I did a search but couldn't find what I was looking for, I have a couple questions about applying Coat-it,

1) Approx. how much is neded for a 17' db?
2) Any prep work need to be done on a new boat, if so, what?
3) I plan on doing the job in a heated garage, what is the set-up time. New toy, wanna splash her asap, but also want to do it right the first time,

Any help greatly appreciated!

AK

I used 2 quarts the first time on a clean litely sanded (scuffed) bottom. I put a space heater under the boat the first time and it started setting up too fast and was tough to work with.
the last time I used the heater after to help it dry faster. I would give it 36 hours with a heater for the first few hours.

when the hardener is added work fast while it's easier to work with. Good luck!!! and get that thing in the water

1. A gallon will do it, but a gallon and half would be better. 2 gallons is too thick IMO.

2. Rough up the bottom with some sandpaper. Clean off thoroughly with denatured alcohol or acetone. The instructions on the can call for some type of acid, I don't use it though.

3. It sets up quite quickly, so have everything ready to go. I'd let it sit for at least 2 days before floating anything, and I wouldn't float anything that I was going to bang bottom on for even longer.

I always tape plastic around the rest of the hull and will use rubber squeegies to spread it around.

Thanks, I appreciate the help. Now I just need the boat, pick it up on the 6th.

I just finished doing mine. The best thing I found to evenly spread it was a foam roller. I tried other tools and this by far worked the best. Denatured alchohol cleans it well as said previously. Also, I'd suggest scarifying the bottom well with a peanut grinder, sandpaper isn't enough. I bought my boat from a certain shop in Woodinville and they 'threw in' the coat-it bottom. However, since there wasn't much in it for them they did a quick job using sandpaper and it peeled off something fierce. I took the time to remove every bit of the old before applying the new. One gallon was just right for a 16' boat with some to spare. It took 2-3 days at around 60 degrees to set up enough before I felt comfortable sliding it back on the trailer. Good luck!

AK,

I recently did the bottom of my wood boat with Coat-It. Not too impressive, IMO.

I used a gallon on a 13' boat (10' 6" bottom) and the coverage was not as thick as I wanted. As to application, I started with a foam roller, but it disentigrated after a couple minutes, so I fisnished with a wide metal scraper made for drywall taping. The scraper was the best tool I found...but everyone has their own favorites.

With the wood bottom, I wanted a thick coat, so I could have used 2 gal instead of the 1. Didn't spend another $60, but instead used epoxy/graphite to finish it off..and it went on smooth and gave me the texture I wanted. There is a pic of it under the "Driftboat Project Update" thread.

As to the "performance test"..well, that is a couple weeks away yet.

Mike

Just did my 16' Fish-Rite and it takes 1 gal.You can buy it at Motor Boat Mart in the Olympia auto mall.Two quart will not do the job I learned the hard way.

Yeah, hurry up and get that boat on the water....I've been dying to cork you for quite some time now

Do it in several coats if you can. I divided a gallon into 3 parts . Heat up the A side in a bath of hot water for 20 mins to make mixing easier. Make sure when you mix it you get it into a flat pan as soon as possible to stop the chemical reaction and give you a longer working time. Do not try to speed up the final cure as it is stronger if you give it 36 hours. It is just a real slow cure epoxy with graphite.

I cleaned all the flex coat off of my 16' alumaweld a couple years ago with a torch and redid the entire thing with coat-it. For the first year it held up well but by the end of the second alot of it was coming off just like the flex coat. I was at first impressed but now think it's not much different than the FC. I tried to hard to follow all instructions too, cleaning the bottom thoroughly, sanding lightly, etc..

RM

After reading somewhat mixed reviews about Coat-it would Gluv-it be any better, I have used Gluv-it before but it doesn't seem to be as popular as Coat-it, is there anything else (besides UHMW) that I should consider.
Larry, the guy building the boat strongly recommends Coat-it and strongly advises against UHMW.

AK,, IMHO the Coat It issues are 90% operator error as with most epoxy products. It's bomb proof done right and it's not hard to do right.

I should add I have used every epoxy formula and method over the last 10 years. This one is simple and strong.

D

AkKings:

Is your boat wood, glass or alum.? If it is wood, then you definately don't want UHMW. If water were to seep in under it then a home is built for dry-rot to develop. (which is a certainty unless you epoxy it on, and even then not 100% impossible for moisture to build up between the UHMW and your bottom panel)

King: I split the application into 2 parts, blended the he11 out of the stuff first (mixed for a min. of 2 minutes) and prewarmed it.

My gripe was not in that it started kicking too quickly, but that it was very difficult to get smoothed out to an even application accross the bottom.

Different strokes. I'll see how the combination of the well cured Coat-It with the epoxy/graphite over the top works this year. If needed, I can add more epoxy/graphite next spring. This boat will see a LOT of use (every weekend day..likely one weekday every week), so if it holds up well I'll be a happy camper.

Mike

Mike,
You have the same thing as Coat it. From what I could tell they just added color and some bondo. I think the bondo is what makes it tough to spread for some. I did most of the speading on the pour and then used only a foam roller. My pour was a thin trickle crosshatch. It leveled out real nice.

Thanks for the help here guys, I rented a heater and got the garage up to a toasty 82/84 degrees and went to work on it yesterday morning using a scotch bright pad, after it was cleaned and lightly scuffed I started mixing, used the full gallon and applied it with both a foam roller and a rubber squeegie, when I went to bed last night it was (very slightly) tacky to the touch, this morning its hard, I rented the heater for 24 hrs. so I'll let it bake for a couple more before I have to return it and let the boat sit for a couple more days, should be in the water Friday morning thanks again for the input guys.