Painting Boat Bottom.....Copper Free Ablative Paint??

Sep 8, 2025
29
Bayfield 36 Lewisporte
a. Wholesale.
b. It is sold in 5-gallon buckets. The product I had was in a 5-gallon bucket.
c. Everything for yachtsmen is more :cool:.
Is 5 gallons enough to do the boat in two coats and maybe a 3rd on the bow and rudder?
 

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
23,546
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
More than enough. My 35ft boat took 2.5 gallons with that coverage.
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,260
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
I would split the cost of a 5 gallon pail between marina buddies, if possible. I've done that with all sorts of materials on different projects. Boat or otherwise. That's why I was suggesting talking to local fishermen or commercial boat owners. Who knows, they may end up with leftovers to do a 36ft sailboat.

I say this because you are in Newfoundland and I assume your town is a place, where that can happen. Great people IMO.
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,260
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
a. Wholesale.
b. It is sold in 5-gallon buckets. The product I had was in a 5-gallon bucket.
c. Everything for yachtsmen is more :poop:.
Fixed that for you. :biggrin:

That's what I expected. All doable with the right approach.
As for item 3... Just another reason the word "Yacht" gives me the creeps. Hehe
 

danm1

.
Oct 5, 2013
208
Hunter 356 Mamaroneck, NY
I'm now using Krypton on my personal boat. Based on the last two years, I'll probably be using it again.
I'd never heard of Krypton (outside of Superman) and looked into it. Sounds like you could use it on the shaft and prop. Anyone do this? Does it work?
 
Jun 25, 2004
496
Hunter 306 Pasadena MD
I've used Pettit Hydrocoat Eco for many years now. We're in brackish water in the mouth of the Patapsco just down from Baltimore (really in the Chesapeake), which is a fairly nutrient rich (!) and challenging environment. I used to use Interlux Micron CSC and have tried various other copper based paints (Seahawk and West Marine brand). In my opinion, the Hydrocoat works just about the same as all the others. It is more expensive. I get a few barnacles on the keel and a few on the rudder and prop, but most of the hull stays clean or has a thin layer of slime.

So the effectiveness is the same. As others have pointed out, it still has a biocide. It's not a heavy metal, so I think it doesn't accumulate in the environment, which is a plus if true. (What do I know?) One thing I really love, though, is that it's water based. I used to be tasting the solvent for a day or two after painting the bottom, even though I paint in the open air. Now, with the Hydrocoat Eco (water-based: they also make one that isn't), I don't have this problem. All that solvent in the bloodstream can't be good for you...
 
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Mar 26, 2011
3,778
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I've used Pettit Hydrocoat Eco for many years now. We're in brackish water in the mouth of the Patapsco just down from Baltimore (really in the Chesapeake), which is a fairly nutrient rich (!) and challenging environment. I used to use Interlux Micron CSC and have tried various other copper based paints (Seahawk and West Marine brand). In my opinion, the Hydrocoat works just about the same as all the others. It is more expensive. I get a few barnacles on the keel and a few on the rudder and prop, but most of the hull stays clean or has a thin layer of slime.

So the effectiveness is the same. As others have pointed out, it still has a biocide. It's not a heavy metal, so I think it doesn't accumulate in the environment, which is a plus if true. (What do I know?) One thing I really love, though, is that it's water based. I used to be tasting the solvent for a day or two after painting the bottom, even though I paint in the open air. Now, with the Hydrocoat Eco (water-based: they also make one that isn't), I don't have this problem. All that solvent in the bloodstream can't be good for you...
International's Aquacote did better in side-by-side Practical Sailor Chesapeake testing than International's solvent-borne paints. Go figure.

Hydrocoat and Aquacote are BOTH copper-based paints. Less solvent, but the same environmental impact in the water. Is a little copper worse than non-copper biocides? I don't think it is really known at this time, which is why CA and WA did not ban copper; better the devil they know, so they just limited Cu release rates.
 
Jun 25, 2004
496
Hunter 306 Pasadena MD
International's Aquacote did better in side-by-side Practical Sailor Chesapeake testing than International's solvent-borne paints. Go figure.

Hydrocoat and Aquacote are BOTH copper-based paints. Less solvent, but the same environmental impact in the water. Is a little copper worse than non-copper biocides? I don't think it is really known at this time, which is why CA and WA did not ban copper; better the devil they know, so they just limited Cu release rates.
Pettit has 2 products named Hydrocoat. To quote from their website, the one I was talking about is
HYDROCOAT ECO COPPER FREE WATER BASED MULTI-SEASON ABLATIVE
but they also have the one without the word "eco" in it:
HYDROCOAT WATER-BASED MULTI-SEASON ABLATIVE ANTIFOULING PAINT
which is a normal paint that uses copper as a biocide (but it's also water-based)
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,778
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Pettit has 2 products named Hydrocoat. To quote from their website, the one I was talking about is
HYDROCOAT ECO COPPER FREE WATER BASED MULTI-SEASON ABLATIVE
but they also have the one without the word "eco" in it:
HYDROCOAT WATER-BASED MULTI-SEASON ABLATIVE ANTIFOULING PAINT
which is a normal paint that uses copper as a biocide (but it's also water-based)
Didn't read closely. My bad.

I'm using a non-copper paint too, but not because of the environmental issue. I'm not sure the science is settled. But it works well!