And what are the new technology alternatives?
Very often, bitcherman based coatings are assumed and presented as coal tar replacement coatings. Now the question is, do they provide the same durability? Unfortunately not. Bitcherman based coatings typically have a lower resistance to salt or brackish water, resulting into the coating drying out, cracking or even delaminating.
Coal tar based coatings , despite their excellent durability at low cost, have been phased out for good reasons, as they have been proven to be carcinogenic and repro-toxic, among other health and safety concerns?
So what are better alternatives to bitcherman based coatings? In International Paint’s range, the Vinyl Intertuf 201 as a single component has better salt water resistance, colour stability in black color, and remains easier to clean. One level up in the two component epoxy coatings, Intertuf 362 as a cold temperature cure surface tolerant primer/finish is a best seller offering good value for money for hull maintenance.
In te premium offer, there is various user- and environmentally friendly technologies that have at least equivalent, if not better proven durability to the good old coal tar epoxy coatings. For maintence in the inland or coastal shipping industry, this would be Intergard 5000 Brush grade “One Pot” epoxy primer finish 2 coat system. For new construction, a single coat of Interzone 954would do the trick.
The key features of Intergard 5000 and Interzone 954 are:
- Single coat primer/finish system
- Very high durability in Offshore environment
- Ideal for UHP WJ pretreatment
- Tolerant to damp surfaces
- Cures underwater 30min after application (at 20 ° C [70ºF])
- Excellent surface tolerance
- High impact- abrasion- and abrasion resistance
- High chemical resistance