North River would like to address a recent post regarding Paint issues.
IF YOU USE YOUR BOAT IN SALTWATER ONE TIME YOU HAVE STARTED THE SALTWATER CORISION PROCESS. IT IS NOW UP TO YOU ON HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR THE PROBLEM TO BECOME VISIBLE.
Corrosion on aluminum boats can be caused by numerous things (i.e. high PH levels because of algae bloom, high mineral content, ect…) but saltwater is the worst. Saltwater corrosion can be called several different names, but for the simplicity of this post lets just call it saltwater corrosion.
When I purchased North River Boats in 1997, I made saltwater corrosion and paint one of the issues that I wanted to improve on. North River is not alone in this issue. This issue involves anyone that builds or uses anything in a saltwater environment that is painted.
North River spends numerous hours working with representatives from BASF to try and SLOW DOWN saltwater corrosion. We yearly send samples of painted aluminum, with different types of penetrations and barriers, to a saltwater spray facility in Indiana. This facility then returns the samples for our review so that we can evaluate which barriers and methods worked the best. We also have taken samples and placed them in the water on a dock in Tacoma, Washington. Some of the samples are submerged 100% of the time, some go in and out of the water with the tide, and some are left just above the water line but in a high salt environment.
Manufacturing is a tough business with constant change. We feel that the changes made in the last couple of years have really made a major difference. We want your boat to look nice for a lot of years and work very hard to achieve this goal. We make process changes as things are discovered to make the product better and will continue to do so.
The process that is used today is very extensive compared to years past. This is the process:
1. The boat is built in the fabrication facility and is then turned over to the canvas shop.
2. We fit the canvas and drill as many holes as possible that relate to the installation of the canvas. We install and fit the top and side curtains, as well as any other canvas that requires holes to be drilled in the boat. We then drill out and remove all of the snaps and send the boat towards the paint process.
3. The boat is then put in a hallway that leads to paint. In this hallway we drill holes for the running lights, horn, doorstop, gas fill, and any other holes that can be drilled prior to the paint process.
4. The last two steps are done for one reason and one reason only. If we can paint the boat with these holes already drilled in the boat, the paint that is in these holes adds another layer of protection between any dissimilar metal and the aluminum, as well as a barrier to saltwater.
5. We used to sub contract out paint but have invested $775,000 in paint equipment so that we can paint the boats with the best equipment and processes available. The boats are painted and baked at 135 – 145 degrees (surface tempature) for 20 minutes. This puts a cure of 30 days of normal drying time on the new paint.
6. The boat then heads to the rigging department where everything is bolted on. Anything that goes on the boat is coated with silicone before it is placed on the boat. Every snap is filled with silicone; rubber grommets are used wherever possible. All grounding is done back to one or two buss bars that are grounded to the battery. Any new holes drilled are filled with silicone.
We have moved the paint line on fully painted boats to be 1/8” above the chine. Saltwater can get trapped in the area between the aluminum sheet and the chine and can creep under the paint. Where the gunwale extrusion and gunwale interlock we have welded this closed so that no saltwater can get trapped in this area. We also follow the paint process that BASF has outlined for us to use.
Because of all of these improvements all boats built after January 1, 2004 have had a one-year warranty from BASF and North River Boats on any paint related issues above the water line. This warranty covers saltwater corrosion as well, however it does not cover issues relating to aftermarket related items or holes drilled by the consumer. These items had to be excluded because people do not use enough barrier protection and improper electronic installation and grounding.
Saltwater corrosion is very easy to spot. It is usually always located around a point of penetration in the paint or a place where the paint has been removed or scratched. Most bubbles are uneven and when popped have salt crystals inside. Improper paint adhesion is much easier to spot and the paint usually comes off in sheets.
What do you do if you think you have a paint issue? Call the North River customer service number (Please no non sponsor contact info) and talk to the customer service representative. He will set up an appointment for you to bring the boat to a retail store so that a North River Representative and a BASF representative can look at the boat and see what the issue is.
After determining what the issue is we can figure out how to resolve the problem.
We have had very few problems with the paint not adhering to the boat and most issues are saltwater corrosion related. One thing that should be pointed out is that once this problem starts it is virtually impossible to stop by touching up specific areas because it just starts somewhere else. For us to give a price to repair some of the older boats we have to see the boat in Roseburg. The paint shop and rigging shop supervisor need to see the boat and the work involved in repairing the boat. We have been doing the repairs on the older boats at cost plus 5%.
When you remove your boat from use in saltwater or brackish water you need to spend two hours giving it a bath with soap and water. If you leave the ramp and drive home it is too late. Once the saltwater dries it is usually trapped and the process has started. Moorage is also a very bad idea with an aluminum boat. Most of the docks that have electricity put off some type of electrical charge into the water. This just speeds up the process.
With the current diversity in the Northwest fisheries, North River continues to research and develop newer and better ways to develop saltwater friendly products.
North River Boats, Inc.
IF YOU USE YOUR BOAT IN SALTWATER ONE TIME YOU HAVE STARTED THE SALTWATER CORISION PROCESS. IT IS NOW UP TO YOU ON HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR THE PROBLEM TO BECOME VISIBLE.
Corrosion on aluminum boats can be caused by numerous things (i.e. high PH levels because of algae bloom, high mineral content, ect…) but saltwater is the worst. Saltwater corrosion can be called several different names, but for the simplicity of this post lets just call it saltwater corrosion.
When I purchased North River Boats in 1997, I made saltwater corrosion and paint one of the issues that I wanted to improve on. North River is not alone in this issue. This issue involves anyone that builds or uses anything in a saltwater environment that is painted.
North River spends numerous hours working with representatives from BASF to try and SLOW DOWN saltwater corrosion. We yearly send samples of painted aluminum, with different types of penetrations and barriers, to a saltwater spray facility in Indiana. This facility then returns the samples for our review so that we can evaluate which barriers and methods worked the best. We also have taken samples and placed them in the water on a dock in Tacoma, Washington. Some of the samples are submerged 100% of the time, some go in and out of the water with the tide, and some are left just above the water line but in a high salt environment.
Manufacturing is a tough business with constant change. We feel that the changes made in the last couple of years have really made a major difference. We want your boat to look nice for a lot of years and work very hard to achieve this goal. We make process changes as things are discovered to make the product better and will continue to do so.
The process that is used today is very extensive compared to years past. This is the process:
1. The boat is built in the fabrication facility and is then turned over to the canvas shop.
2. We fit the canvas and drill as many holes as possible that relate to the installation of the canvas. We install and fit the top and side curtains, as well as any other canvas that requires holes to be drilled in the boat. We then drill out and remove all of the snaps and send the boat towards the paint process.
3. The boat is then put in a hallway that leads to paint. In this hallway we drill holes for the running lights, horn, doorstop, gas fill, and any other holes that can be drilled prior to the paint process.
4. The last two steps are done for one reason and one reason only. If we can paint the boat with these holes already drilled in the boat, the paint that is in these holes adds another layer of protection between any dissimilar metal and the aluminum, as well as a barrier to saltwater.
5. We used to sub contract out paint but have invested $775,000 in paint equipment so that we can paint the boats with the best equipment and processes available. The boats are painted and baked at 135 – 145 degrees (surface tempature) for 20 minutes. This puts a cure of 30 days of normal drying time on the new paint.
6. The boat then heads to the rigging department where everything is bolted on. Anything that goes on the boat is coated with silicone before it is placed on the boat. Every snap is filled with silicone; rubber grommets are used wherever possible. All grounding is done back to one or two buss bars that are grounded to the battery. Any new holes drilled are filled with silicone.
We have moved the paint line on fully painted boats to be 1/8” above the chine. Saltwater can get trapped in the area between the aluminum sheet and the chine and can creep under the paint. Where the gunwale extrusion and gunwale interlock we have welded this closed so that no saltwater can get trapped in this area. We also follow the paint process that BASF has outlined for us to use.
Because of all of these improvements all boats built after January 1, 2004 have had a one-year warranty from BASF and North River Boats on any paint related issues above the water line. This warranty covers saltwater corrosion as well, however it does not cover issues relating to aftermarket related items or holes drilled by the consumer. These items had to be excluded because people do not use enough barrier protection and improper electronic installation and grounding.
Saltwater corrosion is very easy to spot. It is usually always located around a point of penetration in the paint or a place where the paint has been removed or scratched. Most bubbles are uneven and when popped have salt crystals inside. Improper paint adhesion is much easier to spot and the paint usually comes off in sheets.
What do you do if you think you have a paint issue? Call the North River customer service number (Please no non sponsor contact info) and talk to the customer service representative. He will set up an appointment for you to bring the boat to a retail store so that a North River Representative and a BASF representative can look at the boat and see what the issue is.
After determining what the issue is we can figure out how to resolve the problem.
We have had very few problems with the paint not adhering to the boat and most issues are saltwater corrosion related. One thing that should be pointed out is that once this problem starts it is virtually impossible to stop by touching up specific areas because it just starts somewhere else. For us to give a price to repair some of the older boats we have to see the boat in Roseburg. The paint shop and rigging shop supervisor need to see the boat and the work involved in repairing the boat. We have been doing the repairs on the older boats at cost plus 5%.
When you remove your boat from use in saltwater or brackish water you need to spend two hours giving it a bath with soap and water. If you leave the ramp and drive home it is too late. Once the saltwater dries it is usually trapped and the process has started. Moorage is also a very bad idea with an aluminum boat. Most of the docks that have electricity put off some type of electrical charge into the water. This just speeds up the process.
With the current diversity in the Northwest fisheries, North River continues to research and develop newer and better ways to develop saltwater friendly products.
North River Boats, Inc.
