• One of the main commercial fishing trawlers for this company, located in the country of Japan, had serious corrosion damage to its upper steel deck after years of exposure to ocean salt water.
• The boat deck had been previously painted. Large sections of the paint were failing and mil scale rust was quite evident through out the entire deck.
• The owner was looking for a long-term solution to the problem caused by the constant exposure to salt water and extreme temperature fluctuation. A flexible coating that would be slip resistant and yet durable enough to withstand the constant abuse of the fishing crew was called for.
• This particular fishing vessel is used for gathering fish from each of the smaller fishing boats operating at sea and transferring the catch to the nearest base port.
• The ship was extremely large and had been in service for over 30 years.

 SOLUTION:

• Chuo Systems Planning Co., Ltd, the exclusive dealer and installer for Elastomer Specialties in Japan was contacted and asked for a solution.
• After a careful evaluation of the vessel and determination of exactly what the owner was looking for, Chuo recommended a rapid curing primer and polyurea coating to solve the problem.
• Because of the short amount of time the fishing vessel would be in dock, slower coating systems such as epoxies and moisture-cured urethanes were not considered.
• Chuo recommended the GatroHyde LP system because of its long-term durability, and resilience to impact from heavy & sharp metal objects such as knifes, chains and cables.
• Ease of future repair was also a concern of the owner. Because GatroHyde is designed for instant emergency repair the owner was so impressed with the overall system he contracted Chuo Systems to perform the restoration and coating process.

• Products specified:
  

  1. Primer - PolyBon, a two component, high solids content, fast curing, epoxy modified polymer used as a primer for concrete, steel and wood surfaces.
  2. Deck Coating - GatorHyde LP, a 1:1 ratio low-pressure, hybrid polyurea spray system designed specifically for application through the CONDOR plural component pump, manufactured by Elastomer Specialties, Inc. The specified color by Chuo Systems was Moss Green.

 INSTALLATION:

• Prior to the installation of the PolyBon primer the entire deck area specified for coating was thoroughly sanded using an orbital sander. All loose debris was vacuumed up and then the deck was hydro-blasted using a high-pressure water ram.
• Once the entire surface was properly prepared and masked off, Chuo technicians, using the CONDOR Deluxe low-pressure pump applied the PolyBon Primer at an approximate coverage rate of 150-200 square feet per gallon.
• While the PolyBon primer was curing, (1-hour) the crew drained the PolyBon primer out of the CONDOR pump, thoroughly clean the tanks and lines and then filled the pump with the GatorGard LP aromatic polyurea.
• The crew then installed the GatorHyde LP through the CONDOR at a dry film thickness of 1.5mm. After the installation was complete the technicians then applied a stipple coat using the same material in order to create a non-skid texture for the fishing crew.
• The very next day the commercial fishing vessel set sail and was back in operation.
• This project was completed in January, 2003.