Interesting idea. Antifouling paint is quite heavy so the
difference in weight may be negligible. I would think adhesion
would be the issue. Getting anything to stick to copper is tricky
and the expansion and contraction with temperature changes would be
a worry.
Paul
On 1/05/2012 4:46 a.m., Gardner Pomper wrote:
I was wondering if anyone had experience with making copper foil a
part of the panel infusion. The underwater surface area of a Harry
(39' ish) is roughly 200 sq ft. I checked 5mil copper sheeting and
100sq weighs 25lbs, so the weight increase seems minimal. With the way
Rob is making the hulls now, it would seem relatively easy to just
make it part of the panel when you infuse it, except for the bows.
If this could be a relatively permanent corrosion preventative, it is
appealing to me. Without any thru-hulls below the waterline, galvanic
corrosion seems less of an issue.
For those (like me) who are not acquainted with 5mil copper, here is a
quote from a very useful woodworker veneering site
(http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/faq-copper.htm) :
"Technically speaking, the copper veneer is .005" or 36 gauge. To get
a real-world idea, the copper is almost twice as thick as the aluminum
used to make a soda can or 7 times the thickness of aluminum foil."
- Gardner