blasted away by a pressure hose."

Article from 'Yachting Monthly' 2001, written by Miles Kendall


"My boat had Coppercoat applied 5 years ago. Recently the boat was taken out of the water for the first time. The hull was in an unbelievably clean state."

Theo de Jong - Online feedback


Ongoing test started in February 2005 - 10 year results due in early 2015!

'WaterKampioen' 2005


Sailing yacht 'Zest' Berth – Swanwick Marina, Hampshire Treated with COPPERCOAT – July 1993

These pictures show ‘Zest’ as lifted in July 2005, after 12 years afloat. After the usual 15 minutes pressure wash and inspection ‘Zest’ was ready for relaunch.