Just browsing the various forums, yacht sales websites and opinion pieces in general, it seems that there is a lot of pros and cons for the various hull construction materials. From my research, steel hulled yachts seem to be considerably cheaper that glass hulls. Corrosion is something I'm very familiar with, having worked as an aircraft structural fitter and aviation industry professional for over 30 years. I know how harsh a salt water environment can be, but I came across a method called copper coating or similar, for steel hulls. It makes sense to me, as copper alloyed with aluminium is a common construction material for aircraft (2024-T3 aluminium), resulting in excellent corrosion resistant properties. So, my question is, how does this work with steel? Do the steel yachts utilising this system have to undergo anti fouling as often as, say, glass hulled yachts? Thanks very much, I'm enjoying reading and learning from you all.
Coppercoat is an anti-fouling system, and is not applied directly to the steel. Steel boats are cheaper because of the higher maintenance costs. Lots of potential corrosion issues, particularly an old boat which might have had leaking topsides and water in the bilges or under the internal linings. Choose steel if you are going to high latitudes or doing adventure cruising in poorly chartered waters.
Coppercoat is a brand name of a particular system. It can be applied to any hull material, as long as there's been appropriate prep done (eg epoxy primer). It's a fairly involved process putting it on and if it's not done just right, can be an absolute nightmare (here's a video of one guy who's been through the wringer on it
). If it is done right, it can be fabulous stuff. By contrast, traditional antifouling is pretty simple to slap on.
