Recoating Drift Boat Bottom

[Nookie Monster]

I need to re-finish the bottom of my DB and I have a few questions I hope you all can help me with.
I have an existing coat of Gluvit that is about ten years old. It seems to be holding up well but it is thin in some spots and there are some spots that are dished out (quarter to dollar size diameter) from hitting rocks.

1) Do I need to remove all the old Gluvit and get down to bare metal?
a) If yes, what would be the best way to remove the old stuff and what is the best way to prepare the metal? Is there a chemical cleaner that would aid in the preparation of the metal?
b) If no, what would be the best way to prepare the old Gluvit and get it ready for a new coat? If it needs to be cleaned, will soap and water suffice or does it need to be chemically cleaned? What would be the best way to etch the existing surface so the new coat adheres properly?
c) What would be the best way to fill in the divets to ensure a smooth bottom? (I know I am not going to want to read some of the responses to that question).

2) How thick should the new coat be on bare metal? If re-coating over existing material, how thick should the total amount of material be?

3) Does humidity effect the curing process? What would be the ideal weather condition when applying the new material?

4) Can Coat It be applied over Gluvit and/or vise versa?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[FM2]

NM, I just went through the same process as you are. Check out the search feature and you will find great information for this topic and you will get many of your questions answered.

I had gluvit on my boat and it was nearly gone so I did a little research and with the suggestions of other ifishers opted for coat-it. I like the fact it has Kevlar and graphite and is less expensive than gluvit. I scraped off nearly all of what was left of the gluvit before applying the coat-it. I really should have s******* off all of the gluvit but I thought the areas where it would not scrape off I could just apply the coat-it and have a little extra protection. You can apply coat-it over gluvit but not the other way around. Anyway, a couple of the areas where I did not take the gluvit completely off and applied the coat-it over it have chipped down to the metal. I have drifted the Trask a couple of times recently and have had to drag the boat across a few places. The coat-it has held up very well except where I left some of the gluvit on. There is only a baseball size chip which I will recoat with the coat-it but I would recommend removing ALL of the gluvit should you choose to use the coat-it. I used a gallon and a quart on a 16 X 54" drift boat.

Just a short :shocked: comment on this since I just went through it. But again, there is some very recent threads on this topic. :smile:

Good Luck ! :grin:

Geeze, my first edited mispelled word, the s******* word is scraped with an extra "p" in it, man this thing is to smart for it's passnts !!

[ 11-05-2001: Message edited by: FM2 ]</p>

[Catch 22]

All the above is right on the money. Coatit over glovit but not vice versa. If you really want it perfect, take off all of the glovit. I spent days with an air compresson, a special air chisel for aluminum heads & gaskets and a sander. After I was all done and had applied the coatit, I was bragging about my smooth bottom :grin: and this guy says "Why didn't you use a propaanr torch?" Apparently, when glovite is heated up, it will peel right off with a scraper. Go figure huh? I have not tried this myself and it is second hand info. But, give it a try and let me know how it works. BTW, you still want to sand when you're done to make sure the coatit will stick to your bottom.

[Wet Willie]

N.M. I too just went through this process.Old glove-it off new coat-it on. I used a heat gun and a putty knife to get the old stuff off. It's a lot of work but was the best way I found. I tried a sander (way too slow) I tried a torch (way too hot, melted the glove-it instead of softening it) the heat gun (was just right) I found the thicker the old coat was the easier it came off. I used a 1 1/2" putty knife to scrape with and a 1" gasket scraper for the really tough spots.
After all the scraping was done I used an orbital sander with 60 grit paper to rough things up. Then I wiped it down good with goof-off to clean the aluminum.
I used a 1 1/2" paint brush to apply the new coat-it(Mixing one small can, pouring it out on the boat and then spreading it out in a fairly thick coat) One thing that I would recomend is to buy the smaller size cans of coat-it. It costs more,
but I found that the larger can started to set up way too fast. I'm not sure this is the best way but it worked out great for me.

[Paranoid]

Once again. Grind it, sand it, turn it over and put in on the trailer upside down and take it in and have it sprayed by the "Rhino Lining" folks.
Have then leave off final texture coat and it will be smooth resulting in minimal drag in the water. This stuff is bullet proof, self sealing, and repairable by overspraying. No more worries of rocks, drag it up the bank all day long with your truck. It really works....check it out!

[cureless]

what is the cost for the Rhino lining?

I have never heard an actual testimonial of this product for DB bottoms.

I know alot of us are a little leary of trying this. Sound like a good idea.

Cureless

[Jennie@ifish]

Why is s******* a bad word? I am confused by some of these things... I'll go take that word off too.

[SandySteel]

Just a reminder to be careful when removing the gluvit. It is a two part epoxy and is toxic when it becomes airborne in the form of dust or fumes. I always wear a respirator and coveralls and then make sure that I wash the coveralls alone to get the dust out without breathing it. Just be careful.

Eric

[Catch 22]

If you want to JUST protect the bottom of your boat, then the Rhino liner is the way to go. They guarantee it for life.

However, if you actually want to SLIDE off rocks instead of STICK to them, then stay away from the bedliners. If you really hit a good rock on some of the places I drift, you will be buying a new boat. They can take out the texture, which will create les drag in the water. However, they can't make their products keep the bottom of your boat from sticking to every rock you hit. This is OK on some slow drifts with a couple rocks here and there. Extremely dangerous where any hydraulics are involved. Hitting a rock, sticking to it and turning sideways on the rock is about the scariest thing you could do in a boat. If you had to coat the bottom of your boat with something hard and slick like Coatit every year it would be worth it. However, once you have a good coat, you can just patch up the chips and scrapes.
I have the Arma coat in the bed of my truck and I love it. However, if it was on the bottom of my drift boat, I would be "Paranoid" too. :shocked:

[ 11-06-2001: Message edited by: Catch 22 ]</p>

[Master Baiter]

Could someone please post a supplier name and number for Coat-It? All the places I have gone only have Gluvit and never heard of Coat-It!

Thanks In Advance

MB

[FM2]

MB, I picked mine up at GI Joe's in Beaverton but I would guess they all should have it. It was right next to the gluvit.

Good Luck ! :grin: