Another win for Rustoleum Hydrophobic paint

[Roy M]

I just finished replacing a windlass for someone and had a great experience with a relatively new product by Rustoleum. It's a two part spray that, when dried, sheds water like the proverbial duck's back. I tried to take a picture of this process, but it simply looked like a staged setting of a dry windlass motor set on a wet dock.

The original windlass was a complete mess, the aluminum gear box was, literally, a mass of grey mud. The anchor locker is not a nice place for anything vulnerable, especially anything made of steel, aluminum and stuffed full of electrons when energized. I had a kit of the Rustoleum in my shop, waiting for the ideal application to test it out. I figured this was it. I sprayed a medium coat over all of the surface I could reach, waited a half hour, then flipped it over and repeated the process on the newly exposed surfaces. Another half hour drying period, then I repeated the process, just to make absolutely sure everything was coated (all of those little joins, screws, terminals, crevices, etc.). The result was that the black finish was now a blueish grey color. Then I sprayed with Part 2, a quick drying clear finish that leaves the surface looking slightly frosted white. A couple of coats of that and I was done. I left it for a day, just because it was getting late, then the next day poured water on the assembly. As I said, there was no reason to shoot a picture because there was nothing to see but a dry motor casing and a wet dock. The material is very slightly rough textured, appears quite durable, and gave me full confidence that this will hold up to the task. It will handle the temperatures that a windlass motor might be expected to tolerate, but I doubt that it would do well with full exposure to ultraviolet light (not much of that in the chain locker. I'm impressed, and will now remove my own windlass motor and treat it with the same stuff. Just thought someone would like to know about this product for this tricky application. Here are some pics: the old windlass gear box and the newly sprayed unit. Hmmm! The website keeps sending me nasty messages about a missing security token. I'll send the pics as soon as I can figure this out.

[ontherocks83]

Sounds interesting! Please come back in a few months and tell us if it has continued to work or if there are any side effects. A second thought and I am sure it wouldn't work but...... what would your thoughts be about coating your anchor chain in it so you don't have to wash it as often? I don't think it would stand up long term but I also don't know the product so who knows.

[Roy M]

Here's photo of old gearbox. And here's the new one. As for coating the chain, that's not going to happen. It wouldn't hold up to the abrasion. But I've heard that you can spray a light coat on your spinnaker bottom, where it will dip into the water. A couple shakes and it's dry.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Here's photo of old gearbox.

That's almost painful to look at. How old was it?

[Roy M]

The solenoid box had the date 11-1997. I just read the instructions for the paint (not the first time, though). The paint is intended for occasional wetting, it must get a chance to shed the water occasionally, not full time immersion. That would be cool for a race boat bottom. The slight roughness would probably be counterproductive.

[tamicatana]

Originally Posted by Roy M

That would be cool for a race boat bottom.

No it wouldn't. Reference Schlichting's BOUNDARY LAYER THEORY if you don't believe me.

Fast guys don't wax their bottoms and they sand with 600 grit, maybe 1000 grit and leave it.

[Roy M]

Oh well, another treasured fantasy shot to hell by the cold facts of physics. Now you'll probably tell me the truth about time travel and Star Trek's transporter system. I guess I can still hold out for a full phaser array, though (just kidding, NSA, just kidding).