Red Durabak™ on the deck
of Tug Boat - Pentagoet
|
Non-slip Safey Coating for Your Boat or Ship
Slip Prevention, Rust Prevention, Stands up to Water and Sun!
Durabak™... It lets you walk on water!
Specially formulated polyurethane non-skid protective coating offers excellent slip and fall protection while it protects the surface against rust & other damage. Durabak™ gives you excellent traction. This unique formulation has resilient, specially treated rubber granules self-contained in a totally flexible polyurethane base resulting in the "give" & "comfort" that no other non-slip coating offers. That's why it works better than any other product on the market!
Durabak™ is a one part formulation... no mixing, quick drying Just "coating it on" with a roller... it bonds to metals, wood, fiberglass, concrete... (You get the picture...hundreds of uses).
- Won't crack, chip or peel
- Resistant to Saltwater, fuels and chemicals
- Available in a variety of colors.
Letter to The Durabak™ Company:
MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY
Castine, Maine 04420
(207) 326-4311
15 November 2000
Durabak™ Coating Company
4064 S Atchison Way
Sutie 301
Aurora, CO 80014
Just a short note to let you know how pleased I am with the results of the Durabak™ application on the boat. As you know R/V Argo Maine has been "rode hard and put up wet" for years. When I came on board she was in rough shape and showing her age. Not ideal treatment for a 32 year old steel vessel. One of the biggest maintenance headaches has always been the deck. Constantly wet, with heavy objects routinely dragged across it; a hard chance just to keep coatings on the surface. Combine this with a variety of coating systems used previously, and a less than perfect surface preparation and you begin to see the extent of the problem. Enter Harry Stevens and the tug Pentagoet.
The tug is not nearly as old and better built with an excellent record of maintenance thanks to the work of Harry Stevens and Capt. Tim Leach. They have been using Durabak™ for years and were big fans. A good durable non-skid surface is crucial to safe operation of the tug which is used for training students in tug and barge ops in all weather, year-round with the academy's barge Cleanwater 21, a 240', 25000 bbl barge in ballast. The surface of the epoxy products proved to be too aggressive for line handling and too brittle for adequate impact resistance needed when handling heavy towing gear. During the winter in snow and ice it did not provide good non-skid performance. With a training vessel it became very much a safety concern.
Harry ended up applying Durabak™ and the problem was solved. He convinced me to do the same on the Argo 3 years ago.
We drag 2 and 3 thousand pound moorings across this surface, heavy shackles fall from 6-8 feet, and fishing gear including scallop drags and heavy groundfish gear are constantly dragged across this deck. To add insult to injury we daily wash down with a 1 1/2" saltwater line. When in operation mode which is nearly non-stop throughout the spring, summer and fall, maintenance of coatings is impossible. Durabak™ has stood up to the abuse for the last 3 years. I've recoated once for cosmetic purposes only. The decks look great and the boat has come a long way from what she looked like 4 years ago. The one dividend that I didn't expect was the added comfort which still amazes me; not only is the surface a great non-skid, but there is a certain give to the surface from the rubber in the product. This can make a huge difference in crew fatigue during long spells on the working deck. I found this hard to believe initially given the thickness of the coating but I've talked to others who have had the same experience.
I'd recommend Durabak™ to anyone who works on the water and wants to spend more time working and less time maintaining. Thanks for your product and your help.
With regards,
John Steer
Chief Mate
R/V Argo Maine
Maine Maritime Academy
Factoid:
The average workplace accident results in 5 days of lost work!!!
The Durabak Company
Phone: 303-690-7190
Copyright © 2006 The Durabak Company. All rights reserved
|
