Hull coatings

[kstonich]

Ok I'm bored to death sitting in my recliner for the last 5 days revering from yet another minor surgery ( getting older *****) I'll be back fishing after the first of the year, just wanted to justify my obscure post could be the boredom or the pain meds.
Anyway I responded to the keel guard post awhile ago. It got me thinking of coating the whole hull of my Lund. So with my trusty iPad in hand I started searching and ran across a product called Wetlander it's listed as an airboat hull coating. It's suppose to make airboats not stick to the water or mud/ grass and dirt as its sliding across areas out of water.It's suppose to be strong and extremely slick , easy to apply and affordable.
Ok here comes the part that interested me, it reported to boasts a 10% increase in top end better hole shot and a 10% increase in full economy due to the reduced water adhesion as well as easier launching and loading of the boat.
Another maker is called hull speed which is used and endorsed by the bass pros ect....( ok I take the bass pro endorsement with a grain of salt).
Does anyone have any experience with hull coatings . I know claims and real life results tend to be different. But the cost to do my hull would be around $125.
Or is this just another one of the hyped gadgets that sound better than they perform

[GeoFisher]

Ok I'm bored to death sitting in my recliner for the last 5 days revering from yet another minor surgery ( getting older *****) I'll be back fishing after the first of the year, just wanted to justify my obscure post could be the boredom or the pain meds.
Anyway I responded to the keel guard post awhile ago. It got me thinking of coating the whole hull of my Lund. So with my trusty iPad in hand I started searching and ran across a product called Wetlander it's listed as an airboat hull coating. It's suppose to make airboats not stick to the water or mud/ grass and dirt as its sliding across areas out of water.It's suppose to be strong and extremely slick , easy to apply and affordable.
Ok here comes the part that interested me, it reported to boasts a 10% increase in top end better hole shot and a 10% increase in full economy due to the reduced water adhesion as well as easier launching and loading of the boat.
Another maker is called hull speed which is used and endorsed by the bass pros ect....( ok I take the bass pro endorsement with a grain of salt).
Does anyone have any experience with hull coatings . I know claims and real life results tend to be different. But the cost to do my hull would be around $125.
Or is this just another one of the hyped gadgets that sound better than they perform

Sounds interesting............I do know that if you eliminated the friction, ANY WAY, you should get better efficiency.

Not too sure if that product would do it or not..........

Kind of neat though.

Later,

Geo

[Fishin is life]

When ive got it at wot the only thing touching the water is the back of the pad and im pretty glad
for that friction. I can maybe understand it for aboat that cant get the nose out of the water but wouldnt want it on a higher performance boat

[adam7456]

There are products such as Never Wet that you can spray on items and it repels water. So the technology to coat something and reduce friction even of water seems possible. However the products that do this have a very limited life span before the coating has to be reapplied.

On AirBoatCoatings.com it the manufacturer of Wetlander says "Without any abrasion, you should have to re-apply only as it becomes aesthetically unpleasing, maybe every few years in your clime." So best case it looks like it too has a limited lifespan.

[bob46]

Yes I have I did alot of research ended up with wetlander it does scatch had to beach the boat last year because it broke down. You can call guys cell phone number on website I called him he was helpful I would highly recommend spraying not rolling rolling doesn't get as smooth I lifted my boat up with two fork lifts one to motor bracket the other to the front I put giant c clamps on rail and lifted the front liked the product so much lined my livewell with it boat don't leak anymore either hopes this helps u out good luck recovering

[kstonich]

I understand your point about lack of hull contact, I on the other hand run a Lund which I think keeps more hull contact. I prefer to cruise versus wide open. When I was in my Skeeter I would run wide open.
I think I might see more benefit in my application.

When ive got it at wot the only thing touching the water is the back of the pad and im pretty glad
for that friction. I can maybe understand it for aboat that cant get the nose out of the water but wouldnt want it on a higher performances ever boat

[kstonich]

Yes I have I did alot of research ended up with wetlander it does scatch had to beach the boat last year because it broke down. You can call guys cell phone number on website I called him he was helpful I would highly recommend spraying not rolling rolling doesn't get as smooth I lifted my boat up with two fork lifts one to motor bracket the other to the front I put giant c clamps on rail and lifted the front liked the product so much lined my livewell with it boat don't leak anymore either hopes this helps u out good luck recovering

What were your expectations from the coating and did you achieve what you were looking for?
I was looking at the high speed offshore power boat performance and they said that they used roller for the application to leave a orange peel dimpled effect. This provided the best speed /fuel efficiency . Kind of like to smooth of a surface slowed you down.
Your fastest speed on water is always with a slight ripple of chop not a flat lake.

[hairball]

I would think that the extra weight of the product would offset any gain in speed and that they would both be negligible.

[bob46]

I originally bought it to seal my rivets I sanded the bottom of the boat replaced several rivets coated each rivet with 5400 marine epoxy then coated no more leaks. My buddy does work on boats jet ski turns them into high performance machines he told me you want a dimple effect I did pickup a little speed but a 40 hp motor can only do so much about fuel saving I never paid attention. Watch the videos on how flexible it is used a foam roller and paint brush

[kstonich]

I would think that the extra weight of the product would offset any gain in speed and that they would both be negligible.

From what I can read this is merely a painted on product which adds a minimal weight due to It being not more than a gallon of paint say 7-10 pounds.

[hairball]

From what I can read this is merely a painted on product which adds a minimal weight due to It being not more than a gallon of paint say 7-10 pounds.

At roughly $400 per gallon (I looked at both products), the performance boost would have to be equivalent to a nitrous kit and twin turbos to get my attention. According to the bass pros who endorse it, it's more like a couple of MPHs. That just backs up my feeling that a lot of the "bass pros" are corporate prostitutes (not sure I could use that other word) who would endorse anything that helps them line their pockets.

[kstonich]

The Wetlander 2 coat (Primer/top coat)would cost $115 for 100 square ft
Im not sure what I missed when calculating the cost on the product. My Lund is 18 ft long
It wouldn't be the first time I missed something.