Well I intended to paint the top sides this summer but since the yard only paint by hand and Caraway has grooves in her hull to make her look like a wooden boat we decided she needed to go to another yard and be sprayed. That and the cost of the job decided it for me. She would have to wait for a paint job and I’d do bottom instead.
Removing the anti-foul was a hell of a job with a hot air gun and scraper but it wasn’t as bad as sanding her smooth. I am delighted to report that her hull is bone dry with no signs of osmosis/blistering. She had originally been treated with three coats of a grey epoxy barrier before the anti-foul went on and much of this came off during the stripping process. CopperCoat can be applied over most epoxy barriers but I tested an area first to make sure they were compatible before I started in earnest. The CopperCoat was applied by myself in one continuous go (four coats all over) and then she was lifted and I did the bits hidden by the supports and under the keel.
She doesn’t quite look as smart as when she had red anti-foul but if I no longer have to scrub and paint her every season it will have been well worth it.
The above was taken after she was moved ready for touching up.
Getting a good finish wasn’t too hard but as the CopperCoat started to go off in the tray it was difficult to keep it thin and I ended up with a few sags and runs here and there. However, since it can be sanded and should be lightly sanded once in a while to expose more copper I carefully sanded the runs out. It was warm and dry while I was applying the copper coat which was ideal but it did rain heavily a few days later hence the streaks.
I needed five litres to do four coats on Caraway with half of one pack remaining. It if gets damaged I can re-touch it quite easily.
Now I need to give her a really good clean and she’s covered in leaves and dirt and bird shit all over again. Then she’s going back in the water and having her mast stepped. Can’t wait. A sailor without a boat is like a musician without a guitar…