You know the drill..
Moderators: Redneck_Randy, badmoonrising, lakerunner
-
C_M_25
- Posts: 286
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:12 pm
- Location: Central Oklahoma
#1
Post
by C_M_25 » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:10 pm
Hey everybody, I recently sat through a presentation on this liquiglide material. It was aimed more for my industry, but I figured this has instant application potential for our boats. When underway, we fight friction at every location the toons touch the water. It is the primary factor that limits our speed. You can argue that the bow of the boat tends to just plow through water, but actually, water is moving around the toons. The rate at which we displace water is directly related to how fast those little water molecules can move past the aluminum. Now, watch the video(s) below:
http://liquiglide.com/videos/
Can you imagine how much faster we could go with a nearly frictionless surface between the point of contacts between the boat and the water. Granted, we'll still suffer a bit from "plowing" through the water, but there is a lot of surface area in contact with the water. Removing the drag created from that friction can be huge!
Of course, going completely frictionless isn't always the best idea

2014 Sweetwater 2086SW
90 Hp Yamaha 4-stroke
-
RcgTexas
- Posts: 2656
- Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 6:37 am
- Location: Texas
#2
Post
by RcgTexas » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:40 pm
Interesting! Is it a coating or something in the material?
1995 beachcomber conversion to tritoon with Honda 135 ,
Link to rebuild [url=http://www.pontoonforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=19016][Knot Normal][/url]
God Bless America
-
C_M_25
- Posts: 286
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:12 pm
- Location: Central Oklahoma
#3
Post
by C_M_25 » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:49 pm
I guess it is a coating that is sprayed on then that coating needs to interact with a special fluid. When the two materials combine, it creates the surface that doesn't allow any bonds to form between the water and aluminum. It is a pretty painless process.
2014 Sweetwater 2086SW
90 Hp Yamaha 4-stroke
-
Bamaman
- Posts: 3679
- Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 1:44 pm
- Location: NW Alabama--Tennessee River
#4
Post
by Bamaman » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:51 pm
Pontoon boats in their current configuration are really displacement hulls pushing through the water. Most full hulled fiberglass boats are planning hulls that get on top of the water--faster and more efficient than any pontoon/tritoon.
Any pontoon boat will hit a wall around 30 mph where massive amounts of horsepower are required to get the boat any faster.
Modern pontoons or tritoons with lifting strakes fool displacement hulls into getting on top of the water. The wall rises to about 40 mph on most straked toons running 150 hp motors.
It's unfortunate that our party barges cannot be made into planning hulls, but it's just the design that limits speed.
Every boat is a compromise in many ways and every boat has its limitations in performance.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150
-
C_M_25
- Posts: 286
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:12 pm
- Location: Central Oklahoma
#5
Post
by C_M_25 » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:59 pm
Bamaman - I think you are missing the point. It is the physical characteristics of our boats that make this material a must-use. We are displacing water; therefore, the water has to move around the pontoons. There is a considerable amount of drag created from that proecess. This will make that drag essentially zero, so we will be able to see considerable speed increases.
2014 Sweetwater 2086SW
90 Hp Yamaha 4-stroke
-
C_M_25
- Posts: 286
- Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:12 pm
- Location: Central Oklahoma
#6
Post
by C_M_25 » Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:01 pm
I should say that this is a spray-on material that can be applied to existing boats.
2014 Sweetwater 2086SW
90 Hp Yamaha 4-stroke
-
lakerunner
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 4820
- Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:31 pm
- Location: Live in McAlester, Ok Boat on Tenkiller
-
Contact:
#7
Post
by lakerunner » Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:06 pm
Be sure and get plenty of gps speeds before and after to show us
Loyd & Betty Meeks
Livin the lake life
2004 Tracker 22 Regency/2010 90 E-Tec. Pulled by Ford 2020 F 250,
McAlester, Oklahoma
Home lake is Tenkiller
-
teecro
- Posts: 1028
- Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:23 am
- Location: Sunset Bay, TN
#8
Post
by teecro » Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:14 pm
C_M_25 wrote:Bamaman - I think you are missing the point. It is the physical characteristics of our boats that make this material a must-use. We are displacing water; therefore, the water has to move around the pontoons. There is a considerable amount of drag created from that process. This will make that drag essentially zero, so we will be able to see considerable speed increases.
Displacement hulls have been using drag reducing coatings for years and believe me there is a lot of money that goes into the reduction of drag as drag equals fuel and fuel usage equals reduced profits..... To which I'm talking about ships; there are some very high tech coatings used on our bottoms but no matter how slippery you simply can only get X from displacement hulls no matter what. Now that is not to say that there is not some room for improvement but at what cost as the returns diminish? Ever drop a rag on the finished hood of a drag car? that rag will slid off faster than the speed of light due to the hi tech wax finish applied to the drag car as it does make a difference but its not a huge night and day difference it is mere fractions of a second...
T CRO
2017 Berkshire CTS 24 RFX with Yamaha F150/Simomized 200
2015 Caravelle 16 EBo with Mercury 90
-
MH Hawker
- Posts: 1434
- Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2011 4:13 pm
- Location: West Virginia
#9
Post
by MH Hawker » Sat Oct 04, 2014 1:13 am
C_M_25 wrote:Hey everybody, I recently sat through a presentation on this liquiglide material. It was aimed more for my industry, but I figured this has instant application potential for our boats. When underway, we fight friction at every location the toons touch the water. It is the primary factor that limits our speed. You can argue that the bow of the boat tends to just plow through water, but actually, water is moving around the toons. The rate at which we displace water is directly related to how fast those little water molecules can move past the aluminum. Now, watch the video(s) below:
http://liquiglide.com/videos/
Can you imagine how much faster we could go with a nearly frictionless surface between the point of contacts between the boat and the water. Granted, we'll still suffer a bit from "plowing" through the water, but there is a lot of surface area in contact with the water. Removing the drag created from that friction can be huge!
Of course, going completely frictionless isn't always the best idea

