Category Archives: Upgrades

The Low Down on Coppercoat Antifoul: Part I

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One of the most expensive boat maintenance projects is the bottom paint.  For the last 13 years we have been using Sea Hawk Island 44 bottom paint which requires a new application, hauling the boat out every 2 years, and endangering the oceans we love.  The paint is expensive, the sanding and prep are expensive and the haul out is expensive.  but it was a necessary evil. That is until we decided to go with coppercoat. 

Coppercoat

Coppercoat is considered a more environmentally responsible choice for antifouling.  It is a combination of a solvent free water based two part epoxy resign and high purity (99%) copper (it is not paint).  Each liter of resign is packed with 2 kilos of ultra fine copper, the maximum allowed by law, making it the strongest copper based antifouling available.

This product is tin free, non-leaching and much kinder to the ocean than conventional self-eroding anti foul paints.  The complete treatment has been approved by Health and safety in UK and EU and complies with International Maritime Organization.

Benefits 

Even though the initial outlay of money is more expensive than one time haul out and bottom paint application, it lasts for 8-10 years.  So, that is one application vs 5 applications.

It is a lot more environmentally friendly, leaves a smooth surface, and requires the same if not a little less maintenance.

And its repuation and claim shows excellent results.

How does Coppercoat work?

Once in the water, the ocean attacks the exposed pure copper, causing the formation of cuprous oxide. This highly effective anti-fouling agent deters growth until the surface degrades further to become cupric hydrochloride. This final copper form is highly unstable, and is washed away by the movement of the yacht, thereby removing any accumulating silt or slime. This automatically reveals a fresh copper-rich surface whereby the process recommences.

Here is a condensed version of the process:

  1. Sand the bottom of the hull down past the barrier coat
  2. Apply new barrier coat or primer
  3. Sand primer
  4. Clean with MEK to remove all particles 
  5. Apply Coppercoat (5-6 coats in one sitting)
  6. Sand to activate coppercoat

Primer / Barrier Coat

We went round and round with what type of primer to use.  There are several choices and frankly I am not sure there is a clear proven “winner” or better choice.” 

Choice 1 – Water Based Epoxy

Several cruisers that we know used a water-based, solvent-free epoxy primer (such as Hemple).  Their thought process was that the water-based expoxy primer would stick better to the water-based coppercoat.  Makes complete sense and is very logical.  The problem is that these types of primers do not go on flat.  They create peaks and valleys which then have to be sanded down making it very difficult to get a smooth surface which is required for the coppercoat application.  In addition, they are almost twice as expensive as solvent-based primers.

Choice 2: Interprotect Epoxy

The Norsand boatyard recommended Interprotect High Performance Epoxy Primer which is a solvent-based epoxy primer that has been in the marine industry for over 10 years.  The application process is proven to be effective, is applied evenly, and adheres to coppercoat .  The downside is that it requires two weeks to “off-gas” before the coppercoat can be applied.  You know the saying…time is money?

Choice 3: Coppercoat Barrier

The NZ contact for Coppercoat had his own version of primer which he recommended, CK4261 Ceramic Barrier Coating.  However, the yard has had poor results with this primer and recommended we use Interprotect.

I also contacted Coppercoat headquarters, Europe and asked for their advice.  I gave them the pros and cons of all three variations.  They said the good news is that coppercoat will stick to anything.  But the bottom line was “use what the yard is comfortable with as they are doing the application and have to stand by the end result.”  That resonated a lot with me.

Primer Winner

We ended up using Interprotect (what Norsand recommended) 27L of Part A, 9L of Part B and 4L of thinner.  Ian and Conor applied 6 coats with the first three being white and then they added pigment to make the last 3 coats a light gray.

The overall effect was actual rather nice. 

Final Adjustments to Previous Repairs

Once the paint dried we found a few areas that needed more filler.  Look for a slightly darker color and or indent in the photos.

It is hard to find these problems when the boat is white and gray but now that it is all one color we could see the imperfections.  So, they get filled (wine colored paint), sanded, and recovered in barrier coat.

