Copper sheet for the dinghy

[hd002e]

I have a small homemade plywood dinghy that I sometimes leave in the water. It is not too big of a problem in the summertime as I dive in the water and clean the bottom regularly but in the winter it gets covered in hard growth within a weeks time. The area that gets covered is fairly small, perhaps 3 square feet. I am considering getting thin copper sheets, cutting them to the exact shape of the effected area and gluing them to the bottom with polyurethane. Would copper keep barnacles away?

[rbk]

It would not be cheaper and easier to just roll on a quart of anti fouling?

[hd002e]

Antifoul would probably be cheaper but the dinghy soends a lot of time upside down on the bow as much as in the water, and I think (I may be wrong on this) the antifoul doesn’t like to he out of the water. So the copper would provide some longevity even when the boat is out of the water.

[rbk]

There are paints for trailerable boats that might fit the bill. Bottomkote is one that comes to mind.

[cherylchecheryl]

The crazy way that people are stealing things for their copper, you might find your dinghy becoming an even more attractive theft target.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by hd002e

Antifoul would probably be cheaper but the dinghy soends a lot of time upside down on the bow as much as in the water, and I think (I may be wrong on this) the antifoul doesn’t like to he out of the water. So the copper would provide some longevity even when the boat is out of the water.

Try Pettit Vivid. Designed to take it in/out of water and still work. We use it on our hard dink and works well.


Bill O.

[Frankly]

Sea growth is location dependent, but the barnacles love my copper ground plate. It is so bad I paint the ground plate and then scrape a fine edge clean around the perimeter.

Think copper sheathing of old was more for worms than barnacles, but their ships were also wood.


Frankly

[a64pilot]

I post this every once in a while to have people cry that I don’t know what I’m talking about, but metallic copper doesn’t inhibit growth much at all.
Hang a piece of copper pipe overboard if you don’t believe me.
The “stuff” in bottom paint isn’t metallic copper, it’s cupric oxide or other chemical, I’m not sure which, it’s copper based, but it’s not copper.
Ships of old used copper sheeting to protect the wood from toredo worms I believe

[StoneCrab]

How about using the old "shelf liner" Contact Paper. I've never done this, mind you, but in thinking about your problem, was trying to come up with a peal away solution so that instead of cleaning and scraping, you'd pull off the sacrificial surface when you wanted a clean hull. If you have a big go-fast motor on it, the Contact Paper (which is really plastic with a glue on it) would probably come off at higher speeds, but if you mostly row, it might be worth a try.
Don't hate me if you think the idea sucks. Just brainstorming.

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I post this every once in a while to have people cry that I don’t know what I’m talking about, but metallic copper doesn’t inhibit growth much at all.
Hang a piece of copper pipe overboard if you don’t believe me.
The “stuff” in bottom paint isn’t metallic copper, it’s cupric oxide or other chemical, I’m not sure which, it’s copper based, but it’s not copper.
Ships of old used copper sheeting to protect the wood from toredo worms I believe

That is really interesting. Come to think of it, I did know that the copper on the old ships was for worms. Alright, I will scrap that idea.

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by StoneCrab

How about using the old "shelf liner" Contact Paper. I've never done this, mind you, but in thinking about your problem, was trying to come up with a peal away solution so that instead of cleaning and scraping, you'd pull off the sacrificial surface when you wanted a clean hull. If you have a big go-fast motor on it, the Contact Paper (which is really plastic with a glue on it) would probably come off at higher speeds, but if you mostly row, it might be worth a try.
Don't hate me if you think the idea sucks. Just brainstorming.

It is a slow plywood dinghy, used almost exclusively for rowing. I like the peel away layers. I will experiment with that a little bit. I wonder if the saltwater will penetrate through the glue layer and cause for the laters to fall apart.

[a64pilot]

Some of the contact paper is pure plastic, there is even a clear form of it that I used to use to cover maps, water wouldn’t phase it.

[hd002e]

Are we allowed amazon links here?

[Cheechako]

There's a new product out that you apply like plastic/vinyl and that animals cant stick to. It was in this months Cruising World Mag.
The trouble with anti foul or copper is the animals attach themselves, grow and then finally die. However, they are still on the boat and may be up to about 3/8" diameter!

Another thought for a dingy might be the Teflon based anti foul, Interlux VC-17? it can be out of the water with no effect.

[zengirl]

Put a cheap inflatable mattress underneath it.