bertram31.com

well brothers here is my latest innovation .you purchase Rust-oleum 9100 system ,a epoxy metal etching paint with salt water immersion mixed 50/50 with harderner .this is commercial paint for bridge structure under salt water .wait until tacky then apply Rust-oleum epoxy based Never Wet a silicon top coat paint that aheres to metal etching primer. boat pick up .7 mph and cruise at 50rpm less. running 37.7 at wot. and criuse 30 at 2300 rpm .stupid fuel economy .can only purchase in one gallon cans so you will have two gallons to play with .a 31 Bertram needs less than a pint total 1/2 pint of epoxy and 1/2 pint of hardener with 1/2 pint of never wet on top. here is a photo bottom has no transducers sticking out they are 1000 watt tilted element flush mount type. 4 coats of inter protect and i coat of ablative bottom paint------------------------slick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob

Not following you. Is this only on the running gear? Looks like you have bottom paint on the shafts and struts.

tony this formula is placed on props.,shafts,rudders,bay screens,and structs so it is running gear plus intakes the boat bottom (navy blue) is water based ablative bottom paint.this formula is basicly the same as "Prop Speed' but 400% less money. the primer is also far superior and is availuble in many colors i went with safety blue----------capt Bob

Neat trick. Crows Nest splashed late March. Maybe I'll try it next year. Thanks

john if you run your hands over a large area that has been cover like the rudders they are actually slippery ---------seriously .i have two gallon of epoxy base and two gallons of hardener if you are in this neck of the woods i will give you a half pint of each.

Thanks for the offer Bob. Crows Nest is in for the season. I might try your potion next year. Thanks again

Bob,
Do you think that keeping the cans sealed up they will be able to last till the next year?
Or as you say, it's already 400% less than Prop Speed, so why bother.

Bob

So your thought is that not only does it provide a slick surface to pick up speed, it also acts as barnacle buster since the barnacles can not stick to it?

So, we now know you picked up speed, but the real key will be, will the barnacles stay off the running gear. Will look forward to when you pull the boat and you let us know.

you place the used cans of paint up side down in a cool place out of sun and will last 4 years or yes tony thats the main idea barnacle ,slime free .the fact that the boat will pick up speed or fuel efficiency is a added bonus.

Looks good Bob!

Thanks for the tip Bob. I'll try it next spring.

I like the idea of 400% cost savings!

Let us know how it works

Bob...

Great info! Did you buy everything locally or did you have to get it from an online vendor? I tried a similar approach 3 years ago when I last painted my bottom, but the primer coat has peeled off the bare metal in places. I am hauling in a couple of weeks so now is the time I need to buy the materials I will use.

BTW.. how is the knee(s)?

frank i have to bring the 38' Bertram from Maryland to her her new birth in Sandyhook NJ. next week if you can meet me i will give you a complete set up for your Bertram.knees are holding up providing i don`t climb ladders so far so good.i will post pone operation as long as possible.sea trial surprise me expecting a re-power i took those 3208 ,435 hp caterpillars to 27 knots with 4" of growth hanging off bottom! purchase without survey as i read the hour meter then confirm meters are working along with paperwork of installation .300 hours "excuse me sir did you do fishing with her" no we just went into river and gamble on her" say what ???? ok i buy her!!!!!!!!! thats the story sure did want to put those QSM-11 in her.going to build the same props. as use on nuclear submarine Skipjack class.

Bob

Just checking on one more thing. I looked at their website, it looks like you need to use the Salt Water Activator with it. Appears they have several types of activator for it.

Look forward to your final results when you pull the boat.

brothers i try to be 100% honest and i never take a dime for any advise,prop. building ,design i am working on a project for a deep pocket Hatteras owner.i will re-invent the wheel or die trying! he will make large donation to ST. Jude children's hospital . i promise 2 knots! ok back to the new running gear barnacle buster formula i really think you could propel this 31 Bertram with a canoe paddle now, how even the town harbor patrol breaks my balls because the Phoenix now does 6.1 with one engine in idle at 50 rpm below minimum RPM. Cummins specifications.i have to go in and out of gear going down river to take on fuel.

bob lico wrote:
...going to build the same props. as use on nuclear submarine Skipjack class.

aren't they going to be a tad too big for a 38' Bertram??



lol

carl the props. will be a copy of design but not size.they are already being built for this Hatteras i will photo finish product and hopefully a two to three knot gain over the existing four blade props he has on now.

Hi Bob,

Any feedback on you're homemade "propspeed"? Did it work out well after some time in the water?

We are hauling my friends B31 in a few weeks for new bottom paint and was thinking of trying this out instead of pulling the trigger on propspeed.


Regards!


George

hello was this brushed on or sprayed on ? it looks great

Bob,
How well did it hold up and can you touch it up season to season or have to strip everything off and reapply.

