Anybody ever applied steel flex to a boat?

[forced2work]

I am thinking of applying this to an aluminum canoe I bought, first for the practice before I try it on my boat, anybody ever used this stuff and any pointers would be helpful.

Thanks

[D Duck]

Great stuff. You just need to prep the boat well first - sand off all loose paint and get a good mechanical etching (I use 40grt on a hand grinder to make it go faster). Then wash really well with water and a little soap, and then follow with either acetone or alcohol right before you are ready to apply. Mix it like epoxy (2 parts) and then I spread it with a mastic trowel to get initial coverage and then finish with a roller. Let it cure for at least 72 hours.

[snipeshooter]

I agree with everything Don said. Mix only as much as you can spread in a short period of time it starts to thicken really fast. I mixed a batch then poured it on the hull and spread with a trowel then mixed another batch and repeated the process.

[SSPhone]

I'm putting it on my boat this week. I think the hardest part will be to flip the Hide upside down.:duckie:

[forced2work]

Thanks for the reply I will let you all know how it goes when I get it done.

[D Duck]

I agree with everything Don said. Mix only as much as you can spread in a short period of time it starts to thicken really fast. I mixed a batch then poured it on the hull and spread with a trowel then mixed another batch and repeated the process.
I have found that if you get it spread across the hull (read thin layer) - that's what the trowel is for, you can do the entire hull (I have done mine twice now) in one shot. But you have to be fast - get it mixed, get it on the hull and then spread with the trowell in a matter of a few minutes. Once you get it spread, then it seems to increase the pot life (the folks at Fasco told me about this).

I also found that after you get it rolled, wait about 1 - 2 hours and once you can touch and not leave a finger print, but still dent with your fingernail, then you can take and smooth down with some soapy water and a sponge and squeegee to get a really slick finish.

[D Duck]

I'm putting it on my boat this week. I think the hardest part will be to flip the Hide upside down.:duckie:
That's the fun part right there.... You need friends! :toothy10:

[Pinman]

Can Steel Flex be applied to fiberglass? I need something to protect my canoe from dragging it around too much.

[SSPhone]

Can Steel Flex be applied to fiberglass? I need something to protect my canoe from dragging it around too much.

Looking at the instructions that came with the Steel Flex it says for aluminum or fiberglass. Both install about the same also. So what ever is left over from doing the Hide I am going to roll it on the Mallard Boat. The rocks and such in the shallows of the STA's have left the bottom a bit ruff.

[D Duck]

I know someone that did the bottom of a fiberglass canoe.

[Pinman]

Great! Yeah it's for the STA canoe. Too much dragging it UP the dike after a hunt.

[Steve.r]

Does it have to be a slick bottem boat or can it be a jonboat with the v ribs on the bottem.

[Raul G]

D Duck is correct. I would also caution you to use proper gloves and eyeglasses, have good ventilation (outdoors in the shade preferably). We did three 1648 alum hulls with one gallon from Fasco, two rivetted one all welded. It is still like new after three seasons. I do not recommend running on rocks because it will come off that way. It provides much less friction when running over veggies and mud, the only slight negative is that on turns the hull drifts a bit like an airboat. The 100$ was a good investment, we split it three ways. You need only coat the hull bottom, we masked the area to be flexed. The boat also comes off and onto the trailer bunks as if you had those slick pads- be careful when trailering because if the bow hook is not holding you could have the boat slide right off the trailer, my friend learned the hard way.:) One plus is that my friend had a couple of leaky bottom rivets and the steelflex stopped that up.

[D Duck]

Does it have to be a slick bottem boat or can it be a jonboat with the v ribs on the bottem.
You can put it on the bottom of any type/shape of hull. It will help with getting through vegetation. Just remember not to unhook the bow of the boat when you are backing down the ramp....

[D Duck]

D Duck is correct. I would also caution you to use proper gloves and eyeglasses, have good ventilation (outdoors in the shade preferably). We did three 1648 alum hulls with one gallon from Fasco, two rivetted one all welded.
Wow - that's a good coverage. I used an entire gallon on my 17x48, but I put it on pretty thick.

[Steve.r]

Wear did you buy the steel flex for your boat.

[forced2work]

Bens paint in longwood has it.

[Steve.r]

Does that stuff work in open water or is it just for running in lillys and hydrilla and other type of vegg. Buy the way were is longwood.Im in tampa.

[D Duck]

http://www.fascoepoxies.com/

Make sure it is the STEELFLEX SUPER SLICK EPOXY COATING #9X-2000

[Converted]

I just ordered a gallon and a half to re-do my rig and add it to the layout/STA skiff.

It lasted pretty good I guess. 3 seasons and 98% of it is still in place. It's not as slick as new and there are dings here and there from my rough handling of the boat. Hitting that air boat crossing west of Stick Marsh at full throttle probably had a bit to do with the dings.

