View Full Version : Glovit vs UHMW
Haftafish
10-11-2002, 07:45 AM
Which is best on an aluminum drift boat. I now have glovit but am thinking the UHMW would provide better protection and easier rowing. If UHMW is the best who around the Portland area is the most reasonable for putting it on. Should it be glued or how do they install it?
Thanks :whazzup:
Miss B Haven
10-11-2002, 07:53 AM
There is no way to put UHMW on a glass or alum hull. It must be screwed on. Nothing sticks to it. I put it on my old woodie. I guess you could screw it on, but I really don't think I would recommend it. :shocked:
Gus Orviston
10-11-2002, 10:28 AM
When searching to find my DB I checked out a Willie 17ft guide boat that they, Willie Boats, had taken in on trade. It had the UHMW on it that I think Willie Boats initially installed when it was new. call them...
Tilla
10-11-2002, 01:12 PM
The local Loctite Rep might have an adhesive that might do the job. They probably have a website with an answer to compatability challenges. They had a way to glue polypropylene, which is generally thought to be un-glueable.
Gus Orviston
10-11-2002, 01:30 PM
Call Willie Boats, they have done or know how it is done correctly.
I have a sheet of what I thought was UHMW on my drfiter. I glued it down with standard contact cement and it worked fine. If it is not UHMW, than what is it? :whazzup:
excuse me
10-11-2002, 02:12 PM
The summer of 01 I redid the bottom of my Alumiweld drift boat with the newer Coat-It that has graphite fibers in it. I can't remember if that's the way its spelled or not. Anyway I just sanded down and smoothed the old deteriorated bottom coating and painted a semi thick layer of it on smoothly with one of those rectangle sponge painters and this worked out well. The new coating seems tougher than nails and is very slippery. Full recommendation based on my experiences rowing over rocks in shallow rapids and from what some other boaters have said about it.
Haftafish
10-11-2002, 05:02 PM
Where did you get the stuff. I am looking for anything to slick up the bottom as much as possible.
Thanks :smile:
seadog
10-11-2002, 06:08 PM
My brother in-law had a fish-rite with uhmw on the bottom and I believe it was fastened down with weld-washers. Countersunk holes are drilled in plastic then these special washers go in the holes and are welded to the bottom of the hull. It definitely can be done!
Drachir
10-11-2002, 06:12 PM
One other train of thought here. I have heard that the sprayed on Rhino Lining is great on DB bottoms, the same stuff they put in truck beds. It is almost indestrucable, and can be done in colors as well, for those vain enough to want it to match the paint color. It's worth checking out!! :grin:
excuse me
10-11-2002, 06:23 PM
Haftafish,
I got the "Coat-It" at GI Joes. Its carried at Fisherman's Marine Supply also. It comes in a gallon can plus a pint can of catalist curing agent to mix into the gallon just before applying it. It not only has the graphite component now, it also has a kevlar component in the epoxy compound. This stuff is really great and I would hesitate to drill holes in the bottom of an aluminum boat if you don't have to. Be sure to put it on the bottom and sides of the chines also. A lot of guys omit doing that and the chines are often what hits and sticks first.
excuse me
10-11-2002, 06:26 PM
I forgot to add that most DB guys like the Coat-It better than Gluvit. And I dont know what UHMV is. What is it?
Haftafish
10-11-2002, 07:17 PM
UHMW is a plastic material of sorts. Kind of like thick teflon that comes in a sheet and its cut to fit the bottom of the boat. Its fairly rigid so it has to be contoured and shaped to the bottom and then adhered by the above mentioned ways. I do not want to put holes in the bottom of my boat uless I hit the mother of all rocks and then the boat will be history. :mad:
OUCH. It hurts just thinking about it.
Rubber Robin
10-11-2002, 09:09 PM
UHMW stands for ultra high molecular weight. It is a plastic and it will add a lot of weight to your boat.
I would recommend gluvit or the coat it material that is being mentioned.
Attaching UHMW means holes in your boat bottom. Not a good place! :grin:
RogueFishr
10-11-2002, 09:46 PM
FishRite was using this down here in Medford in early 95'. It uses a type of welded rivet/washer setup to attach the piece. It didn't penetrate the bottom of the boat. It was fairly thick stuff and seemed very hard and slick, but also HEAVY. I think the sales guy told me it added almost 100 pounds to the bottom of the boat. Since then, Willies has started doing it too. It doesn't seem to be that popular down here though, probably because of the added weight. I was looking to have a boat built at the time (ended up across the street at Willie), and remember thinking I could buy a LOT of Gluvit for the price of having that extra weight welded to the bottom.
Jay
Yeah, I have a 86 fishrite drifter with the UHMW sheet on the bottom. It is not riveted screwed or anything. It is glued down withe standard contact cement you buy at ACE hardware. It is not coming up at all. If it does, I am ripping it off and doing the whole thing with Coat-it or Gluv-it. But as of right now (and it is 16 years old) the contact cement is holding the sheet to the boat. How about that? :shocked: :whazzup: :rolleyes:
NAUTI-NOTIONS
10-12-2002, 12:20 AM
might be able to rivit it? anyway
comes in diffrent thickness
call
Kopp Ind.
1-509-539-9354 for prices and avail.
Finn-icky
10-12-2002, 08:40 AM
Arma-Coatings.....Life time gaurantee... Located in Eugene, but I think a place or two in Portland applies it. If this interests you, e-mail me and I will look up the 1-800 #
Steelie
10-12-2002, 08:57 AM
Just a question. Wouldn't Arma-Coating create more drag. The applications I have seen are very rough?
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I forgot to add that most DB guys like the Coat-It better than Gluvit. And I dont know what UHMV is. What is it? <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">I believe many of the off-white plastic cutting boards used in the kitchen or on-board are UHMW.
[ 10-12-2002, 09:58 AM: Message edited by: Red ]
speyfly
10-12-2002, 10:18 AM
Don't use the spray on truck bed lines for the bottom of a drift boat. It is very sticky and won't slide over the rocks. You want to use Coat-it or gluvit.
KENAIDOG
10-12-2002, 09:58 PM
I'm in the process of doing the same with my Willie DB, and contacted willies about the UHMW. They told me that they do not recommend applying it to a used DB. In fact they will not install it on any used DB. With my research i think I'm going with the Coat-it. Just my 2 cents
ampersat
10-13-2002, 07:43 AM
by the way, uhmw is bouyant. while it will add some weight to the boat, the net effect on floatation is minimal. for wooden boats, it's the only way to go. for aluminum, gluvit and the like is probably your best bet, provided it cures properly. for fiberglass, well hey, you don't need to do anything to fiberglass.
Finn-icky
10-13-2002, 08:03 AM
Stealie... Good point, however arma-coatings uses 4 different formulas. One was designed specifically for marine use. Its as smooth as can be, and doesn't weigh as much as the plastic. I visited there business in July and looked at all the applications. I'm planning on haveing the smooth formula on the bottom and up the sides of my sled and then the slip proof formula in the open bow area. This should help with anchor chips etc.
Steelie
10-13-2002, 08:05 PM
Good to know. How do they charge. By the square foot ?
Big Willie
10-14-2002, 07:27 AM
I just re-finished the bottom of my boat with Coat-it, getting ready for winter steelhead. The stuff works great because of it's hardness, which makes it 'slippery'. It does crack when you hit a rock just right, but is very easy to fix. Any of the truck liners would not have that hardness, they are polyeurathane and will always remain flexible, or 'sticky'. I would not recommend applying those for that reason. I do think UHMW would work great if the thickness is kept to a minimum, say 1/16th to 1/8th, anything more than an 1/8th is overkill. Just my .02!
Gary
smoky
10-14-2002, 11:02 AM
I just put Gluvit on my boat Sunday a.m.
Stuff went on like glue. Would have been easier in warmer weather.
If you use Gluvit, leave the can in the house overnite so its warm when you use it.
Seefood Man
10-14-2002, 03:30 PM
I just use sandshrimp oil on the bottom of mine :grin: