Ready to join me on another one of my "lesson's from Dave"... this month it's been on anodising vs powder coating. SeaMac offer both, but we recommend anodising and I wanted to know why...
Anodising is IN the metal, not ON the metal, which differentiates it from powder coated or painted surface finishes. This is achieved via an electrochemical bathing process, so it will withstand the harsh marine environment.
As you can see in the photos above, the frames are all hung and dipped into a series of baths where different processes cleanse, impregnate and seal the surface of the metal, giving you a hard coat finish. If you look closely you'll see the wires which are tied to the frames to lower them into the baths. Occasionally we get flash marks where these wires cross our frames, but the anodiser is constantly working on this issue.
The BIG upside to anodising... it lasts indefinitely! Your frames will look just as new in the vessel in 20yrs as they do the day they're installed, just give them a wash with fresh water now and again.
The most popular, and tried and tested, finish is silver but we can also offer black, which is very popular.
Powder Coating is a spray painted finish... it is a very smooth and aesthetically pleasing finish at that.
We use the powder coating option where the customer wants a white or coloured finish.
In our experience powder coating is best limited to aft-facing product, i.e aft access doors and cockpit area windows. The joinery in your boat is constantly blasted by the sea, salt and wind driven sand, but in the cockpit area they are offered some protection and powder coating has proven to be acceptable.
Powder coating is a painted finish ON the metal, so without the odd clean, cut and polish it will be susceptible to chipping & corrosion, especially in the harsh marine environment. Like a spray tan, if you don't maintain it, it can look terrible! But I'm sure you all knew that right?
Let me put it this way... say you bought yourself the car of your dreams, would you consciously leave it parked by the beach, day after day without washing, waxing and polishing it? I don't think so!