There is too much for one blog post so tune in for The Low Down on Copper Coat Antifoul Part II coming up next.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occured around mid-November.  In our last blog post we take Sugar Shack down to the bare bones.

Fancy New North Sails

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Sugar Shack has been propelled by the same double layer dacron sails for the last 22 years!  Yep, you read that right, our sails are over two decades old and still propelling us forward.  Granted, the sail shape is not ideal and they look a well “used” but they still worked.  After all, they got us from Fiji to New Zealand in 6 days which is pretty darn impressive.

But it certainly was time to replace them.  We interviewed several sail lofts in New Zealand before landing on North Sails.  Roger, came prepared to talk to us about different fabrics, techniques, and sails.  He was the only one to bring us material samples and was very honest about being the most expensive sailmaker. He was right, he was the most expensive one.  

But, that is not why we selected him and North sails to make our new sails.  Roger has been manufacturing sails for 40 years.  He used to work for Doyle sails but moved to North Sails because of their 3Di technology.

The Technology of Tour Ultra X Sails

Our new custom designed main sail will be one giant sail with no seams, edges, or joints.  The corners and high pressure points will be built up to sustain heavier loads.   These sails are meant for reefing and designed to handle reefing.

The sails have a life expectancy of 8-12 years if treated well and a 5 year warranty.  We are also given a free annual check up at any North Sails location.  A repair kit is provided for us to do small minor repairs while at sea which is a simple patch and glue (no sewing).

We paid a little extra to have a mildew spray on both the main and genoa since we plan to spend a lot of time in the tropics.  The material itself has UV protection as well, but we plan to have her tucked nicely into her new sail bag when she is not in use.

Roger came by a few times to measure our sails, note the placement of reefs, attachments, battens, and mast cars.  He then heads off to place our special order.

The Sails Arrive

It took a few months to manufacture our new Tour Ultra X sails but it was worth the wait.  Roger came with our new main, battens, and genoa.

The genoa goes up first as it is the easiest.  She is a slate gray with a gray protective UV cover.  There is a small patch on the sail to protect it from our spreaders (bottom left photo).  The top right photo is our new main flaked out.

We have no problems getting the genoa on.  However, we have a few issues with the main sail.  The cars that attach the main to the mast have the wrong size screw hole.  So, Roger has to return them and get new ones.  A week later he comes back and Matt and Roger put up the new main!

Matt and Roger work diligently in the early morning to get the sail up before the wind picks up.

The full main sail up and proud – just needs some wind…

New Sail Bag

Matt had a very specific idea in mind of what he wanted in a sail bag / stack pack.  He wanted it to be low profile to keep the shadow off the solar panels.  He also wanted it to either wrap in front of or behind the mast to prevent the sail bag from billowing in high winds.  This is in addition to specifications for size, shape, style, fabric, zippers, clips, and velcro attachments.

Our old sail bag had a very high profile and a lot of extra room inside the bag (waster space).  But she was beautiful and lasted 13 years!

The new sail bag has a much lower profile, does not have a lot of extra space inside and is really kick a$$!  It took us awhile to get to where we wanted, but Roger came through in the end!  We are thrilled with the new bag.

Matt made new lazy jacks out of 4mm dynema which make it look even better.  

A few Snags

Roger from North Sails in Opua is fantastic to work with.  He is extremely professional, friendly, responsive, honest, and true to his word.  We did have a few snafus, but overall we are very pleased with our new sails.  What happened?

I mentioned above that our mast cars had to be remade because the manufacture made the screw holes a size 8 when they should have been a 10.  Also, we had two batten cars that had to be replaced because they did not fit properly.  The sail bag was supposed to be made within a week of delivering the main sail, but it did not arrive for almost 6 weeks.  Partially due to the the various holidays and bad weather, but it is what its.

However, Roger was up front with us along the way, kept us informed, and made sure we were happy in the end – and we are!

Events from this blog post occurred in early November (bidding) and in late March (initial install) thru May (sea trial).  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events.  Did you see our new canvas work throughout the boat in our last blog?

