About 6 years ago, when I was 'finishing' Cavatina, a product called Seacoat appeared - a gloss varnish one-coat lookalike. It was reviewed favourably in Water Craft and, not enthusiastic about various coatings I had used on my first boat (Storm Petrel 'Cadenza'), I decided to go for it for spars and hardwood on my new boat. Available only on line, can't remember cost but reasonable, very efficient and friendly supplier (didn't ask whether manufacturer as well). The only practical problem I had was, with one tin, getting the ****** tin open! Results - fantastic. Easy to apply, quite quick drying, smooth gloss finish. And amazingly durable. After 5 years the spars look like new. The toughness on seat slats has been extraordinary - no sign of wear from my bum, and those of others, sliding about over 5 sailing seasons.
2 years ago I made something out of hardwood - a tiller I think - and needed some more, as after 5 years my last bit of Seacoat had gone solid in the tin. Drew a complete blank - website off air, phone number (which I had kept) went leaveamessage. Google search - an American company called Seacoat, whom I contacted but claimed no knowledge of what I was telling them. My Seacoat has completely disappeared without trace. I expect such things happen, BUT this was an absolutely brilliant product which, properly marketed, would have been a market winner - the continuing durability and appearance of its use on my boat is testimony to that. Very odd, and VERY annoying because I would like some more!
I continue to search (even got Steve Greenfield interested in my efforts, as the stuff had been tested for his mag). And I'll need to do something, probably at end of 2016 or start of 2017 season, because the ONLY signs of wear on the boat are where small but significant dings and scrapes, e.g. on the hardwood coaming round the anchor locker in the bows, have allowed small-scale water ingress so there are scattered discoloured pock marks which will need attention some time.
The American Seacoat company do a two-pot finish called Nautique Seal, which sounds as if it might be similar, but I don't think it's available in the UK (yet?). Then there's the much advertised Awlwood range. Both seem complicated compared with the utter simplicity of Seacoat, EXPENSIVE++, and sold only in ridiculously large quantities.
Is this a case of a rival product being bought up and then suppressed? But it's such good stuff, why not make money out of selling it! These commercial waters are murky to me, have any of you entrepreneurs any ideas of what might have happened? If anyone tracks Seacoat down or comes across it, PLEASE let me know!
Michael Rogers
