By Tom Burden
I took a chance on a new technology, water-based and copper-free paint, because many harbors are dealing with a build-up of heavy metals which harms marine life. The state of Washington is going to ban copper biocides in 2018, and many Southern California harbors have similar strict regulations.
Hydrocoat ECO has received good reviews, both from our customers and from boating journalists—good enough that I decided to take a chance with it on my own boat. The haulout was completed in early October, 2015 and so far, the paint has done well. I will report back periodically on how Hydrocoat ECO performs in the long term. See the video below for more on my experience applying this new product.