The choice of anti fouling.
Applying anti fouling (AF) is a more or less yearly returning job in tropical waters, at least if you want your boat to perform. In the 7 years that I have been sailing now in the waters around Singapore it became soon obvious that fouling is fast, much faster than in the colder waters in Netherlands. In Netherlands, where the boat was routinely hauled out in October/November (as in the winter months it was too cold to sail) the hull was maximally a little bit slimy and a high-pressure wash was enough to get it completely clean. Some light sanding and one layer of antifouling in March was the maximum I did to have another season of sailing with a clean hull.
My first experience in Singapore as quite shocking. After buying the boat (a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 33) in December 1999 she was hauled out, cleaned properly and she got two layers of anti fouling (an International self polishing AF) before launching it again in January. Algae were growing at the waterline after two month. They could be easily wiped of in the beginning, but they became more and more resistant and after slightly more than half a year a brush was needed to get a clean water line. Within 9 months groups of small barnacles were sitting firmly on the hull and it took a scraper to get them off. A year after launching the boat it was back on the hard stand again.
I decided to have a good job done. All old AF was removed and the boat got an osmosis prevention treatment with Gelshield, after which 3 layers of AF (again International) were applied, a base of hard (non abrasive) AF and two layers of self polishing AF. The result was optically very nice with a smooth hull but unfortunately my first experiences in Singapore were repeated. After 3 month algae were growing on the water line and a discussion with an International representative only revealed that perhaps the color (black) was not optimal…..

After some more months with regular cleaning treatments, the amount of barnacles harvested each period let me decide to haul the boat out again. The two layers of self polishing Oceanmaster AF performed remarkably better, showing no growth at all in the first 6 months and it was nearly 18 months later that the boat got her new protective layer. Not bad for an antifouling that was not even half the price!!

Then the Tsunami struck while the boat was in Rebak Marina (Langkawi, Malaysia) and unfortunately she was damaged and had to be hauled for rudder repair and countless scratches over and under the water line. Although the AF was still ok (after more than a year) we decided to get her a new coat as she was already on the hard stand. As Oceanmaster was not available in Langkawi, at least not in the color we wanted, we decided to give Jotun a try. We did not regret it as the AF was at least as good as the Oceanmaster. Moreover, it was even cheaper (and not only because we bought it in Langkawi).

Perhaps a few words have to be said about environmental regulations. The times of very active tin based AF are over which is good for the environment. Copper-based AF have made their way, some enriched with organic biocides to make them more potent. The high price we pay for the AF is partly because of research paint companies have to do to get the most optimal ‘cocktail’ within the limits of the (international) laws.
Because of the money involved and also because of the environment, it is a little frustrating to paint a hull every year or so just to see when cleaning (high pressure wash and occasionally wet sanding) the hull for the next paint round lots of paint washed away in the drain (bad for environment and bad for wallet). There must be better solutions and while looking for it I came across CopperCoat.

CopperCoat ( http://www.coppercoat.com/index.htm ) is an epoxy resin with incorporates spherical copper particles. The AF principle as explained by the manufacturer is easy. The copper particles are exposed to the sea, oxidize to copper oxide and after a while wash away in the salty seawater as copper chlorine, only to expose a new layer of fresh copper particles. The manufacturer claims that it is a multi seasonal AF with many satisfied customers worldwide. The boat needs a good pressure wash or brush every year or so to keep it clean. Tests in various water sport magazines generally support the claims of the manufacturer. Too nice to be true?? May be and one of the reasons that not every sailor is using CopperCoat might be the fact that you need a clean hull to apply it and the price. The pure product is at least a factor three more expensive than common AF.
An additional factor that speaks for Copper Coat is its epoxy carrier. It will prevent steel hulls for rust, aluminum hulls for oxidizing and fiberglass boats for osmosis.

I decided to give it a try. In the worst case I would have to brush more often or even haul the boat out to apply a conventional AF. What I would have gained in that case is still the osmosis prevention on my new fiberglass hull. I contacted the manufacturer and had many discussions over email with them, all questions politely and in details answered before I ordered the 10 kg I needed for my boat. The product arrived, not cheap indeed (I paid in total for 10 kg CopperCoat plus 1 kg primer (for the lead keel) inclusive freight, taxes (GST) and administration (S$ 2900 = 1450 Euro). It came with an application manual and a DVD in which the application was well described. It can be applied by roller (or spray) and ideally you have to have a few friends around to help for a couple of hours, as the product has to be applied on the still tacky previous layer.

Whether it works?? After some 6 months having the boat in the warm waters in Singapore, where the fouling is strong, there were some patches with barnacles after about 3 month. However, they could be scraped off very easily, and after brushing the spots with Scotch Brite®, they did not come back. In 2008 we will haul the boat out for a proper hull check under the water line and we will lightly sand the Coppercoat before launching again