I raised this yonks ago, so thought I might do a fresh thread.
About 5 years ago, when I was at the painting-and-finishing stage of kit-building Cavatina (Trouper 12), a product called Seacoat appeared - actually in Water Craft, where it received a very favourable review from some varnish-etc expert. One-pot clear gloss coating. I decided to use it for Cavatina's spars, bench slats and the other (relatively few) bits of 'shiny hardwood'.
It's been absolutely brilliant, in every sense. Five seasons later, the spars need no attention at all. The bench slats - I and those sailing with me have been sliding our backsides up and down those year after year, and there is NO apparent wearing through. What there are, there and elsewhere, are little pale spots where tiny dints have breached the surface and allowed water to get through. Collectively they will need attention sometime fairly soon.
And there's the rub (excuse the sort-of-pun). About three years ago Seacoat suddenly disappeared. The web site where I bought it no longer functioned, the phone number I had wasn't answered (very friendly and helpful people they were to deal with, too). The only evidence I have that they ever existed is the superb finish on my boat.
There is an American company called Seacoat, who seem to do stealth-type coatings for the US navy and James Bond: I've asked and they deny any knowledge of the stuff I used. Has it been bought up to be suppressed? - stupid, because they would be onto a winner. In a small way, this is fertile ground for conspiracy theories! I scout around every now and then among the marine paint people, and none of them are marketing anything which is like the Seacoat I used.
I have benn interrupted several times writing this bit, and am going to do a second instalment to avoid being timed out. Watch this very same space.....
