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Surveyor Colin Brown answers a reader s question about copper antifouling. Got a question? Email pbo@futurenet.com
Q: I was wondering about maybe going down the Coppercoat route for my 32ft steel
Wylo II. Is copper antifouling a practical proposition for a steel boat? From the electrolysis point of view, when I get to the berth, will I just find a hole in the water and lots of bubbles? I’m afraid I slept through most of my science lessons at school, so expert guidance would be appreciated!
-Dave Holden
Colin Brown replies: “Normally I’d say that copper and steel should never be in contact underwater. On the galvanic scale in salt water copper has a potential of -0.4V and mild steel varies between around -0.6V and -0.8V. That’s enough of a difference to form a galvanic cell with steel as the anode. This would lead to corrosion of the steel.