wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks to Smithers' recommendation, I was able to put up a few
"progress" photos of my general overhaul at:

http://www.pbase.com/gould/extreme_makeover


Nice progress on the boat Chuck. She looks like a beauty. Thanks for
sharing the pictures with us.

On Tue, 16 May 2006 08:25:36 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Powder coating is tougher. It is melted onto the surface and almost
becomes part of it. Paint is...paint.

Could be but if 2 part LPU is tough enough for a sailboat mast (and it
is), it is certainly tough enough for a trawler mast. Powder coating
is a specialty hard to locate in some areas but there is usually no
problem finding a competent painter.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 May 2006 08:25:36 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Powder coating is tougher. It is melted onto the surface and almost
becomes part of it. Paint is...paint.

Could be but if 2 part LPU is tough enough for a sailboat mast (and it
is), it is certainly tough enough for a trawler mast. Powder coating
is a specialty hard to locate in some areas but there is usually no
problem finding a competent painter.


Also, I think powder coating requires high temperature baking of the
substrate to be coated. Finding a shop that could fit a mast in an oven
might be tough.

I'd probably go for anodizing, which is basically building up a layer of
aluminum oxide. Fresh cut or sanded aluminum oxidizes very rapidly to about
50 angstroms in thickness, then slows down because of the protective
oxidized layer. Anodizing increases the thickness to several mils, can be
dyed and can even be specified in terms of Rockwell surface hardness,
ranging up to that of hardened steel. Metal finishing shops usually have
large tanks and can handle big objects.

RCE

On Tue, 16 May 2006 10:27:58 -0400, "RCE" wrote:

I'd probably go for anodizing, which is basically building up a layer of
aluminum oxide.

Anodizing is the alternate choice for sailboat masts. The diehard
racing types prefer it because it is lighter than painting.

Appearance wise, I prefer paint.

Powdercoating a sailboat mast would require a rather long clean room for
the process. I'm not saying that the two part paint is in any way
deficient, but I have noticed that some high-end boatbuilders are now
powdercoating what used to be anodized aluminum or even stainless, like
tee-tops. Further, some of the better custom motorcycle builders are now
powdercoating their frames.


My boat trailer is powdercoated (black). It's sit in the sun for the past
six and a half years. It doesn't seem to have held up against fading any
better than paint would have, from what I can tell. Kind of disappointing,
really.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Reginald P. Smithers wrote:
Harry,

What is the advantage of Powdercoating vs two-part polyurethane?


Powder coating is tougher. It is melted onto the surface and almost
becomes part of it. Paint is...paint.

I do not think power coat is very flexible, so would probably crack on a
mast. Where as the paint will flex and avoid lots of stress cracks.

It's not the fading, but the wear factor that is important, at least to
me. Is all the powder coating still on the trailer? Has it worn off?
Chipped off?

Seems a lot of effort for a trailer, though. I like all alum trailers,
with stainless hardware.

My situation is quite a bit different than most as it comes to boat
trailers. In its six and a half years, the thing's probably only got maybe
3,000 miles on it, maybe less. What few times it's been dunked, only in
fresh water. When I took the boat to San Diego for a summer, I had it
lifted off the trailer and launched with a travel lift, and did the same
when it was time to go home. So yes, all the powdercoating is still there.
No wear, no chips. But in my case, the same would likely be true of
automotive paint. The real enemy in my case is the relentless Arizona sun,
and it seems to be having its way with the powdercoating just as it would
with paint.

You don't see very many aluminum or galvanized trailers inland. Dealers
aren't stupid. They want as much showroom glitz as can be mustered, and
nothing quite does that like a shiny painted or powdercoated trailer, with
maybe some chrome diamond-plate trim. Where I come from boats are almost
always entirely an emotional purchase with form always winning out over
function. That completely drives what a dealer puts in his inventory.

On Tue, 16 May 2006 13:10:47 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 16 May 2006 08:25:36 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Powder coating is tougher. It is melted onto the surface and almost
becomes part of it. Paint is...paint.

Could be but if 2 part LPU is tough enough for a sailboat mast (and it
is), it is certainly tough enough for a trawler mast. Powder coating
is a specialty hard to locate in some areas but there is usually no
problem finding a competent painter.



Powdercoating a sailboat mast would require a rather long clean room for
the process. I'm not saying that the two part paint is in any way
deficient, but I have noticed that some high-end boatbuilders are now
powdercoating what used to be anodized aluminum or even stainless, like
tee-tops. Further, some of the better custom motorcycle builders are now
powdercoating their frames.

Powder coating motorcycle frames has been popular amongst rebuilders for
many years. Do you know which brands are doing so with the new bikes?
--
'Til next time,

John H

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