BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - In-water application of anti-fouling

On 28 Aug 2005 09:16:13 -0700, wrote:

I dont know why this did not occurr to me sooner than this as I do a
lot of electroplating.

Put a thin layer of electrical conducting paint on the bottom of a
boat.

THEN: Run copper cables under the boat and apply DC so that you get
electroplating of the Cu onto the boat. Yes, it'd be slow in salt
water instead of a CuSO4 solution but it'd work. Every few months,
reverse polarity to clean the surface and then re-apply.

This sounds like the seed of a good idea.
But (there's always a but.) "Electrically conductive paint" is easy to
write about but hard to find.

Stick and rag airplanes which are coated with aluminum powder loaded
dope do not impede internal VHF antennas because the paint is not
conductive.

There ARE silver loaded epoxies used for PCB repair it's true.
Expensive ones.

So, first find your conductive paint!
(People who have electroplated flowers and baby booties have sometimes
used graphite powder, as a base.)

Brian Whatcott Altus OK