Reply To: Coppering and caulking – a mixed blessing?

[Wayne Tripp]

You ask some interesting questions, Malcolm. The amount of water entering the ship would, if not removed, have created serious handling and stability issues. The pumps (of various designs over the years) were, in general, able to easily keep up with the leakage on a daily use (sometimes longer) basis.

A large part of the need for re-coppering related to the aging of the copper. I need to check the source again (I actually think it was in MM), but there was a finite time (which far exceeded the 2 or 3 months of the earlier treatment methods) before copper plating lost its effectiveness and needed to be replaced. It was also subject to damage from anchor contact, grounding, or other contacts. The effectiveness depended on complete protection – any breach resulted in rapid development of leaks and fouling.