Bob, The Never Wet calls a two part application. Because you're using the 2 part metal paint you don't need to use the first part of the Never Wet. Is this right and how many coats of Never Wet did you apply? Thanks

i apply by brush i coat of base (blue 9100) and while still thumb print sticky i apply the "never wet". i own the Phoenix corporation so no big deal to purchase products that cannot be sold to general public .the bad news is you get two gallons of product "A" and two gallons of product "B" a 50/50 mix gives you 4 gallons of the first coat material.we are not painting contractors so i ask the product tech. and he said store upside down in area that does not freeze and will last three or four years.ok i learn something so i gave away some to a Bertram brother and a few at boat yard.my honest opinion is this salt water immersion epoxy base paint applies real well but the never wet has a viscosity of water! tough to work with on a shaft but flows well on rudders. basically same application and results as "prop speed" that is slime and growth free with a small gain in top speed. i have no idea about EPA rules for non professionals but if your doing it yourself what the hell! BTW no bad or strong odor .

Bob,
Like someone last said before me, there has to be a Lico translator to understand completely...
Holly guacamolee...

Yannis

Let me explain. It can only be applied the 3rd tuesday of the month if it is raining and the month has an r in it. LOL

Just kidding.

What Bob is saying, but he failed to answer one question which I will ask again in a second. But, it appears the base coat is not available to the general unless you have a business. However remember in todays world by going online you can buy diamonds and love so I am sure the base coat is available with a search.

The base coat is blue and goes on fine with a brush, but the never wet is very thin and is difficult to apply because it does not stick well . So cover the ground.

Now, I know Home Depot carries the never wet in a spray can, so my questions to Bob:

1) Can you use the Home Depot Spray can product or is the commercial product different?

2) Did it wear off by the end of the season or is it still working?

3) I know you use your boat quite a bit, but did the props, rudders and shafts remain clean or did it pick up barnacles

4) Would Interprotect work in place of the Blue Base coat? In my mind it seems it should.

The big question is the second year. Since the base coat was tacky when Bob applied the Never Wet, I am not sure you can just touch it up, but I don't see why not, but once cured it might not stick to itself. That is the big question. We may need to wait another year. But it would be worth a try on the props. They are easy enough to clean. The shafts are a pain to clean.

Thanks Bob.

What did the zincs look like after the first season? Was the 9100 system applied to the area of the shaft underneath the zinc thereby compromising direct contact between the two and limiting the cathodic protection usually offered by the zinc?

i wish to God other people would "ramble on explaining something " especially doctors . the Feds,state,county ask a hundred questions then a corp. still has to write procedure.i never go to box stores so i have no answer to there spray can this is "commercial quality never wet"the props were clean on the blades the other running gear was slime,barnacle free .this epoxy based 9100 was made for coating metal and flows like house paint . Interprotect was made to cover F/G not the same.boat is on the hard and i have not work on running gear. i would imagine you could lightly sand apply one coat of 9100 with 50/50 mix of activator then never wet possibly two coats of never wet one right after other with no drying time. white bear the zincs were put on bright spotless stainless steel then tape around edges and painted.there is another method to my madness ,a much more simple spray zinc made by rust-oleum . does not gain speed but works well.

Thanks for the confirmation - I figured you would have provided for that small yet important detail of zinc to shaft contact.

the cost for two gallons of epoxy based 9100 and two gallons of 9100 activator (4 gallons of product) in one case is $90.00. . Rust-oleum 9100 comes in many colors like safety yellow,red,green etc.primary usage of 9100 is steel bridge supports and pilings that are submerge in salt water.

Bob

I understood your first post, so I was just pulling Yannis leg, no offense I hope.

Please also remember, English is not Yannis first language.

Interesting that you had no growth.

Thanks Tony, although with a little effort I eventually manage to understand !!

Nice, Smurf running gear. Might attract fish!

Scot

I am a firm believer that a nice Blue Hull will raise more fish than a black hull or a blue hull that is badly stained. Saw that when we used to buddy up with an old friend going off shore. His 31 was kept on a river that had cedar water and by the time mid summer came and we started running offshore, his blue bottom was brown from the cedar water. Ours stayed pretty clean, we were on a brackish creek that is pretty clean. We could troll both boats side by side, same lures, baits etc and we could raise 3 fish to his one.

Yes I know there is a lot more, such as sound etc, but the year he had to pull mid season so he gave her a new coat of paint he raised more fish.

So go figure.

Resurrecting this old post, to see how well this Sherwin-Williams formula has worked out over the last few seasons.
Would you use it again?

Boat going into yard next week, and shop wants to put 2 coats of “Tuff Stuff, and 2 coats of Smart Solutions” on running gear/intakes.
Never heard of this product?
Anyone familiar?

Thanks