ACCELERATED WEAR TEST RESULTS

In tests conducted under laboratory conditions at Saabrucken University (Faculty of Roads), KEELBLACK click here for pdf download.

KEELBLACK 12 MONTH TEST

The owner of this 60ft narrowboat used KEELBLACK but was sceptical of how it would behave over time. He took the hull out of the water after 12 months to assess the condition.  The image shows that the KEELBLACK was still near-perfect other than the usual mechanical damage and after a light jet-wash to remove small quantities of slime, he decided to relaunch  the hull. He told us that he had painted the hull originally in less than an hour per coat and was impressed with the speed and the ease of application. The drydock used was wet with canal overspill flowing through the dock during the painting process but the water based KEELBLACK went on perfectly - and stayed on. 

COMMERCIAL PASSENGER BOAT OPERATOR

We have used KEELBLACK for the past four years on our steel hulled passenger vessels. We trade in fresh-to-slightly-brackish water with no loss of performance, no flaking and with little evidence of marine growth. Fresh water mussels simply drop off with a light scrape.

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Annual docking preparation time has been cut from 1.5 days to two hours, saving us at least £200-£300 per vessel and eliminating the need for costly hull scraping and requiring only a simple pressure wash to prepare the hull for recoating. Rapid overcoating has also saved us a fortune in docking charges.

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We originally applied KEELBLACK over old bitumastic, and the results after one year in the water were astounding. On subsequent dockings, the coating has been almost 100% present and undamaged with virtually no freshwater barnacles adhering to the surface. We have ordered more KEELBLACK for next year's maintenance programme."

FLEET OPERATOR

We have 9 narrow boats in our fleet and we experimented with KEELBLACK for one season against our traditional blacking. The results were noticeably improved with far less scuffing particularly around the bow and stern quarters where most contact damage occurs. The ease of application and the ability to repair damage between hiring has converted us to using KEELBLACK exclusively. This decision has saved us huge amounts of money and time, ensuring our hulls always look smart - we recommend KEELBLACK to our customers when they come to us to re-black their hulls.