It took me a gallon to do my boat last time. 1844 flat bottom. I came up about 3" on the sides and did the rake right up to the rub rail. I just mixed the full gallon with the color adder and poured it down the centerline. A buddy spread it around with a trowel and I rolled it out with a 4" roller.

BTW "hunter" green is a little more like John Deere Green

[forced2work]

Bens also has a store in lakeland

http://www.benspaintsupply.com/location.cfm

[D Duck]

Does that stuff work in open water or is it just for running in lillys and hydrilla and other type of vegg. Buy the way were is longwood.Im in tampa.
It will not do anything for open water performance - nothing will.... It will make your boat slide easily over vegetation and even dry land - don't ask me how I know this. :toothy10:

[SSPhone]

Bens also has a store in lakeland

http://www.benspaintsupply.com/location.cfm


Ben's in Lakeland can get it but that don't have it in stock. And they really don't know much about it.
Just order it direct from Fasco. They ship COD and you will have in the next day UPS.

David that's not good news about the "Hunter Green" :00000008:

I am just finishing up the sandblasting on my boat this morning, if I can stay off the phone and the computer long enough. Should have the Steelflex rolled on late this afternoon.

Did you have any highs and lows in the bottom of your boat? What looked to be a totally smooth bottom before the sanding turns out it got a few dents and low spots. Should I use some type of filler to try to smooth it all out?

[snipeshooter]

It will also make the boat a lot easier to get back in the water if you do not make off said dry land before you stop.:toothy10:

[D Duck]

David that's not good news about the "Hunter Green" :00000008:

Did you have any highs and lows in the bottom of your boat? What looked to be a totally smooth bottom before the sanding turns out it got a few dents and low spots. Should I use some type of filler to try to smooth it all out?
The green is pretty green.... Not olive drab, that's for sure. Since I camo'd mine MOSG, I used the tan tint for the bottom.

A few dings and spots will not hurt the performance - actually, you can let the steelflex fill those as you roll it on.

[SSPhone]

Well it on and now hanging in the barn to dry. Didn't use the whole gallon so if someone close by wants the left overs there is close to a quart ( pint x pint) with some of the green tint. I had enough mixed to do the bottom of the Mallard Boat. In hopes of the next time I get a STA permit I will be able to push off at the canal and get to my hunting spot on plane :D

[D Duck]

Steve - make sure you let it cure for at least 72 hours. I would even get it out in the direct sun for a while before you flip it back over and put it on the trailer.

[SSPhone]

Rolled it on Friday afternoon, flipped the boat over and put it back n the trailer this morning. Note to self DO NOT UNHOOK THE FRONT HOOK ANYMORE. Without the motor this morning a 1 hand push about dropped the boat on the concrete in the barn. Man that stuff is slick :toothy10:

[D Duck]

Note to self DO NOT UNHOOK THE FRONT HOOK ANYMORE. Without the motor this morning a 1 hand push about dropped the boat on the concrete in the barn.
Better to learn that lesson now than the first time at the ramp.

[Duckaholic Doug]

I'm putting it on my boat this week. I think the hardest part will be to flip the Hide upside down.:duckie:

Are you using a Bobcat, tractor, or the Rotisserie like they use for frame off restoration of Hot Rods?

[SSPhone]

Are you using a Bobcat, tractor, or the Rotisserie like they use for frame off restoration of Hot Rods?

It's all done now and back in the water. But what I did was lift it with chain hoist in the barn and rolled it over. Doug if you want to do yours you are welcome to do it here. Still have the sand blaster but you need to buy more sand and the Steel Flex of course. Heck while you have the motor off we can sent it over to Gecker and have Sheldon do some magic on it. :D

[Duckaholic Doug]

Steve, I may take you up on that offer for your remaining Steel Flex and the use of your hoist. Chuck and I have the deck off my boat right now. We hope to get the front deck compartments cut and installed and the floor put into the boat this weekend. Then, maybe we can come over to your house, show it off, receive some open criticism and apply some Flex.

[SSPhone]

Steve, I may take you up on that offer for your remaining Steel Flex and the use of your hoist. Chuck and I have the deck off my boat right now. We hope to get the front deck compartments cut and installed and the floor put into the boat this weekend. Then, maybe we can come over to your house, show it off, receive some open criticism and apply some Flex.

You will need to order your Steel Flex, I didn't have enough left over to try to save. And your boat will be out of service about a week if you do the whole job. i.e. sand blasting, cleaning, installation and drying time.
Tim and I talked about offering to do installations just for a few side jobs. With 1 gal of Steel Flex, the sanding media, cleaning supplies and labor we were estimating $500 to $600 if the boat was de-rigged. Motor off everything removed from in the boat. I even thought that if someone was going to take their motor to Sheldon at Gecker MS we could meet them there and when the motor was pulled off we would do the bottom while the motor was getting souped up.

[D Duck]

I agree, it's too much work to do for a couple hundred bucks.... I would charge at least that much, but I value my time more than anything. :toothy10: