Will it sink ?
Author
Discussion

crmcatee

Original Poster:

5,803 posts

256 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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Prompted by The Nur and along the lines of a will it take off thread I offer something for you folks to ponder over.



I have got my hands on some of this.




Which if you've got no idea what it's about - have a shufty at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZrjXSsfxMQ



Now comes the thinking part.



If I was to spray this on the hull of a boat would it sink ? Obviously displacement has a large part to do with a boat floating but this is super water phobic.

I will get round to doing an experiment with a toy boat in a bath at some stage but thought I'd give you something to ponder over on a Sunday afternoon.


TheHeretic

73,668 posts

284 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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It would make no difference to the boat, as the displacement is still the displacement. That won't change if the surface is 'aquaphobic'. The boat will not sink.

JonRB

80,009 posts

301 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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TheHeretic said:
It would make no difference to the boat, as the displacement is still the displacement. That won't change if the surface is 'aquaphobic'.
Exactly.

I predict that all that would happen is that the boat would slip through the water better with an appreciable reduction in drag.

Of course, the best way to settle this is to write to Mythbusters and ask them to test it. smile

(Possibly suggest they also test Kari doing naked mud wrestling with and without a coating of it hehe )

TheHeretic

73,668 posts

284 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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Paddy_N_Murphy said:
What's the thinking on using it on panoramic / glass Targa panels ?
They will still sink.

Council Baby

19,746 posts

219 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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As per the other thread, how do you wash your clothes if they're coated in it?

JonRB

80,009 posts

301 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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What happens if you coat a conveyor belt in the stuff?

TheHeretic

73,668 posts

284 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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JonRB said:
What happens if you coat a conveyor belt in the stuff?
The water never takes off.

Hooli

32,278 posts

229 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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TheHeretic said:
JonRB said:
What happens if you coat a conveyor belt in the stuff?
The water never takes off.
They flying boat might though...

mike50001

164 posts

191 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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the boat will hover being repeled from the water

Hooli

32,278 posts

229 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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mike50001 said:
the boat will hover being repeled from the water
Which reminds me of the hydrophobic wizards powering the hoverdishes on Discworld.

RizzoTheRat

28,796 posts

221 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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It'll reduce surface drag, but presumably you won't get a turbulent boundary layer forming which might increase wake drag? Where are Ground Effect or Navier Stokes when you need an Aero/Hydrodynamicist, it's years since I did any.

Chim

7,259 posts

206 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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Can I spray this on my dog, would be very useful is so.

ILoveMondeo

9,614 posts

255 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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Chim said:
Can I spray this on my dog, would be very useful is so.
You can indeed, it's 100% dog safe, go for it! whats' the worst that could happen?

I'm currently coating everything in my house in the stuff ready for this winters flooding.

s p a c e m a n

12,042 posts

177 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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  • If you only spray the back of the boat will it propel itself through the water?
  • If you only do one side will it go around in circles?
  • If you coat the top will the boat right itself if you capsize it?
You need more boats.

RossP

2,603 posts

312 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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This guy put it on an R/C boat and it slowed it down... http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotat...

Chim

7,259 posts

206 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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RossP said:
This guy put it on an R/C boat and it slowed it down... http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotat...
That was obvious, its not a smooth coating, you can see from the mustard on the shoe bit that its quite rough, will just cause friction. The repelling water bit in the name is a bit misleading and oft used, it does not actually repel in the sense a magnet can, it only water proofs and holds off so to speak, kind of, if you know what I mean.

TheHeretic

73,668 posts

284 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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Is it quite rough? I thought the mustard bit was because the shoe itself was rough.

Chim

7,259 posts

206 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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TheHeretic said:
Is it quite rough? I thought the mustard bit was because the shoe itself was rough.
By virtue of the two coats required and the fact it is sprayed on I would imagine it will not be very smooth, the boat bit proves that theory I think. With racing boat you polish the Gel coat to within an inch of it life. Its amazing the effect it has on the speed of the boat. On mine I clean the props before any journey, if there are so much as a couple of barnacles on them you lose a shed load of speed and eat fuel. Learned this after taking her out without cleaning one season, she went from a top end of 33 knots down to 10 at full tilt.

Brother D

4,419 posts

205 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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Chim said:
By virtue of the two coats required and the fact it is sprayed on I would imagine it will not be very smooth, the boat bit proves that theory I think. With racing boat you polish the Gel coat to within an inch of it life. Its amazing the effect it has on the speed of the boat. On mine I clean the props before any journey, if there are so much as a couple of barnacles on them you lose a shed load of speed and eat fuel. Learned this after taking her out without cleaning one season, she went from a top end of 33 knots down to 10 at full tilt.
I think an extremely smooth surface has more resistance than a lightly sanded surface, as the very fine rough surface attaches the boundary layer to the surface, where-as a completely smooth surface results in turbulence and energy loss.

King Herald

23,501 posts

245 months

Sunday 28th July 2013
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Council Baby said:
As per the other thread, how do you wash your clothes if they're coated in it?
My wife used to wash our bath towels in some sort of fancy softener that made them feel like they were coated in this aquaphobic stuff. Totally useless for drying yourself on! They just pushed water about your body.