Call out for brain trust opinons

Tom Scholberg

Tom Scholberg

Well-known member
[sly][;)]I know that there may be a few thoughts about this but I had to ask. What are the thoughts about making the bottom of the boat slick or not. I am redoing the bottom of my Poleboat after some 15 years of dragging it around. Seems to me a smooth bottom would make sense. I do realize on a fast boat some air under the hull helps speed but that isn't an issue here. There, the gauntlet is down.
 
I have been looking at the wetlander system I am also interested in what others recommend. Mine will be coating a small Gatortrax mud boat
 
I applied Wearlon Wetlander on my TDB-17' hull primarily to provide both abrasion protection and as an aid to breaking the hull surface loose when resting on mud flats. Time Speight has a longer history with this application, so maybe he will add to the conversation. For a skiff, I would say it is a bit pricey.
 
Tom,

I used a product by Fasco called Steelflex 9x-2000 on both my BB3 (14-15 years ago) and my Poleboat and have been very pleased. It's a two part system and goes on very easy with a small roller. Works great and results in a very slick surface. I believe it's $36 for a two pint kit that will cover 30 sq.ft.
 
It's an epoxy product so I suppose it could go over bare wood but I didn't apply it that way. On both boats I put it on top of the epoxy that I built the boat with. When all the weave filling and faring was done and I would normally paint - put on the 9x-2000. I taped off at the water line and rolled it on. Pretty easy application. As in all epoxy preparations, complete mixing is the key. As far as I'm concerned there weren't any negatives.
 
Part of my choice now is to paint or not paint the bottom. Now that I have a slick shiny epoxy bottom I hesitate to paint it. Seems like paint has pretty good friction. Good point Jeff. Odds are this fix will last for years.
 
The product I suggested is loaded with teflon and results in a pretty slick surface. Used a lot down south for the bottom of air boats. You wouldn't want just plain epoxy on the bottom as it is not UV stable and will degrade when exposed to sun light. So, covering it with something is necessary. Plain old paint will work of course but this stuff IMO adds to the ease of moving a boat in muck, etc. Also slides off the trailer bunks really nice. I haven't noticed any degrading of the Fasco product.
 
Yeah, here on the rocky coast and in rocky rivers, slickness is less of an issue. Makes sense for a boat to be run over mud, grass or ice.

I wonder if the slickness would help pushing through the grass?
 
I have seen some put uhmw sheets under drift boats to help slide over rocks. I don't think it would work good for power boats. It can be removed easy which I like. For grass and mud we don't worry about sliding easy. Just horsepower through.
 
I think it does Jeff. Mine is only up to the waterline so any grass over that it won't help. Over the years I have not regretted putting it on.
 
Tom, Pete,
I have realized that the frictional coefficient is not a constant value. Every year the forces required to overcome hull friction have kept going up. I can't explain this phenomenon, but trust me it is a truth.
Therefore, I have come to ignore the frictional coefficients and consider it a non factor. It either moves or it doesn't. [sly]
 
Dave, The same thing happens with boat weight. I used to be able to put it up top of the truck but something happened.[;)]
Pete,Thanks for the UV reminder since the boat spends much time upside down on a rack outside. More to think about.
 
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First a big thank you for the responses. I ordered the product that Pete recommended, the Steelflex both for UV protection and low friction.Several things were brought up that never crossed my old mind. I'll post how it works when this season is over, I missed the last 2 so I will be hitting it hard this year.
 
Tom

If your dragging,then smooth is much better. A ruff bottom can make it a back breaking day. There is know right or wrong answer. I don't think. I always liked a smooth bottom.
 
Tom Scholberg said:
First a big thank you for the responses. I ordered the product that Pete recommended, the Steelflex both for UV protection and low friction.Several things were brought up that never crossed my old mind. I'll post how it works when this season is over, I missed the last 2 so I will be hitting it hard this year.
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I think I can speak for all here. We all hope you have a wonderful season, one very richly deserved!
 
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