How to Easily Meet Leisure Marine Demands

According to a Grand View Research report, the leisure boating market is expected to reach nearly $58 billion by 2028. Given this market growth, recreational boat manufacturers must address key consumer demands for increased durability, enhanced aesthetics and improved performance at a rising rate. 

Therefore, it’s important to consider the role your chosen adhesive plays in your ability to easily and quickly address them. Find out how the right bonding technology can help. 

In order to have a long-lasting vessel, its components must be durable against serious impact, water and environmental damage. Durability protects the occupants from unexpected danger and the boat itself from high maintenance costs or difficult upkeep. Increasing durability can be challenging, given the amount of materials that go into ensuring a single application is secure. Manufacturers must also consider the durability level of every material they use, as each component must maintain strength against serious impact and repeated environmental exposure.  

How the right bonding technology can easily increase durability  

The right bonding technology can increase durability in the following ways: 

Elastic bonding properties: When an adhesive offers sufficient elastic bonding, it’s able to protect the mechanical stress points throughout the vessel. In particular, this means stress is evenly distributed throughout the vessel, reducing joint fracture and potential impact on other components. Additionally, elastic bonding properties offer sufficient protection from temperature changes or damage from intense force, protecting the boat’s structure and further increasing durability.  

Accurate positioning capabilities: The right bonding technology gives manufacturers enough time to properly position the vessel joints correctly before the curing process begins. If manufacturers are forced to be quick in completing this process, it could lead to errors that result in damage to the boat’s structure. 

Waterproofing capabilities: The right bonding technology is compatible with commonly-used substrates, such as glass and plastic, and is able to offer a level of waterproofing to them as a result. It provides a flexible, watertight seal that can absorb movement, impact shock and tension from waves. 

High-luxury appearance often motivates consumer choices when purchasing a boat. By enhancing aesthetics, manufacturers can ensure the vessel offers superior-looking craftsmanship, which helps build consumer trust and boost appeal. However, aesthetics quickly become challenging to safeguard if the boat is exposed to extreme wind, rain or heat on a regular basis or if chemical cleaners used on the vessel are too overpowering.  

How the right technology can easily enhance aesthetics 

The right bonding technology can easily enhance aesthetics in the following ways:  

Chemical protection: The right technology offers protection from chemical cleaners, fuel, bleach, saltwater and other solvents, while remaining unnoticeable to the consumer. For example, overpowering chemicals and teak oils often cause more harm than good to teak decks. They can cause the teak wood grain to break down faster than it otherwise might do so. The right bonding technology offers chemical protection to block and protect the teak deck crevices where chemicals could seep in and cause degradation and unsightly boat appearance. 

Mold and UV resistance: Certain components, such as a deck hatch, require a strong bond to avoid mold growth and yellowing resistance from UV rays. The right technology can resist moisture that could lead to mold growth as well as prevent discoloration from repeated exposure to the sun’s UV rays. These capabilities help keep components, such as a deck, looking new and aesthetically-pleasing to consumers. 

Fastener replacement: The right bonding technology can offer more clean, smooth lines than traditional fasteners on boats. Additionally, it provides uniform strength throughout the boat’s substrates, which further enhances overall look. 

Consumers are looking for leisure boats that offer overall improved performance, especially when it coms to comfort, digitization and fuel efficiency. This can be challenging to address when manufacturing, because consumer preferences often evolve at a fast pace. This leaves less time for manufacturers to perfect their efficiencies before they must think about addressing the next trend. 

How the right technology can easily improve performance 

The right bonding technology can easily improve performance in the following ways:  

Sound and vibration damping: Rough seas or loud engines can impact the occupant comfort on board a leisure boat. The right bonding solution possesses sound and vibration damping capabilities, which reduce passenger disruptions.  

Connectivity capabilities: The right bonding technology enables manufacturers to easily incorporate digital features consumers desire for better boat performance. It allows manufacturers enough curing time to efficiently install complex design features, such as technological devices with screens.  

Fuel consumption reduction: By offering bonds to lightweight composites, the right bonding technology enables manufacturers to reduce the boat’s overall weight. Therefore, the boat does not require as much fuel to complete each trip, further helping protecting wildlife and meeting consumer preference for reduced environmental impact.  

Fortunately, Bostik’s silyl modified polymer (SMP) technology, based on silicone and polyurethane properties, addresses all these demands, offering: 

Increased Durability: SMP technology offers high green strength that is extremely helpful with slump resistance to ensure the structural components are kept from moving while bonding. It also offers permanent elasticity from -40° F (-40° C) to 248° F (100° C), which allows for flexibility in various manufacturing and processing conditions. This provides some ease to stress points that would otherwise get damaged.  

Enhanced Aesthetics: Offering adhesion to both porous and non-porous substrates, Bostik’s SMP products offer high chemical and UV resistance, enabling boats to withstand strong cleaners, weathering and other outdoor elements.  

Improved Performance: SMP can easily replace traditional fasteners and reduce weight for improved performance. This is because SMP offers sufficient adhesion to commonly-used marine substrates, including fiberglass, wood, glass, polycarbonate, carbon fiber and steel and can be used across interior and exterior applications. 

With primerless adhesion, SMP technology also reduces manufacturing steps and keeps production lines moving. Additionally, this enhances worker safety and reduces operational costs with less required downtime. 

Are you searching for the right marine adhesive technology? Contact a Bostik representative today to find out why our SMP is the best option for your needs. 

Other relevant content on marine adhesives: 

Marine Window Installation: How to Make Marine Window Glazing Easy 

4 Things to Consider When Choosing Marine Sealants 

3 Ways SMP Marine Sealants Make Boat Building Easier