Buy a boat, try it and let us know the results
If it aint broke your not having enough fun
James & Deb
1988 Riviera Cruiser 15 HP Mariner
05 Silverado Z 71 V8 5.3
-
Bryden24shp
- Posts: 1873
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:28 am
- Location: Iowa/Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
-
Contact:
#10
Post
by Bryden24shp » Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:35 am
teecro wrote: there are some very high tech coatings used on our bottoms

I'm sorry, butt, I just couldn't resist! (,)
-
lakerunner
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 4820
- Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:31 pm
- Location: Live in McAlester, Ok Boat on Tenkiller
-
Contact:
#11
Post
by lakerunner » Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:09 am
Bryden24shp wrote:teecro wrote: there are some very high tech coatings used on our bottoms

I'm sorry, butt, I just couldn't resist! (,)
Great minds, you saved me the post
Loyd & Betty Meeks
Livin the lake life
2004 Tracker 22 Regency/2010 90 E-Tec. Pulled by Ford 2020 F 250,
McAlester, Oklahoma
Home lake is Tenkiller
-
chill'nthemost
- Posts: 1447
- Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 9:25 pm
- Location: Terrebonne,OR
#12
Post
by chill'nthemost » Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:25 am
It looks like the coating some car manufactures are offering to make their cars "self cleaning"
1998 Sun Tracker Party Barge 25ft, stern drive 3.0 Chevy
Unfortunate member Parent's of Murdered Children
I love my country, it's the government I fear
-
OldePharte
- Posts: 590
- Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2008 1:37 pm
- Location: 10.8 MM Lake of the Ozarks
#13
Post
by OldePharte » Sat Oct 04, 2014 11:30 am
I want to think that sometime late in the last century, there was an inventor looking for an additive for paints that would inhibit, if not prevent, graffiti paint from sticking as the surface would be too slippery. He then tried it on the bottom of a boat and found out that he couldn't reliably steer it due to the lack of friction. Kinda like driving on ice.
So in this case, should it actually work as advertised, methinks some fins would be needed to hold a boats track. And no, I don't mean those tappyfins.
'09 Neptoon Sport 25TT SunLounger w/150 Honda
What happens at the lake stays at the lake. Unless I have my camera handy.
-
RcgTexas
- Posts: 2656
- Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 6:37 am
- Location: Texas
#14
Post
by RcgTexas » Sat Oct 04, 2014 2:23 pm
A coating that would reduce friction and help protect the hulls would be great! "I would like to see some before and after testing and longevity tests!" said the interested consumer.
1995 beachcomber conversion to tritoon with Honda 135 ,
Link to rebuild [url=http://www.pontoonforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=19016][Knot Normal][/url]
God Bless America
-
Drago
- Posts: 552
- Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:00 am
#15
Post
by Drago » Tue Oct 07, 2014 2:03 pm
I'll bite. So what are the coatings that fast attack subs use? It feels like shark or dolphin skin.
Check this.....
http://www.asknature.org/product/9db08f ... b33f64ca50
Kenneth & Joy
Lake Conroe, Texas
2007 Bennington 2577RFSi
2006 Yamaha F225
Solas 14.25x17SS prop
Best ever top speed 69.2KPH