It's one of those metals that has an indelible aura about it, while its presence is intricately and indelibly woven throughout our lives, both ashore and afloat. However, be wary of it as it is imbued with an inherent weakness, one that can put your vessel's watertight integrity at risk.

Copper

Brass is an alloy of copper, which has been a worthy boat building material for centuries. Its most notable place was in copper cladding hull bottoms to prevent teredo worms from digesting the timbers, as well as being corrosion resistant and a natural antifoulant. In fact, in one form of another copper is the antifouling additive in many bottom paints. It is an excellent biocide and as a result, on today's cruising boats, in addition to bottom paint, its primary use is in domestic water systems. Beyond its ability to inhibit biological growth, a worthy attribute in a fresh water system, it is opaque. This robs plant-based biological growth, or algae, of one of the necessary ingredients of life, light.

Copper tube is also used by some engine manufacturers to carry raw water to and from cooling pumps. This usually works well, although...

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This is an excerpt from Steve D' Antonio's "Marine Systems Excellence" blog. With nearly 25 years of experience as a marine mechanic, electrician, consultant and boatyard manager, Steve's commitment is to improve the safety and reliability of boating products while increasing the confidence and enjoyment of boat owners. © 2015. Text and photo by Steve D' Antonio.

Upcoming Events

During this year's Ft Lauderdale International Boat Show, Steve will not only attend the show, he'll also host a working breakfast for SDMC's Captains' Club members, during which he will speak on topics including, 'an insider's view of the marine industry', as well as sharing with attendees manufacturers, exhibitors and products who are worth visiting or seeing while at the show. For more on the Captains' Club membership, please visit this page on the SDMC website.