Countries illegal to sail into with copper paint?

[stevelex]

Originally Posted by Creedence

Breaking the law?! Give me a break. This has NEVER been an issue for any country in the 20 years I’ve been boating, but now it’s suddenly tantamount to aquatic terrorism. ...blah blah blah

I rarely post but need to respond to this. The ocean is dying. Many products we use are toxic and we are now learning just how toxic and persistent they are. Not all regulation is bad. Regulations are why you can buy food in a can in most countries and know it doesn't contain poison. https://history.howstuffworks.com/hi...ison-squad.htm

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Shipraiser

I can confirm he is correct in respect to Sweden at least, and I think something similar is true in Norway.

Only locally approved anti-fouling is allowed for private use in Sweden. It is divided into which side of the coast your home port is and in Lake Mälaren NO biocides at all are allowed.

OK, let's assume that all of what you say is true. I will amend the statement I made to which TeddyDiver objected:

Commercial vessels of all sizes use the exact same anti fouling products available to you and me, except in those few places where local regulation forbids it.

But when I tell you that it is likely that the Evergreen "Ever Given" is wearing PPG ABC3 (which you or I can buy all over the world), that would be a safe bet. IN GENERAL, these vessels do not use some magic potion anti fouling that is held in reserve for them. Because there is no magic potion anti fouling, held in reserve for commercial shipping or otherwise.

[Gerrit Coetzee]

On a side note:
As many other boaters, most are concerned with fouling. It is just unsightly.
Except when you are like a certain salvage company in places like the BVI, where they discourage use of anti-fouling because they earn $100 per boat scraping the fleet's bottoms.

But for me, I despise the dirty looks that come with fouling, and copper apparently have a detrimental effect, so I try to avoid using it.

Over the past 4 years I ran several tests with various products. My recent Jan 2021 bottom paint is my most recent project.
I tried two other products, and after 3 months I can say this: my Vivid paint anti-fouling still fouls. It comes off easy when I dive in, but it still means it looks dirty until I get to the point of cleaning it, and I still have to work it even after spending $7000 on a bottom repaint.

This is my report on the two products used. The one product is a hard to apply solid wax that had to be melted before applying on top off the Vivid. It had at least double the fouling than the VIVID does. So that is another failure.

However, the other is a powder that I added to the Vivid paint ( The Vivid paint is a soft ablative type paint). The powder-mixed paint was then applied to a test area.

Currently, there is a very clear patch now, where there is not a trace of fouling on it.

And if one can keep the fouling off from getting an initial foothold, then that is making me a very happy person.

It is early days, but I cannot see yet how the positive results could suddenly turn around and get negative.

Even if the powder could leach from the paint, I will still have a tremendously clean hull until that happens.

The powder used was a free sample, so I will now get pricing and start doing research on that, but for now I am on a path of fighting off fouling, with success.

Wish we good luck.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Gerrit Coetzee

I tried two other products, and after 3 months I can say this: my Vivid paint anti-fouling still fouls. It comes off easy when I dive in, but it still means it looks dirty until I get to the point of cleaning it, and I still have to work it even after spending $7000 on a bottom repaint.

If you expect ANY copper-based anti fouling paint to completely eliminate fouling, you have unrealistic expectations. In-water hull cleaning is simply a part of regular boat maintenance.

Originally Posted by Gerrit Coetzee

The one product is a hard to apply solid wax that had to be melted before applying on top off the Vivid. It had at least double the fouling than the VIVID does. So that is another failure.

The wax certainly has no anti fouling capabilities and by covering your anti fouling paint with it, you eliminated the paint's ability to retard fouling as well.

Originally Posted by Gerrit Coetzee

However, the other is a powder that I added to the Vivid paint...

I'd be interested in knowing exactly what this "powder" is. Can you provide a link?

[B_Wieberdink]

In The Netherlands there is a list of antifoulings that are allowed, most of them are without copper. You can buy not allowed paint, but it is forbidden to apply them.
When the paint is on the boat, no problem.


Bert

[Gerrit Coetzee]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

I'd be interested in knowing exactly what this "powder" is. Can you provide a link?

