Naples Florida Weekly
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Naples entrepreneurs make no-barnacle promise to boaters



KEENE

KEENE

Barnacles are the bane of boaters, forcing owners to sideline their boats for paint jobs several times a year.

But a group of Naples entrepreneurs promise you’ll never need to haul your boat out to scrape and paint the hull in dry dock due to the pesky mollusks ever again. Pelican Coatings’ specially formulated, patented ceramic-based coating utilizes technology commonly used in the automotive industry to protect a vehicle’s paint, which can be used on boats to prevent barnacles, salt water and seaweed from damaging the hull with routine preventative cleaning.

In fact, Mark Archambault and Jon Keene, the entrepreneurs who founded Pelican Coatings in 2019, combined have spent decades in the auto industry space. Upon moving to Naples, Mr. Keene realized that a similar, upgraded coating technology could be applied to boats to protect the hull more effectively than commonly used bottom paint.

“We’re the only company in the world that has a lifetime warranty on a hull,” says Mr. Keene, whose promise is backed by insurance.

What sets Pelican Coatings ceramic formulation above the rest is its hardness rating. Scientists measure hardness on a scale of 1 to 10, with glass at 5 and a diamond at 10. Pelican’s coating is rated a 9 by Atlas Material Testing in Chicago — the gold standard of hardness testing — which showed no failure after simulating 1,750 hours or more than seven years of exposure. This extra strong and hard coating allows for reliable protection of a boat’s hull without deterioration.

The founders of Pelican Coatings spent the last two years and invested more than $100,000 to research and test their unique coating material and get insurance backing to guarantee the product. So far, the company has applied the coating to more than 50 boats ranging in size from 20 to 90 feet. The ultimate test, they said, was the successful coating application on a 50-year-old, 40-foot commercial fishing vessel.

Mr. Keene says it costs boaters $9,000 a year on average to haul a boat out of the water three times a year, scrape and paint the hull. He estimates boaters will save at least 30% after applying the Pelican Coatings product and paying a diver to perform a routine sponge scrub in the water.

A certified team handles the coating application. Currently, Pelican Coatings sells its service directly to boaters in Florida. The coating can also be applied above the waterline to motors, trim tabs and railings to prevent fading and maintain shine.

Pelican Coatings is currently available to boaters in Florida with ambitions to expand to other states. The company also sells a similar protective coating to automobiles, recreational vehicles, scooters, and motorcycles.

For more information about Pelican Coatings, visit www.pelicanmarinechemistry.com or call 239-610- 1202. ¦

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