What ships were coppered?

[Vane]

Some kits come with copper others with white or black paint for the hull under the waterline. Considering that copper is an expensive material i would guess that only the more advanced ships got plates in reality? 

 

My Granado kit didnt come with copper, but would it be completely wrong to add it instead of the White paint?

[Blue Ensign]

Granado was a little too early for coppering as she was sold out of service in 1763.

In the British Navy coppering of the fleet was underway in the 1770's and included not only larger ships but also  cutters and sloops. The cutter Alert for instance was coppered in July 1777.

 

B.E.

[wefalck]

Anything venturing South beyond the Bay of Biscay would be coppered - resources permitting. Ships and boats that would be hauled out frequently or fall dry during tides, may not need this, as any fouling can be removed relatively easily.

[Roger Pellett]

The US Navy used to copper its launches (ships boats) in the Nineteenth Century.  A SNAME paper from 1900 describing the first generation of standardized boats says that as of 1900 launches were no longer to be coppered.  I don’t know when this practice started but Navy Ordinance manuals published in the 1850’s show coppered launches.

 

Launches were large and seaworthy enough to make extended voyages away from the parent vessel so the Navy apparently considered protection necessary.  Smaller boats were not coppered.

 

Roger