A New Ticker: Lithium Batteries

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House batteries are the heart of our boat that keep everything running.  Our AGM gel batteries are only 4 years young and probably have another 3-4 more years of life left.  However, we are in NZ and we finally have access to lithium batteries, expertise to install and knowledge of how to re-program C-Zone for the new lithium batteries.

Matt has always known we would switch to lithium batteries; we were just waiting for the right place to purchase them.  I think he started talking about switching to lithium back in 2016, then again considered switching when we replaced all the electronics in Costa Rica after the lightening strike.  But in the end we waited…until now.

We contacted several dealers and settled on Cleagh Limited because Matthew Duckett has a significant amount of experience and expertise with C-Zone and Mastervolt.  We are a Mastervolt boat so for the most part it “should” be a plug and play with the batteries.  However, we have to update C-Zone and all of our electronics which will take a day or two.

Also, the Mastervolt warranty and our insurance both require a licensed electrician to do the install which is where Matthew Duckett comes in.

As a dealer, he was able to secure our Mastervolt MLI 12/6000 at a very reduced price.  We saved hundreds of dollars!!!  So, far loving this guy!

Removal of the AGM Dry Fit Batteries

We currently have (8) Sonnenschein Batteries A512 12V 115A Dryfit 500. They are long-life batteries that are similar to AGM but much better.  They each weigh in at about 42kilos / 93lbs.  Hope to sell these guys to recoup some of our money.

Installing the new Mastervolt 12/6000

The new batteries look like beasts when they arrive, but in actuality they will take up a lot less space and weigh much less than our original batteries.

We are replacing 8 Sonnenschein batteries with 2 Mastervolt lithium batteries.  These are slightly bigger but they weigh considerably less at 49 kilos / 108lbs.  So we are removing 336kilos / 744lbs and adding  98kilos / 216lbs.  This is a weight savings of 238kilos / 524lbs!  That is significant on a boat!  yeah us.

It is an awkward space to be in as you have to work around the “seat holes” upside down.  Both Matt and Matthew were in the hole for the better part of two days.  Matt Mitchell is in red shirt (middle photo) and Matthew is bottom photo.

Testing

 Matthew connects up with Tim who works at Mastervolt and has to review and certify our system.  It took a few tweaks, but after a few hours we were totally configured and up and running.  This is a screen shot of Matthew’s computer as Tim was diagnosing and reviewing our systems.

Completion

Originally Matthew thought it would take 2 weeks to complete the entire job, but then he amended it to 1 week.  As it turned out, it only took 2.5 days because Matt did a lot of prep work in removing the old batteries, reconfiguring the wood slats that hold the new batteries in place and built the strap system that secures the to the floor.

Feeling super excited to see how our power consumption, usage, and recharging improves with these beautiful Mastervolt batteries!

And look how much room we have for storage!

Time to Stay Connected: Starlink

As most of you know, we struggle with internet connectivity especially in the remote places of Fiji and French Polynesia.  Here in New Zealand we have had great access, but we won’t always be in the land of plenty.

Starlink was running a discounted special here in NZ at the end of 2022.  We couldn’t resist since it was almost half the price of what the units were selling for in the U.S.  Matt was like a kid in the candy store when the big gray box arrived.

He ordered the residential unit and will add portability when we leave NZ.  He also ordered the ethernet box which he plans to butcher to make work on 12volt.  

The unit does not draw a huge amount of power, but it is more than we expected.  Luckily our new batteries can handle it!

In an effort to save some money, we downgraded our Iridium Unlimited plan for the next 4 months.  We will most likely reinstate it when we move to Tonga in May just as a back up in case Starlink does not connect while underway.

We have seen really great speeds.  In the first image you can clearly see where we started using Starlink vs the local marina wifi and our Vodafone connection.

Not the prettiest solution for our dish, but it works while we are on the dock.  It has to be free and clear of obstructions and away from our solar panels and radar.  So, for now, here she is.

This could be a game changer for us!  Stay tuned.

Events from this blog occurred in mid-January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  We enjoyed the Highland Games in our last blog, did you read about it?