After years of experimenting and failed tests, if this is as successful as it is promising, I wish to avail it commercially.

It is pharmaceutical grade, that much I will disclose. I am awaiting laboratory results establishing if the required quantities per boat (about 2kg), will have a negative environmental influence.

I trust you will appreciate that it is not unreasonable to retain propriety rights. I am living onboard. An income stream would ease many constraints.

I appreciate your interest and hopefully will have a decent reply in the near future.

[carstendenmark]

Mix your antifoul paint with cheap nuclear waste powder

I used the blue "Hempel", copper based. Didn't work well.
Just a hell of small barnacles, weed and "blue water" paint, when I water-pressure cleaned the hull when she was hanging in the travelift.

When the big vessels sails all the time, they do not have this problem of "harbour fouling". Would be hell of a job for divers to clean the hull of a 20.000 TEU containership :-)
What's your experience of that ?
In a marina all year - big problems ?

Crusing all year - no problems ?
Or ?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Gerrit Coetzee

After years of experimenting and failed tests, if this is as successful as it is promising, I wish to avail it commercially.

I assumed it was a commercially available product, not something you were creating yourself. Keep us posted

[Dagseglare]

Hi.
In the Swedish inland waters copper is banned and for Baltic sea heavily restricted Cu concentration.
This applies for any leisure boat with home harbour in Sweden. Many municipals have local regulations harder than of state. You will not have your boat off the hard whithout approved bottom. Hence there has been lots of scraping, sanding and epoxipainting last couple of years...
Dont know what applies for visitors - better check it up before.
And yes I have had my bottom measured with XRF test instrument.
Banning Cu, and other metals, in sensitive waters to protect sea life is not that strange just like empying your toilet waste is not allowed.

[GrahamO]

Originally Posted by seandepagnier

Which countries are illegal to sail into if you have copper bottom paint?

Tetra Butyl Tin (TBT) is the widely banned chemical, not Copper.

[CF32907]

CaptVR here:
The marine industry has been regulating paints and contents since I been in the business since 1968. Long time... To start, what works here won't work 4 miles up the bay. So different paints are needed for location, vessels use, hull material, etc. So you pick and chose a paint for your application, and if sold by a marine dealer, will probably be approved. I say that because SeaHawk just had some litigation due to TBT in one of there paints. As far as Washington, there prohibiting Cu has been postponed till 2026 for further testing. If your bottom paint is allowed, your marina will know, their fines can be in the millions as well as jail time. They will not apply something that is not approved.
If it's approved in your state, you can go to any other state without repercussions. I have been in virtually every island in this hemisphere from S.A. thru the whole east coast. Clearing in and out of dozens of countries this last 55 years, not once, not once have customs ask me what type of bottom paint I have. Even a boat rental in the Med a couple years ago, clearing in and out of 5 different countries was I asked, what type of bottom paint that I have. Surveying boats in Port Canaveral for 20 years, when TBT was outlawed, the Navy was still using it. In 2005 I bought 5 gallons of purple TBT used on Subs at the base salvage sale, got 5 gallons for $200 bucks, no growth for two years. So, do your part and educate yourself, swear, stomp your feet, you don't have to save the environment just try to do a little. There are so many big guys screwing things up, no matter what we do, may not do much but we can feel we are trying to doing something to help out our environment for the grand kids. Guys, it's a blog, cool it, you may be right and maybe not so much. I did not read one blog that was 100% correct.
Happy Sailing All...... Capt. Vince Rakstis, Ret. MS St.Petersberg, Fl.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by CF32907

...because SeaHawk just had some litigation due to TBT in one of there paints.

Bwahahahaha! That's an understatement. The entire Sea Hawk management team went to prison behind the crimes they committed beginning in 2005. The company itself was fined over $1.2 million.

However I find it ironic that in one breath you advocate for saving the environment and in the next admit to using illegally purchased TbT paint on your own boat.

[Finestkind]

Me smells Troll...

[Allied39]

LOL

[blazing928]

Not banned copper or anti foul., but a Martha Cove Marina in port Phillip bay has banned scrubbing hulls in the marina. Boats have to leave the marina to be dived on for cleaning.